2025 Senior Bowl Takeaways: Mike Green, Grey Zabel Top Early Risers On Draft Boards – Bleacher Report
Moments create an impression. Consistency can change reality. Senior Bowl week is often filled with viral moments from the event’s practices. They’re snapshots that don’t provide the entire picture, though. How the individual performs on a rep-by-rep basis really defines how they’re perceived during the evaluation process.Case in point, Marshall’s Mike Green became a sensation Wednesday for an ultra-physical rep he had during the practice’s one-on-one sessions. That one play shouldn’t be what defines Green’s status. It should be viewed as the punctuation of an ascending prospect, who’s done everything in his power since the start of the 2024 campaign, including leading the FBS with 17 sacks, to elevate his status.Meanwhile, offensive linemen often find themselves working in anonymity, unless they’re beaten clean or blown up as described above.However, this year’s crop of talent shouldn’t be overlooked. The opposite needs to happen: The group should be highlighted. The likes of North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, Sacramento State’s Jackson Slater and Jacksonville State’s Clay Webb have been three of the best and most consistent performers through two days of attendance.None of those prospects come from pipeline programs, yet they’re building excitement about their potential based on their consistency against better competition despite being small-school options. Zabel, in particular, may be working his way into first-round consideration because of such a strong performance.Brandon Thorn, Brent Sobleski, Dame Parson, and Matt Holder describe how each of these individuals did during the second day of the Senior Bowl process while breaking down more happenings from Wednesday’s practices.The quarterbacks have not been outstanding by any means. That said, one high-profile signal caller made a solid progression. The other skill position groups have flashed positive and exciting plays, even with the quarterback crop not quite living up to expectations.QB Jaxson Dart, Ole MissDart rebounded well after an inaccurate and lackluster first day of practice. He made multiple good decisions, hitting his first reads in the progression and fitting passes into tighter windows between two defenders.Dart was visibly more confident in what he was asked to do and threw the ball with more certainty. Day-by-day improvement is a massive positive for Ole Miss’ all-time passer.QB Jalen Milroe, AlabamaMilroe has yet to find consistent success in Mobile. He had a throw or two, including a deep touchdown in one-on-ones. Milroe also struggled to maintain any level of consistency in the pocket. It appears he is thinking too much and trying to process all of the information the coaches are giving, along with the information between plays.Milroe’s footwork remains erratic. He threw a ball in the dirt during one session and an interception later. He then connected on a deep ball to TCU WR Jake Bech, though it was underthrown.Milroe simply has not made enough plays through two days of practice. Everything is far too difficult for him right now.RB Devin Neal, KansasNeal was decisive, patient and tough as a runner during Wednesday’s session. He displayed good vision and footwork to find lanes and break into the open field. He has been running hard and caught the ball well enough to be a functional pass-catcher at the next level.RB Damien Martinez, MiamiMartinez displayed his nimble footwork in traffic and lateral agility for a bigger back. He caught the ball well out of the backfield and ran with a good burst to pop through the initial layers of the defense. Martinez is showing he is more than a sturdily-built hammer-style ball-carrier.WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa StateHiggins provided one of the day’s best wide receiver performances. He bounced back well after a poor day against man coverage to start the week. Higgins used intentional and decisive footwork and releases at the line of scrimmage to push defensive backs off their spot. He had a highlight deep catch by shaking the defensive back in the contact window before stacking him and using his long stride to eat grass and separate.Higgins manufactured ways to get open on Wednesday, which was great to see after a disappointing initial performance.WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa StateHiggins’ teammate ran great routes, as per usual. But Noel’s highlight grab against tight coverage on a deep ball really caught everyone’s eye. He made an outstanding adjustment to the ball and reeled it in. Noel is stacking days and proving that he is more than just a slot receiver.WR Tez Johnson, OregonOnce again, Johnson proved to be more than a handful in one-on-one sessions when working out of the slot. He continues to put defensive backs in a blender.Johnson is fast and twitchy but uses tempo and suddenness to win his reps. Despite his small, wiry frame, Johnson continues to turn heads and put the defense on notice. So far, he separated with relative ease against man-coverage.TE Jake Briningstool, ClemsonBriningstool had a strong day, catching nearly every target thrown in his direction. He became Mr. Reliable in team drills, operating on quick underneath routes with sure hands. Briningstool caught a ball from Jaxson Dart between two defenders, displaying his comfort catching in traffic and congestion. His best rep came at the end of practice during a one-on-one session, where he defeated a defensive back with a strong-handed grab that Briningstool made look easy.TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling GreenFannin elevated his performance on Day 2 and looked settled. He caught most, if not all, of his targets throughout the early practice session after a couple of key drops the day before.The nation’s leading receiver also had a nice win against a physical defender in one-on-ones. He ran solid routes and separated when needed. The bounce-back reminded everyone why Fannin was so productive this past season.TE Mason Taylor, LSUTaylor posted a good day overall. He showcased his blocking ability but kept up his route-running clinic against man coverage. He’s making a case to leapfrog a few bigger names and enter the top-five tight-end discussion by the end of this week.