Colorado's standouts some of the top Senior Bowl snubs
The Super Bowl is quickly approaching with a date in Las Vegas and college players are prepping for the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Yes, it’s always football season. But before players can look ahead, they must first get through the Senior Bowl this weekend. As you gaze at the roster there is one glaring issue, there are no Colorado players in sight.
As a player, this is a chance to get eyes on you as an NFL prospect. Colorado has a few players entering this year's NFL Draft – wide receiver Xavier Weaver, defensive end Taijh Alston, linebacker Jordan Domineck, defensive lineman Leonard Payne, and safety Rodrick Ward– have all entered the draft. While none of these names stand out in the eyes of the scouts, these five could be a hidden gem for NFL teams.
Domineck finished in the top 15 in the Pac-12 in sacks with five, while also racking up 51 total tackles (31 solo). Each year the Lakeland, Fla. linebacker has improved as a defensive juggernaut for a “rough around the edges” defense. He’s even shown flashes as a coverage linebacker with a few passes defended in his college career. Even though Domineck wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl, he did have the privilege to play in the Tropical Bowl in early January. Alston was there with him in Daytona Beach and they both put up great performances.
If you look deeper at the Senior Bowl roster, it’s a shame Domineck isn’t in Mobile this week. He played in a better conference and had better stats than Houston Christian’s Jalyx Hunt, who had four sacks and 41 total tackles. Also, the CU standout had a half sack less than Ole Miss’ Cedric Johnson with nearly twice as many solo tackles (5.5 sacks, 17 solo tackles). Not to mention, Domineck played in a conference with the best QB play in the nation.
Since the Senior Bowl should look at a player’s entire career, there’s no reason why Domineck should’ve been snubbed. He has more career sacks than every edge rusher on the roster except for UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, who had double-digit production in each of the past two seasons.
As for Weaver, he hauled more receiving yards last year than Arizona’s Jacob Cowing, Southern Missouri’s Ryan Flournoy, Tulane’s Jha’Quan Jackson, and Georgia’s Ladd McConkey. The USF transfer would likely have ended the season with over 1,000 yards, if he didn’t miss the finale against Utah. Nonetheless, Weaver finished with 68 receptions for 908 yards and four touchdowns.
Domineck’s defensive counterparts have all the tools to break into the NFL as well. Ward was a great addition to Colorado as he was fourth on the team in tackles with 52. Throughout his college career he totaled 91 total tackles, 10 PDUs and four interceptions. He also earned All-WAC honors in 2022 at Southern Utah. Ward flourished at Colorado in the strong safety position working alongside Shilo Sanders. He showed his abilities as an open field tackler and can swarm to the ball when called upon. While these stats seem meniscal that doesn't mean they don’t warrant an invite. Ward had more tackles than Penn State’s Johnny Dixon, who received an invite.
Alston was another CU transfer who declared for the NFL Draft after one season in Boulder. In his short time, he amassed 23 tackles, 2 PDUs, and 2.5 sacks. Payne was another who hopes to live out his dreams. He finished with 45 tackles and 7.5 sacks in his career after transferring from Fresno State.
While they were disrespected by the Senior Bowl committee, the combine could be the event that turns heads and creates a buzz around these Colorado standouts.
