Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

2025 Senior Bowl – Day 1

Posted January 28th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

The Eagles are in the Super Bowl, but I’m down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. This draft class doesn’t have a lot of elite prospects and the same is true of the Senior Bowl. That said, there are a lot of talented prospects who will turn into good NFL players.

The National team had the first session and the headliner was Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. The bad news is that he measured in at 5104, 202. We knew he didn’t have great size, but were hoping for a bit more. The good news is that Gabriel looked good on the field. His arm strength was better than expected. He was decisive and made quick reads. He looked good throwing the ball and his passes were accurate. He was far and away the best QB on either team. Really good start for him.

Louisville QB has outstanding size and really looks the part of an NFL QB at 6-4, 225. He’s a good athlete with a strong arm. He was up and down, but did show the ability to move around and make off-platform throws.

I thought NC State LT Anthony Belton had a good day. His game tape is a bit erratic, but there is no denying his potential. He could be a good starting LT in the NFL. You could see his quick feet and play strength on Day 1. He got everyone’s attention with that showing.

Aireontae Ersery measured in at 6050, 339. He played LT at Minnesota and got reps there on Day 1. Ersery doesn’t have great feet, but he uses his length and size to his advantage. He will ride rushers wide and keep them away from the QB. He is powerful and anchors well so bull-rushing him doesn’t work too well. Ersery helped himself with a good day.

One of the most interesting OL is Grey Zabel from North Dakota State. He played LT in college, but teams wanted to see him on the interior in Mobile. Zabel played G and C and looked good. He battled on every snap. He is used to playing against smaller, more athletic guys on the outside, but looked at home as be battled bigger, stronger guys today. Zabel looked natural at G and C. Teams will like his size, skill, athleticism and versatility. 

The Eagles might need to add an edge rusher or two in April. Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart will be one of the best options and he looked good on Tuesday. Stewart showed the ability to win with speed and pad level or by mixing in different moves. Stewart can fly off the ball and has a really good motor.

Marshall star Mike Green isn’t a household name, but he could be a first round pick. Green had a great season and kept that momentum going with an outstanding showing on Day 1. His ability to bend and get by OTs is freaky. He is also quick off the ball. Green can mix in a power rush as well. He has a great motor and is a lot of fun to watch. Green is 6-3, 251.

If the Eagles lose Milton Williams in free agency, they will need to add a DL. There are a lot of interesting guys in Mobile who could be good fits. Nebraska’s Ty Robinson is someone that intrigues me. He is 6-5, 296 and shows good athleticism. I hoped he would light it up down here. He had some good moments, but wasn’t as disruptive as I expected.

One DL who did stand out was Darius Alexander from Toledo. He is 6-4, 304 and has 34-inch arms. Alexander didn’t post gaudy stats in 2024 (3.5 sacks, 7.5 TFLs), but he was a disruptive force. You could see that in the practice as well. He showed a good inside move. He had a good swim move. Alexander was quick off the ball and played with good power. He needs some work to be sure, but he’s impressive. Would the Eagles ever draft a player from Toledo?

Landon Jackson had a terrific season for Arkansas and I was excited to see him in action. He is big for an edge player at 6-4, 273. Unfortunately Jackson had a rough day. He flashed on a couple of plays, but struggled more than expected. He ended up on the ground multiple times, not something you want to see. I’ll be interested to see if he’s able to bounce back on Wednesday.

Virginia Tech Bhayshul Tuten measured in at 5-9, 211. You like a RB with that kind of thickness. He made a terrific catch along the sideline that got my attention. I’ll be paying more attention to him on Wednesday.

Miami TE Elijah Arroyo is a talented TE. He is really good at catching the ball downfield. Not all TEs do that well. So of course Arroyo dropped the first downfield pass that came his way. He made up for that with a nice downfield grab late in the session. Arroyo has solid size at 6-5, 251 and had a good overall day. If you want someone who can catch the ball and make plays, he will help your offense.

Arroyo’s UM teammate Xavier Restrepo was a great college player. He was the best slot receiver in the country. I thought Restrepo was a little disappointing on Day 1. He is a great route runner and excels at getting open. He had a couple of really good routes, but was covered well more than I expected.

Jaylin Noel did shine on Day 1. He showed terrific body control, which is a critical trait for me. Noel showed good quickness and speed. He has good hands and adjusted well to the ball. Noel had a big year for Iowa State and is a good prospect.

Tez Johnson had a great career at Oregon. He destroyed Penn State in the Big Ten championship game. We knew he was small, but he measured in at 5-9, 156. Yikes. He makes DeSean Jackson look like Megatron. Johnson has great quickness and body control. He showed the ability to create separation. There is a lot to like, but his size will turn off some teams. He doesn’t have great speed and will need to play in the slot.