— ParsonThe small-school offensive linemen are stealing the show, even if the show is looking for other stars. The big guys are used to not receiving much attention. Not today, not when a suspect group of blockers seemingly gets stronger every day.OT Grey Zabel, North Dakota StateZabel followed up a stellar Day 1 with a repeat performance on Day 2, showing outstanding body control with tight, active and strong hands to keep defenders in front of him, mirror and stay attached throughout reps.Once Zabel got his hands on rushers and defenders in the run game, the rep was over during both days of practice. He did lose his first rep clean Wednesday in one-on-ones against FSU’s Joshua Farmer, who slipped underneath his outside strike to win the corner.Otherwise, there simply wasn’t another decisive loss on his film during the first two days of practice.I’ve also heard that Zabel has aced his interviews, and I believe he should be viewed as a lock to be drafted within the draft’s first 40 picks, with a good shot to crack the first round.IOL Jackson Slater, Sacramento StateSlater followed up a solid Day 1 with a higher-variance second practice, with some more commanding wins mixed in with a few decisive losses.The FCS product was very good during one-on-ones in pass protection, with an impressive display of balance to maintain his posture and stay attached through a power-pop move from Georgia’s Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins before finding his anchor. He followed that up with two nice reps against Ole Miss’ Walter Nolan. The first turned into a commanding win where he defeated an inside club attempt and another after initially getting his inside shoulder lifted, quickly sliding his feet and cutting it off before anchoring late.Slater ended practice during the ‘compete’ period with a decisive win against Notre Dame’s R.J. Oben, clenching him up with a circle punch before mirroring and sitting down on a late spin attempt.Slater did have a nice rep in team against Alabama’s Tim Smith where he jump set him and ate a cross-chop attempt but some of Slater’s play strength and size concerns crept up here. He was pried open and compressed back on a double-team and got folded up on his back against a bull-rush from Smith. He also had a clean, bizarre loss across his face against Ole Miss’ Princley Umanmielen on the man-side of the protection where he barely touched him.Overall, Slater’s athletic ability and natural leverage are good enough to allow him to match up and mirror rushers in pass protection and reach landmarks in the zone run game. However, his lack of length, girth, and mass suggests he needs to be in a zone-heavy scheme as a center-only prospect.IOL Clay Webb, Jacksonville StateWebb was another who followed up a solid Day 1 with a more shaky Day 2, getting edged both inside and outside numerous times in the run and pass game. Once inside of defenders, he showed the natural leverage and play strength to quickly find his anchor. Webb is a stout presence at the point of attack but plays with soft edges that were especially noticeable when repping at guard as opposed to his more natural home at center.IOL Willie Lampkin, North CarolinaLampkin had an excellent showing during one-on-ones Wednesday, with a couple of dominant reps including one against Georgia’s Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, where he locked him up and anchored quickly. His best rep of the day against South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders, using independent hands to strike and eat an attempted inside club move, sending Sanders on his face before stepping over him Allen Iverson style.Lampkin is light on his feet with a firm anchor thanks to his natural leverage, strong hands and good core strength.Lampkin’s diminutive size (5’10”, 270 lbs) did negatively impact him during the team portion of practice, including an ugly loss on a climb off of a double-team where he lunged and was scraped clean across his face, falling down in the process. He also was shed late on a double-team overtake by LSU’s Sai’vion Jones, unable to secure the lane against a late shed attempt.IOL Miles Frazier, LSUFrazier was up and down both days of practice but played more at right tackle on Wednesday and battled despite that clearly not being a position he is comfortable playing.Frazier started off one-on-ones with two very nice wins split between guard and tackle before losing around the edge clean against Notre Dame’s R.J. Oben and getting pulled off balance late by Deone Walker on another rep.’Frazier’s body control is below average, but he used his size, strength, and active hands to hold his own most of the day.OT Josh Conerly Jr., OregonConerly repped more at right tackle than his natural home on the left side. The unfamiliarity showed during one-on-ones.His first rep against UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo saw him get jolted onto his heels by the bull-rush before recovering to find his anchor. He then underset Mike Green during his second rep, hopping over into contact with high pads and getting trampled by the