The Senior Bowl Has Its Eyes on Gators QB Kyle Trask
The 2020 NFL Draft is behind us, which has draftniks looking forward to the 2021 selection ceremony.
That includes the annual Senior Bowl, an all-star game that invites the top draft-eligible seniors in the country to Mobile, Alabama, for a week of competition among prospects. Five former Gators - running back Lamical Perine, wide receivers Van Jefferson and Tyrie Cleveland, and defensive ends Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard - attended the Senior Bowl in 2020.
For 2020, the Senior Bowl already has its eyes on Gators quarterback Kyle Trask.
Trask is joined by Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, Alabama's Mac Jones, Georgia's Jamie Newman, Duke's Chase Brice, Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, Wisconsin's Jack Coan, and Illinois' Brandon Peters on the Senior Bowl's early quarterback watch list.
The 6-5, 239 lb. rising redshirt senior is fresh off of a breakout campaign at Florida, which has landed him national attention and the eyes of NFL scouts. Taking over as the Gators' signal-caller in Week 3 after Feleipe Franks went down with a dislocated ankle, Trask went on to post 2941 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions while completing 66.9% of his passes.
Trask's emergence was so impressive that Franks ended up transferring away from Florida rather than fighting to get his starting gig back. He has since relocated to Arkansas as a graduate student and will be immediately eligible as a redshirt senior.
Perhaps, Franks and Trask will reunite in Mobile should they finish their college careers on a high note. And should Trask end up receiving a Senior Bowl invitation, that'd mean the NFL is high on his talent - presenting him an opportunity to continue building his stock ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jefferson, for example, took advantage of the Senior Bowl this year. Entering the annual event projected to be a mid-round pick, Jefferson caught the eyes of just about everyone by consistently winning one-on-one drills and getting open in team exercises - much like he did at Florida, but with more consistent first-team snaps compared to Florida's unique and effective rotation at the receiver position.
Despite not participating in the NFL Combine due to a Jones fracture in his foot that required surgery, Jefferson ended up a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in part due to his performance at the Senior Bowl.
A great final season at Florida could shoot Trask up draft boards, and a follow-up performance at the 2021 Senior Bowl could pay huge dividends.
