Five Offensive Senior Bowl Standouts Who Could Intrigue Eagles
The Senior Bowl is over and that means draft season has arrived.
The all-star game played in Mobile, Ala., usually is the starting line in the race to the draft. It is for seniors only, so the field isn’t as expansive as it will be at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins March 1 in Indianapolis.
Here are five offensive players from the Senior Bowl that, after watching practice from afar and the game from my couch, impressed me, and at least one if not more should be taken by the Eagles in April’s draft:
OL Zion Johnson, Boston College. He began his college career at Davidson, playing in 22 games, with 19 starts before transferring.
The now 22-year-old started at guard with BC, then was moved to tackle during the 2020 season. He was a guard last season, minus a few plays in one game. Then, at the Senior Bowl, he began playing center and adjusted well, impressing NFL personnel when he was seen working on his snapping and footwork after one practice in the pouring rain.
That kind of positional versatility probably means the 6-3, 316-pounder probably won’t last beyond the second round, maybe not even the first.
Pro Football Focus had him going No. 16 to the Eagles in their mock draft released on Monday. It makes sense, given the retirement of Brandon Brooks.
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OL Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa. This guy reminded me of Jon Runyan, physical from whistle to whistle and not backing down from challenges from a defensive line that was stacked with talented players. The Eagles could be in the market for a tackle, depending on what they do with Andre Dillard. Even if Dillard stays put, Penning might be too good to pass up on Day 2.
“The mauler mentality really came out,” said Penning, who is 22, 6-7, 322 pounds, after the second day of practice. “The first two days getting back into football but after two days out here felt like myself again. I think I was making the D-linemen a little upset. They were pushing and shoving after the play, and I was just playing my game and they weren’t really a big fan of it.”
WATCH: Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning after Senior Bowl practice
WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State. He’s 6-4, 211 pounds. Name an Eagles receiver with that size. You can’t because they don’t have one on the roster. Watson caught only one pass in the Senior Bowl, but it was a nice diving grab for a gain of 38 yards.
He had some strong practices and perhaps pushed himself up some draft boards, where he was considered a third-day pick prior to the Senior Bowl.
Christian Watson gains yards after a catch in the Senior Bowl.
USA Today
Pro Football Focus’s Mike Renner wrote, “Watson needed the Senior Bowl purely from a tape perspective. He hailed from a North Dakota State offense that had him run a grand total of 348 routes over the last two seasons. For context, 130 FBS wide receivers ran more routes than that in 2021 alone. Watson showed an ability to defeat press coverage that you rarely see from a 6-foot-4 wide receiver.
“His performance throughout the week wasn’t too far off from South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert, but Tolbert already checked in at 58 on the PFF draft board heading into the week.”
RB Dameon Pierce, Florida. Eagles GM Howie Roseman is a University of Florida graduate though the Eagles have taken just three Florida players since 2010: DE Alex McCalister (2016, seventh round), DB Jaylen Watkins (2014, fourth round), and WR Riley Cooper (2010, fifth round).
It feels like the Eagles could use a RB and have drafted three in the last five years: Kenny Gainwell (2021), Miles Sanders (2019), and Donnel Pumphrey (2017).
Don’t pay attention to Pierce’s stats as a Gator. He was underused. At the Senior Bowl, he showed what his 5-9, 220-pound frame is capable of, and that is picking up yards after contact, catching passes, and pass blocking. He could be a Day 3 pick in the draft if he lasts that long.
QB Sam Howell, North Carolina. Others may say Liberty’s Malik Willis and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, but maybe my view of his week was a bit jaded based on how much I liked this passer at North Carolina.
In three seasons at UNC, he completed 63.8 percent of his throws with 93 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. While it’s true his senior season wasn’t as good as his junior year, it’s also true that the Tar Heels lost a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball between those two seasons.
At 6-1, 220, Howel is also durable and a strong runner.
It’s not out of the question the Eagles could take him in the second round or roll the dice and see if he’s there in round three.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