bull-rush. He followed those up with a makeup rep, with a better set but got edged inside late in the rep and was forced into recovery mode.Conerly also had a clean loss at left tackle against a cross-chop from Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku in what was an overall subpar, shaky day two of practice.IOL Emery Jones, LSUJones proved to be up and down Wednesday, which was an improvement over Day 1, where his performance was more down than up. Jones lost three or four reps in glaring fashion where he was caught out of position and beaten cleanly in the run and pass game due to erratic strike timing, hand placement and balance. Yet he also went back and forth with Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart throughout the day to win a couple of reps before ending practice during the ‘compete’ period with three reps against Texas’ Barryn Sorrell, where he won two of three.Jones has been unreliable all season on film but has enough flashes and physical tools to signal a mid-round developmental level prospect.OT Ozzy Trapilo, Boston CollegeTrapilo never really found his footing or strike-timing during the week’s first practice, routinely letting defenders work inside his chest and around the corner quickly. He settled down on Day 2. More of Trapilo’s play strength and ability to anchor on command against power showed up thanks to him syncing up his hands and feet to establish first meaningful contact on rushers. Although he still did get edged a couple of times late in the rep due to his feet getting stuck after initial contact.Part of Trapilo’s allure on film was his handle on the nuanced parts of the position, such as timing, depth, spacing and working in unison with his guard, which are areas that are very difficult to showcase during the all-star game circuit. That said, Trapilo is trending in the right direction after two days of practice with incremental improvements to his technique.OT Anthony Belton, North Carolina StateBelton was pretty clearly the next best lineman on the National roster after Zabel on Wednesday due to taking good pass sets and beating rushers to the spot with an inside-out relationship that forced them to work down the middle of his frame. This movement allowed his massive, dense build, length and strength to take over repeatedly throughout the day.In a similar vein as former Missouri tackle Javon Foster at last year’s Senior Bowl, Belton is dictating terms to rushers, thus allowing his size and strength to take over most reps.Things still will fall apart in terms of sustaining late in the rep when Belton is unable to establish quick control of the block due to shaky body control. He doesn’t redirect very smoothly. But he has minimized those reps enough to help his strengths shine through during the first two days of practice.OT Aieronte Ersery, MinnesotaErsery struggled on Day 2 of practice due to being late with his hands and allowing rushers to work inside his frame and through both edges with relative ease. He was also on the ground a few times after being forced into scramble mode once initially beat.The 6’6″, 339-pound blocker is clearly big, strong and powerful once latched onto defender. But significant variance exists within Ersery’s footwork, strike-timing and hand placement that has exposed shaky recovery skills.— ThornWhile today’s focus for the front seven by the B/R scouting staff fell on the linebackers, it was impossible to ignore what edge defenders Mike Green and Shemar Stewart did. Those two continue to climb up draft boards with their Senior Bowl performances. Meanwhile, the ‘backers were mostly positive during Wednesday’s action, as the defense had a strong performance overall.EDGE Mike Green, MarshallGreen continued to play well and be a standout in the one-on-one pass rush competition. One of his best reps came against Oregon’s Josh Conerly, a highly rated offensive tackle prospect, where Green showed off his power by bull-rushing and putting Conerly on the ground.The Marshall product is checking all the boxes he needed to mark off this week: weighing in over 250 pounds, showing a wide pass-rush repertoire and proving himself against top competition. Green will be moving up B/R’s edge rankings and should end up being a top-20 pick in April.EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&MWith just 4.5 sacks in three seasons, Stewart is a traits-based prospect who lacks production.However, he’s been dominant in Mobile, as his tools are showing up more consistently on the field. The former Aggie stood out during team periods as a pass-rusher and run-defender, logging a strip-sack and tackle for loss.Stewart will also be climbing up B/R’s next big board, and it’s becoming clearer that he has the makings of a first-round pick.LB Demetrius Knight II, South CarolinaIt was impossible to miss Knight during Wednesday’s practice. He made his presence felt during the full-team periods, showing some good pop when taking on blocks and making tackles against the run. He also flashed some impressive instincts and speed against outside runs to make a handful of tackles near the line of scrimmage.LB Cody Lindenberg, MinnesotaLindenberg started practice by making a few nice plays as a run-defender during the full-team period. Then, he showed some anticipation with a great read in zone coverage to come up with an interception during the seven-on-seven period.The former Golden Gopher did experience some struggles during one-on-one coverage drills as a linebacker who excels in man coverage. However, he’s proving to be a serviceable second-level defender who can provide run support and be effective in zone coverage.LB Jack Kiser, Notre DameAs a sixth-year senior, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Kiser