Giants Country

Scouting Giants: Senior Bowl Takeaways

Another Senior Bowl is in the books. Let's look at some performances and the best story of the week!
Gene Clemons|
Feb 1, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team wide receiver Jack Bech of TCU (7) is embraced by his uncle Brett Bech after catching the game-winning touchdown on the game's final play at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Jack Bech recently lost his brother in the New Year’s Day mass killing in New Orleans.
Feb 1, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team wide receiver Jack Bech of TCU (7) is embraced by his uncle Brett Bech after catching the game-winning touchdown on the game's final play at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Jack Bech recently lost his brother in the New Year’s Day mass killing in New Orleans. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York Giants

The annual Senior Bowl is in the books, and as per usual, you had some candidates raise their draft stock while others did not.

So, as the NFL calendar now turns to the Super Bowl, which the combine will quickly follow, we look back at the Senior Bowl.

Story of the Week

TCU receiver Jack Bech was the biggest winner from the game. He already had an excellent week of practice while dealing with a heavy heart caused by the tragic loss of his brother, Tiger. This former Princeton football player was killed during the terrorist attacks in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve.

Jack, who honored his brother’s memory, turned tragedy into triumph by showing up as a reliable, go-to receiver. He hauled six passes for 68 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown on a short-yard pass between a few defenders on a sprint out from Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan with no time left on the clock. 

Bech wore his brother’s number seven jersey, and the American team ran the final play with seven seconds left on the clock. It earned him well-deserved MVP honors. 

Bech revealed in a postgame interview that his brother “had some wings on me” on that play, but it is clear he had those wings on all week.

Bech is a player who should definitely be on the Giants' big board. Based on his performance this week, he has made a lot of money. 

He has great hands, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame, and is extremely difficult to bring down after the catch. He would be a perfect complement to receiver Malik Nabers.

Running Backs Throwing for Touchdowns

It's not surprising that the two running backs that threw for touchdowns were the two that had the most success running the back. Their differences in stature just further illuminate the variety of backs available in the draft this year.

First, there was 6-1, 233-pound Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, who ran the ball nine times for 33 yards and threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins. 

Not to be outdone, 5-8, 207-pound Central Florida running back R.J. Harvey threw a 25-yard pass to Tai Felton, a receiver out of Maryland. Harvey finished with four rushes for 24 yards, including a 15-yard scamper.

It can be difficult for big, physical backs to stand out in practices because there are usually minimal full-contact opportunities, but that's when they can take advantage in the game. 

No other backs were able to do that in this game. These two backs have elements of their games that would work in the Giants offense, and they could be intriguing mid-round options for the Giants.

Mixed Bag of Quarterbacks

The quarterback performances have been inconsistent throughout this evaluatory bowl season. The class has shown some elite-level traits, but they have not been steady, and nobody seemed to be able to chain multiple performances together. 

Seth Henigan of Memphis performed the best in the game after a week in which he did not flash much. He was accurate and decisive in the second half of the game, finishing 12-of-14 for 132 yards and having the game-winning score. 

It was his decisiveness that stood out. He did not waste much time overthinking his decisions; it was a lot of read-and-fire. That helped his effectiveness tremendously. 

American team quarterback Riley Leonard
Feb 1, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team quarterback Riley Leonard of Notre Dame (13) throws the ball against the National team during the first half at Hancock Whitney Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard came out hot, hitting his first six passes of the game. He has shown the ability throughout his career to have these hot streaks, and NFL teams will want to see if it can be more consistent. 

Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, a guy linked to the Giants, had some moments. He had a nice completion to Bech on a flea flicker. He also ran for a touchdown and completed a two-point conversion. 

Tyler Shough, Louisville’s signal caller, threw a touchdown pass to Virginia Tech receiver Da’Quan Felton and a two-point conversion to Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel. 

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe had the most inconsistent day of them all. He misfired on a couple of passes and was sacked a few times. He is another quarterback linked to the Giants for Day 2 if they do not get one of the top two guys on the board.

So Much Defensive Line Depth

A few defensive linemen decided not to participate in the game, which gave others a chance to show just how deep the trenches are. 

LSU’s Sai’vion Jones was flashing playmaking ability throughout the game. He had a couple of tackles for loss and some pressures on the quarterback that either resulted in bad throws or sacks for other players. He can be a definite force at 6-6 and 280 pounds at multiple positions along the defensive line.

Two linemen who played in the state of Arkansas shined in the game. Razorback defensive lineman Landon Jackson used a nice bend in his speed rush to sack Dart and force a fumble that the defense recovered. 

Jackson started the week quietly but slowly began making more plays as the week progressed. This was a good culmination for him. 

Central Arkansas Edge David Walker has been a consistent backfield disruptor for his team, and he continued to show that ability during the week. 

He also produced with the lights on. First, he batted down a Dart pass and then sacked Milroe. 

Both players represent a seeming position of need for the Giants–pass-rushing depth–and could find themselves as early Day 3 picks.

Utah Utes defensive tackle Junior Tafuna
Sep 14, 2024; Logan, Utah, USA; Utah Utes defensive tackle Junior Tafuna (58) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Utah State Aggies at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Final Thoughts 

A few more positive performances include Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna, a four-year all-conference performer in two different conferences who showed his consistency with two sacks and a fumble recovery. 

UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo, an inside linebacker who converted to edge rusher during his final season, also had two sacks at a position the 6-3 and 250-pound UCLA product is still learning. 

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Gene Clemons
GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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