Broncos at the Senior Bowl: 10 Prospects to Watch

The Senior Bowl game is on February 5, but the week beforehand is what matters most to NFL teams. Most scouts, coaches, and general managers depart from Mobile, AL, before the game because they care most about the practices and watch the game later.

It's pretty similar to when NFL staff attend games during the college football season, with most leaving before the end of the first quarter. During the week, teams get their first chance to meet with prospects, interview them, and generally get to know who they are.

These interviews are vital with such prospects having different questions to answer from personality, to what drives them, and divining their football intelligence. In addition, with the practice week starting on January 31, some sleeper prospects at the Senior Bowl may not be flying under the radar by week's end.

Here are 10 Senior Bowl prospects to watch this week.

Offense

Rachaad White | RB | Arizona State | National Team

The National Team has some more prominent names on the offensive line, with Zion Johnson, Bernhard Raimann, Abraham Lucas, Daniel Faalele, and Trevor Penning giving White a tremendous offensive line to work behind. With what White offers up in space and his burst, he could walk away as a big winner if the line can give him openings. White also has great vision and patience, which leads to him trusting the O-line to get the job done.

White can also show up as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, and he works well when out in space. He will have to show better pad level through his runs, which could help him break through a few more tackles. While White has a three-down back skill-set, he would work best as the counterpunch behind a back that can wear down a defense.

Velus Jones, Jr. | WR | Tennessee | American Team

While he put up modest numbers as a receiver this past season, catching 62 passes for 802 yards and seven touchdowns, what is most enticing about Jones is his work as a returner. He showcases the vision and explosion needed to be a returner in the NFL and will bring plenty of experience returning kickoffs while having upside on offense. He has only muffed one return during his college career and has never fumbled.

The Senior Bowl won't give Jones an excellent chance to show off his returner ability, but he does get an opportunity to show more as a receiver. With the American Team's defensive backs, like Roger McCreary, Derion Kendrick, and Tariq Woolen, Jones will be tested. But, if he can show up and have multiple good practices, there is no question that his stock will rise.

Jalen Tolbert | WR | South Alabama | American Team

As with Jones, Tolbert will be tested in practice with the American Team's defensive backs. During the week, Tolbert needs to show improvements to his route running, where he needs the most work to be effective in the NFL.

Tolbert is one of those height/weight/speed receivers with that mix to attack deep, use burst to get separation, or attack the high point of the pass. In addition, he has excellent versatility to line up in multiple spots as a receiver and work in numerous schemes.

Over the last two years, Tolbert went for over 2,500 yards with 16 touchdowns. The Senior Bowl week will be crucial because it is a significant step forward for the talent level he faced off against. Tolbert has to show that the jump in competition isn't too much for him and that he can handle it with poise and show what he brings to the table.

Spencer Burford | OT | UTSA | American Team

Just because he played at UTSA doesn't mean that Burford didn't face off against some pass rush talents, because he went up against DeAngelo Malone twice, Alex Wright, a late riser out of UAB, and Cameron Thomas, who is viewed as a top-64 player in the draft.

In those four games, Burford allowed six total pressures with only one sack allowed. However, he dominated the competition he went against and faced some good prospects off the edge.

During the week of the Senior Bowl, Burford gets to go up against Malone and Thomas again, adding Jeremiah Johnson, Kinglsey Enagbare, Josh Paschal, and Amare Barno. Burford is a great mover with good athleticism, but he also has decent power.

The technique can be hit or miss, and he has to show it off during the week. There is also a chance Burford gets to see some time at guard, which will put him against some powerful interior defensive linemen, which should give a better read on his power at the point of attack.

Luke Goedeke | OT | Central Michigan | National Team

While his teammate gets all the attention, Goedeke was part of a tackle duo that was among the best in college football for the 2021 season. Goedeke has good power and the right attitude you want in an offensive lineman, but he isn't the best athlete or mover. He will need to step up during the week of practices to try and show more versatility to his overall game.

Both teams have tremendous talent coming off the edge this year, and all the tackles will get tested. During the week of practice, Goedeke will have to handle Logan Hall, Arnold Ebikete, and Boye Mafe, who will be talked about shortly. This is going to test Goedeke's movement skills and the consistency of his technique and pass sets, which are questions that need to be answered.

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Defense

John Ridgeway | IDL | Arkansas | American Team

It isn't often that you see a player of Ridgeway's size, but he comes in at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds. However, it does lead to issues as his pad level often gets too high. He has good versatility to play on the interior, and there is some pass-rush ability there, but not much, which is something he has to show more of during the Senior Bowl week.

Ridgeway had an excellent debut for Arkansas after transferring from Illinois State, where it was hard for the Longhorns to stop. The American Team has some players on its offensive line that Ridgeway will draw a tough matchup. However, he can rise in a mediocre interior defensive line class if he wins one-on-one drills and shows more strength in his lower body.

Boye Mafe | Edge | Minnesota | National Team

Boye Mafe is explosive off the edge, and that is going to show up during combine testing if he matches the numbers he put up in the weight room before the 2021 season. Mafe weighs over 260 pounds and made Bruce Feldman's Freak List by posting a 40.5-inch vertical, 10-foot-6 broad jump, a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, and power cleaned 400 pounds. Now he gets to show what he can do during the week of practices against some tough offensive tackles.

During the 2020 season, Mafe only played 117 pass-rush snaps, picked up 15 total pressures with six sacks, and then had a significant jump in 2021. He had 258 pass-rush snaps this past season and picked up 42 total pressures with seven sacks, which boosted his overall efficiency considerably. Mafe is going under the radar in a strong edge class, and he has an excellent chance to shine and step out from the shadows.

DeAngelo Malone | Edge | Western Kentucky | American Team

While Malone didn't face the toughest competition, outside of the aforementioned Burford, he dominated with good consistency. Now Malone is going up against the tougher competition and has to show he can handle it and still make an impact. During the week of practice, his versatility will be tested to see just what he offers up for an NFL team.

Malone has to show improvement with his counters and a better plan of attack as a pass rusher. The biggest question he has is how he can hold up against the run and show more power at the point of attack. If he falters in that aspect, Malone is likely going to be relegated to a pass rush specialist in the NFL, which is valuable but can be easy to counter from the opponents.

Terrel Bernard | LB | Baylor | National Team

Bernard is a bit undersized as a linebacker, with a listed weight of just over 220 pounds, which shows up when he has to disengage from blocks. However, he works well in coverage with good athleticism and awareness and also is a quick working sideline to sideline. When the run stays between the tackles is when things can get messy.

Bernard must show more strength and power and better technique to help him get off blocks. On top of that, he has to step it up as a tackler as he has missed a lot during his career, which will give a lot of teams pause. So showing improvements in those two areas are imperative if he doesn't want to fade away in a solid linebacker class.

Mario Goodrich | CB | Clemson | American Team

Andrew Booth, Jr. got all the attention among the Clemson defensive backs, but Goodrich had a good year and gets a shot to stand out himself. During the 2021 season, Goodrich allowed 22 catches on 43 targets for 244 yards with zero touchdowns, one interception, and seven broken-up passes. He has allowed only two touchdowns to five interceptions and 13 broken-up passes throughout his career.

The Senior Bowl is a good stage for Goodrich to show off all that he brings to the table. He has good scheme versatility and has all the traits to be a long-term starting boundary corner in the NFL. One thing with Goodrich is you're getting a player who is willing to come up against the run with physicality and be maintain that in coverage as well.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel.

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