There were some DBs who looked good. Florida State CB Azareye’h Thomas was the standout in coverage. He was able to run with receivers and did a really good job of playing the ball when it was thrown to his guy. He has good size and athleticism. The one guy who gave him a hard time was tiny Tez Johnson.

Louisville CB Quincy Riley had a strong showing. He was able to run with receivers and stay right on top of them. He did a good job of positioning himself in the right spot and making things tough on the QB and receiver.

AMERICAN TEAM

One of the most intriguing players in Mobile is Alabama QB Jalen Milroe. He has the physical tools to be a starting QB in the NFL. Milroe has big time speed when he gets out in the open. He can be explosive. He has a good arm and can make some impressive throws. The problem is that he’s erratic. Watch the Georgia game and you wonder about him as a first rounder. Watch the bowl game against Michigan and you wonder if he’s draftable. High floor, but a low ceiling.

I wish I could say Milroe got off to a good start, but that just wasn’t the case. I thought his footwork was terrible. He stood and moved in a casual, awkward way. That affected his accuracy. The worst moment came when he bounced a throw to a receiver over the middle. I hope he was just rusty and bounces back in a big way.

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart did some good things. I didn’t think he helped himself in a big way, but he didn’t hurt himself either. That’s fine for Day 1. Things can be awkward for QBs on the first day so you have to give them some wiggle room.

Kansas OL Logan Brown measured in at 6-6, 312. His arms are just shy of 35 inches long. That’s an ideal frame for an OT. Brown looked good most of the day. He was a RT at KU, but played both sides today. Brown did get run over on one play. DL Shemar Stewart, who could be a Top 20 pick, exploded off the ball and just destroyed him.

Carson Vinson from Alabama A&M is getting a chance to show what he can do against big time competition. Vinson took advantage of the opportunity and had a good showing. He played LT and won most of his battles. The final rep of the day was him against Shemar Stewart (featured above). The whole team watched as Vinson stonewalled Stewart. Impressive to see the young man play like he did.

RB Brashard Smith played receiver at Miami before transferring. You could see that background on display. Smith caught the ball really well on several reps. He has good hands and shows a good feel for getting open. Smith also had some good runs. Solid prospect.

The receiver who really stood out to me was Jalen Royals from Utah State. He ran good routes and got open consistently. Royals showed strong hands and plucked the ball. You love receivers who are natural hands catchers. Not all of the throws were right on the money so that made Royals even more impressive.

Tai Felton from Maryland had a good day. He made an impressive catch downfield where he had to really adjust to an underthrown ball. He also made another catch on a ball that was low. Still plucked that with his hands.

TE Jake Briningstool from Clemson mostly had a good day, but he did have one drop. He is more of a pass-catching type of TE. Good athlete with a solid frame.

One of my favorite players in this class is Georgia Tech TE Jackson Dawes. He has size and some athleticism. He is not a gifted receiver. But he is an outstanding blocker. He was like a 6th OL at GT. I would love to see the Eagles add a player like him. I’m happy to report that the great Fran Duffy is also a big fan of his.

Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen will likely be a first round pick. He is big, athletic and disruptive. He was a bit erratic on Day 1, getting off balance and falling down a few times. Exploding off the ball is great, but you need to be able to play under control so you can make plays. He had one rep where he just drove the OG backward. Real impressive power on that rep.

Kentucky DT Deone Walker is just massive at 6-7, 340. There are reps where he just jumps out at you. The downside to that size is that he plays too high and OL can get under his pads and control him. Walker was up and down on Tuesday. Big potential, but his game needs a lot of work.

Omarr Norman-Lott has the size of a mere mortal at 6-2, 295. The Tennessee DT was a standout on Day 1. He exploded off the ball multiple times and blew plays up. He is strong and plays with good leverage. ONL plays under control so he’s able to finish. Real good showing for him.

Texas edge Barryn Sorrell is 6-4, 253, but plays bigger than that. He loves to bull rush and use power to move blockers backward. Sorrell caught my eye a few times. If Vic Fangio wants an edge player who is strong, tough and physical, Sorrell could be of interest.

Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman measured in at 5-10, 198. There was a concern that he could be smaller than that so it was good to see those numbers. Bowman picked off 11 career passes and showed those ball skills today. Ideally suited for a team that plays a lot of single-high safety.

Kansas State CB is one of my favorite players in the draft. He had a solid showing on Day 1. He broke up multiple passes and really battled. There were some plays when he got beat so it wasn’t perfect, but I liked what I saw.

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One Comment on “2025 Senior Bowl – Day 1”

  1. 1 Iggles Blitz » Blog Archive » Howie said at 8:37 AM on January 29th, 2025:

    […] In case you missed it, here are my notes on Day 1 from the Senior Bowl.  […]