showed off some impressive instincts against the run. He made several tackles during the full-team periods by simply being in the correct spot.It wasn’t shocking to see the Notre Dame product have issues in coverage, but it was surprising that he struggled to win as a pass-rusher in the one-on-ones. The latter was viewed as one of the Notre Dame product’s strengths coming into the Senior Bowl, and his ability to contribute on third downs is now an even bigger question mark.LB Jeffrey Bassa, OregonAfter an impressive showing during Tuesday’s practice, Bassa was more uneven a day later.He started strong by making a quick read to get a tackle for a short gain in the team session. Then, he had some issues in coverage during the middle of practice. Bassa did manage to bounce back with a PBU during the one-on-ones and finished strong during the second full-team period.The arrow is still pointing up for Bassa, even though Day 2 just wasn’t as clean as Day 1.— HolderAs mentioned yesterday, this year’s top defensive back prospects aren’t in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl. The previous statement does not mean the group lacks talent. Instead, a few names are definitely building a resume at the all-star event. Each day is different, though. A player who shined to start the week may not be looking as good when everyone else adjusts. On the other hand, some start slowly and really improve. But it’s those who show out throughout the entire week’s festivities that really shine, which is the starting point from Wednesday’s highlighted prospects. CB Quincy Riley, LouisvilleWhile not mentioned yesterday, Riley stacked back-to-back strong efforts as arguably the most consistent coverage corner in attendance. What made Riley stand out among others is a trait that’s often overlooked. A cornerback who doesn’t panic when he’s beaten, out-of-phase, or the ball is in the air is invaluable. Riley has shown over the last two days that he’s cool as the other side of the pillow when those instances occur. He will continue working to get in-phase and still try to make the play on the ball if possible. Don’t let the previous statement indicate that Riley has been beaten easily because he hasn’t. But the previously mentioned aspect of his game has caused him to rise above the rest. A third day of standout play could help elevate him above late Day 2 draft status.CB Darien Porter, Iowa StateIt’s difficult to miss Porter, as a 6’2″, near-200-pound cornerback with arms over 33 inches long. His length showed up on the field, too. Porter smothered some of the wide receivers he faced throughout the day. He’s a big corner, so he’s going to have some trouble with smaller and shiftier targets. That’s a given. At the same time, his size and recovery speed are highly effective in shutting down throwing lanes. As Zebra Sports noted, Porter topped out at nearly 22 MPH as the fastest player on the National squad during Wednesday’s practice.S Maxen Hook, ToledoIn a way, Hook is the antithesis of what former Toledo teammate Quinyon Mitchell accomplished last season.Mitchell came into the all-star with something to prove after being in a zone-heavy scheme that allowed the cornerback to continually drive on the ball. He arrived in Mobile and smothered everyone, even in man-coverage.Hook is showing he’s good with the ball in front of him, but he struggles when asked to lock up a receiver in space. Granted, the latter is safety and a little bit of stiffness in coverage is expected. But the effort just confirms that he’s going to be more comfortable in zone.S Hunter Wohler, WisconsinSimilarly, Wohler is a 6’1″, 217-pound safety prospect who’s far better playing the ball in front of him or working downhill than being asked to do anything coverage. Wohler has shown tightness in his hips and plays high when in his backpedal, thus creating opportunities for receivers to shake him off the top of the route stem easily. An event like the Senior Bowl doesn’t necessarily highlight what Wohler does extremely well—which is to play in or near the box and defend the run at a relatively high level. He’s going to be exposed to a degree. Yet it doesn’t entirely encapsulate who he is as a prospect.S Jonas Sanker, VirginiaConversely, Sanker deserves a mention as a safety prospect with a fluid lower body, who moves well in his backpedal and with his lateral agility. Granted, Sanker hasn’t particularly stood out in any specific area. But it’s easy to notice how smooth he is after those traits being questionable when watching his film.S Billy Bowman Jr., OklahomaA player is either getting better or worse each day. The game doesn’t allow a person to remain static. In Bowman’s case, he looked like one of the best defensive players on the field during Tuesday’s practice. He wasn’t quite as effective the following day. Bowman wasn’t as efficient in coverage, allowed more separation than he previously did and struggled against bigger targets, particularly giving up a deep touchdown to Arkansas’ Isaac TeSlaa’s during the one-on-one portion of practice. CB Trey Amos, Ole MissUnfortunately, injuries still occur even at an all-star event. Amos, who consistently competed at a high level to start his week, suffered what turned out to be an ankle injury, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller.Teammates helped Amos off the field, while the defensive back refrained from putting any weight on his right side. However, he did walk back to the locker room with a trainer. Miller’s report serves as a good sign that the issue won’t be anything that affects him for an extended period of time.However, don’t be surprised if he’s done for the week, as to avoid further injury.— Sobleski
