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PFF grades confirm Vinny Anthony boosted his NFL Draft stock at Senior Bowl practices

Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Vinny Anthony impressed NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl with his route-running and play-making during the drills at practice.
Lorin Cox|
National Team wide receiver Vinny Anthony II of Wisconsin works against National Team cornerback Jalen McMurray (24) of Tennessee during National Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
National Team wide receiver Vinny Anthony II of Wisconsin works against National Team cornerback Jalen McMurray (24) of Tennessee during National Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Vinny Anthony didn't do much in the actual Senior Bowl game, but he boosted his NFL Draft stock during the week of practice leading up to the game.

Those practices are the primary time for all of the players to show NFL scouts what they can do. The game itself presents limited opportunities, with only one ball to go around on every play,

The analysts over at PFF grade the practice drills in addition to the games, and they released the results Tuesday with impressive marks for Anthony.

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In team drills, Anthony had 42 opportunities to show what he could do. He graded the best of any wide receiver on the National Team with three positive plays, 37 neutral plays and two negative plays.

Only one receiver on the American Team had more positive plays in team drills, and it was projected first round pick Malachi Fields from Notre Dame.

In the one-on-one portions of practice, Anthony had 15 reps against opposing cornerbacks. Four of those earned positive grades, nine earned neutral grades and two were negative.

It's a smaller sample size, but once again, Fields was the only wide receiver to earn more positive grades on either roster.

Related: Only Two Wisconsin Badgers Were Invited to NFL Scouting Combine

Anthony didn't get any opportunities on offense in the Senior Bowl game itself, only appearing in three snaps on special teams.

Still, the week of practice was enough to impress NFL scouts and ensure he received an invitation to the NFL combine at the end of February.

Some of his Badgers teammates weren't as fortunate.

Anthony still isn't guaranteed to hear his name called on NFL Draft weekend, but he's starting to appear more and more in the late rounds of mock drafts.

If he follows up his strong Senior Bowl week with good showings at the combine and his Wisconsin Pro Day, teams will have no choice but to use a draft pick on him to ensure they get him on their roster.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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