Standout Prospects from Day 1 of Senior Bowl Practice for Dolphins

Mobile, Alabama — The first day of the Panini Senior Bowl was Tuesday, and it was a somewhat underwhelming day of action.

The first practice went about 50 minutes before pads made contact against other pads, so coming up with super strong takeaways right off the bat wasn’t easy. Thankfully, the second practice had a lot more action.

We’ll be tracking players for the Dolphins’ top needs all week, and we started by paying extra attention to the trenches. Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan wants to build through the trenches, and the Dolphins need help at Edge and offensive line.

We’ll do our best to watch some secondary players tomorrow. Here are the standouts from the first day of Senior Bowl practices.

Senior Bowl Day 1 Standouts for Miami Dolphins

Gabe Jacas, Illinois, Edge

Jacas was probably the best player at the event Tuesday. He was a technician on tape, winning with speed and good hand usage. Both of those traits translated wonderfully into team periods and 1-on-1s.

He won a number of reps both on the outside and rushing from the interior, somewhere he didn’t line up at Illinois. He won’t wow you with size (260 pounds, 6-3), but he’s big and strong enough to win off the edge.

Jacas had some good run stops in team periods that mirror a lot of the toughness and physicality traits Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley spoke about in their opening press conference.

Edge is one of the Dolphins’ biggest needs, and Jacas likely wouldn’t cost them a first-round pick. He’d be a strong rotational rusher with the upside to become a long-term starter.

T.J. Parker, Clemson, Edge

Parker came into the season as a potential top-10 pick but didn’t quite have the season he was hoping for. However, he came to Mobile and had a nice first day.

His length was overwhelming for a lot of the tackles at the event. He got into the chest of tackles and created a ton of displacement in 1-on-1s. He also had a couple of nice plays in team periods that would’ve been a sack in a real game.

If you could draw up an edge that is built in the “Green Bay” mold, it’s Parker. He was 6-3, 263 pounds, and looked well built on the field.

Parker would likely cost Miami its top pick, but he certainly looked the part Tuesday.

Tyreak Sapp, Florida, Edge

Our last defensive linemen to make the list is Sapp, who dropped out of the Shrine Bowl to attend the Senior Bowl. It was a great decision, as Sapp was the best Florida player on the field Tuesday.

That matters because his teammate, Caleb Banks, is often mocked in the first round, and he struggled on Day 1. Sapp shows good power, and he’s got an NFL build. He didn’t weigh in, so we don’t have official numbers.

However, his lower half looks NFL-ready, and the way he attacked tackles in pass protection makes me think there’s some athletic upside for the Dolphins to tap into.

Jalen Farmer, Kentucky, Offensive Guard

Farmer was a relative unknown coming into the event, but he stood out more than anyone in 1-on-1 drills. He was incredibly strong and had great hand usage, using a “snatch-trap” technique to put some defensive linemen on the ground.

The Dolphins might need a new right guard since James Daniels is a cut candidate, and Farmer fits the physical mold that Sullivan and Hafley said they wanted in their opening press conference.

Gennings Dunker, Offensive Line, Iowa

Nice Gennings Dunker rep at tackle pic.twitter.com/mPIX3Y9Hrp
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) January 27, 2026

I wasn’t overly high on Dunker coming into the week, but he outperformed my expectations Tuesday. He played tackle at Iowa, but his movement skills on tape weren’t great.

Well, he played tackle and guard during practice Tuesday, and he looked pretty good at both spots. He was creating rushing lanes during team periods and handling speed off the edge in 1-on-1s.

The Dolphins could use someone with Dunker’s physical mindset and positional flexibility, although I still don’t think he should play tackle full-time in the NFL.

Ted Hurst, Georgia State

Unlike Dunker, Hurst was a player I liked quite a bit coming into the week. He made an incredibly 1-on-1 catch during that period, showing off the body control and contested-catch ability that jumped off the tape at a lower level.

He also had a nice weigh-in. Hurst came in at 207 pounds, which isn’t perfect, but one of my bigger concerns about him was his wiry frame. That weight is good enough to play, and he looks like he’s got more room on his body when watching him up close.

The Dolphins need a ball-winner at the receiver position this offseason, and Hurst could be an interesting swing for the team take later on Day 3.

Quick Hitters

Zion Young, Missouri, Edge: Great 1-on-1 periods and is definitely Hafley and Sullivan’s type at edge.
Zane Durant, IDL, Penn State: Won a ton of pass-rush reps. He’s the type of defensive tackle the Dolphins need in Hafley’s scheme.
Sam Roush, Stanford, TE: Runs incredibly fluidly and looks to have more pass-catching chops than what he was asked to do at Stanford.
Gage Casey, OT, Boise State: Had a rough start but rebounded nicely. He’s got the right athletic and body profile to be a guard in Bobby Slowik’s scheme.

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