ALTA MOBILE:There is one football game remaining before we can officially call the 2023 season a wrap. The 2024 Senior Bowl has already taken place. Even though the Mobile celebrations have ended, the 2024 NFL Draft is still open. Let the draft conversation commence when everyone returns from Mobile to watch the Super Bowl and get ready for the Combine, in keeping with the Senior Bowl’s official hashtag, #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE.
The quarterbacks in this year’s Senior Bowl have been the subject of a lot of talk. When I wrote about Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix earlier this week—which you can read HERE—I spoke for myself quite a bit.
In the contest on Saturday, Nix completed five passes. Penix, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, was among several players who declined to participate in the Senior Bowl’s ceremonial event, therefore he threw five fewer passes than that. Here are ten non-quarterbacks that I believe could be a great fit for the Vikings at different stages of the draft, given the abundance of information that has already been released regarding the QBs and the fact that the team needs help almost everywhere.
Nine out of ten of them play defense, while some choose not to participate in the Senior Bowl. They all made a good impression.
The order of prospects is based on my personal, subjective hype meter:
1. Quinyon Toledo; Mitchell, CB
Mitchell is the obvious choice to be the official media darling of Senior Bowl practice, which is probably why he didn’t participate in the game. As a highly regarded first-round pick coming into the week in Mobile, Mitchell’s practices were so good that he is now being considered as the top cornerback in the draft. Even though Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry, the two Crimson Tide corners, called his names before him, he may not have done enough, but at least he closed the gap.
2. Rutgers’ Max Melton, CB
Melton’s play was good enough to allow him to choose not to play in the game, even though he wasn’t quite as dominant as Mitchell was. Following his week in Mobile, his stock should improve significantly. Melton, the younger brother of Packers wide receiver Bo Melton, is a fiery player, competitive, and among the fastest DBs in practice, according to Zebra MotionWorks.
Melton made it clear to the reporters that he had already played against some of the top wide receivers in college football, including Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. (ranked No. 1 overall by this writer) and the aforementioned Wilson. Melton should be seriously evaluated on Day 2 of the draft if the Vikings decide to address other needs on Day 1 of the draft. The Vikings could use about a thousand more corners.
3. UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, EDGE
With the No. 11 overall pick in the current draft cycle, Latu is arguably the player the Vikings mock the most, thus no Senior Bowl analysis would be complete without him. Though not particularly attractive in person, I thought Latu looked pretty fine. Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State, maybe the highest-drafted offensive lineman in town this week, was a frequent opponent for him in one-on-ones, but he had varying degrees of success.
Latu, who was another opt-out, nevertheless possesses the most tricks of all the pass rushers in this draft and should fetch a high choice in April. Latu, a player who previously thought about medically retiring before moving from Washington to UCLA, has been outstanding the past two seasons, but at the Indianapolis Combine, his medicals will draw the league’s attention.
4. Adissa Isaac, Penn State’s EDGE
At last! a participant who truly engaged in the game! How exciting it is to finally speak with a player that participated in the Senior Bowl as well as attended. Even if he didn’t receive as much attention as teammate Nittany Lion pass rusher Chop Robinson in 2023, Isaac still more than merited a trip to Mobile and had a fantastic practice week.
Isaac actually gave Fuaga more trouble than Latu did from where I was sitting. Someone is going to draft him on Day 2 and will be pretty excited about it when they do.
5. Missouri’s Darius Robinson, DL
A group of scouts and NFL front office executives dubbed Robinson “Overall Practice Player of the Week” at the 2024 Senior Bowl Awards, perhaps the most rapid ascension of any player that traveled to Mobile.
Robinson made an impression on everyone, even though he was not involved in the game. He also provides flexibility in terms of position. The official Senior Bowl roster lists him as an interior defensive lineman, but he also played a lot of edge at Mizzou. Robinson has a lengthy history of injuries, but he has also demonstrated the ability to play through them and still produce a lot.
6. Louisville’s Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB
Apart from Quinyon Mitchell, Brownlee Jr. was one of the most talked about corners; it’s surprising he chose to play. He looked every bit the part of a shutdown corner and not only participated in the Senior Bowl, but he also picked off a ball.
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