Five Senior Bowl Standouts That Could Become Giants

The Senior Bowl is a time when, in the eyes of the fans, players go from undrafted to first-round picks. Realistically, NFL teams get a look at these players and determine how they respond to coaching if the player stands out from their tape evaluation.

Here is a look at some Senior Bowl prospects that caught our eye.

South Carolina CB Darius Rush

Few players made themselves more money in Mobile than Darius Rush did. Measurement-wise, Rush came in at just a hair under 6-foot-2, tied for the third-tallest cornerback in Mobile with a 79¾” wingspan (second-longest for a Senior Bowl cornerback).

Thanks to Zebra Technologies tracking at the Senior Bowl, we also know that Rush was the fastest player at Senior Bowl practices - game data is not yet available, topping out at 21.65 mph on Wednesday.

Going into Mobile, the biggest question marks for Rush were his ability to work in man coverage coming from a zone-heavy South Carolina team and his athleticism. Rush answered every question in man coverage by stepping into a wide receiver-friendly environment and playing lights-out coverage in one-on-ones.

Athleticism is hard to consistently track at the Senior Bowl outside of his speed, but Rush looked more fluid than he looked on college tape.

IOL O'Cyrus Torrence, Florida

Few players go into Senior Bowl week already thought of as a first-round pick that comes in and raises their stock, but O’Cyrus Torrence (6-foot-5, 337 pounds) did just that. Torrence, who has an NFL combine record 84-inch wingspan, made a name for himself at Louisiana for three years as a dominant blocker that allowed zero sacks in 1,146 pass-blocking snaps.

When Torrence announced his transfer to Florida, the story became that he would struggle in the SEC. In his 355 pass-blocking snaps in 2022, Torrence still allowed zero sacks and didn’t even allow a quarterback hit on his way to earning All-American honors.

In Mobile, Torrence measured in at 6’4 ⅞”, 337 pounds, and a would-be NFL combine record for a guard with an 84” wingspan. One-on-ones for offensive linemen are about as heavily-catered toward defensive players as they could get. Still, Torrence consistently stone-walled his man - grabbing the eyes of many scouts and media alike.

DL/EDGE Karl Brooks, Bowling Green

For those who don’t know, I went to Toledo, so they’re an instant favorite of mine. Karl Brooks (6-foot-4, 303 pounds) went to Bowling Green, Toledo’s biggest rival. On November 15, 2022, Brooks ruined my night with a ridiculous performance against the Toledo Rockets in which he registered 12 pressures and three sacks in the game.

Brooks was one of those cases that allow players who rarely, if ever, got to face top-tier talent in college but get to go to Mobile and show what they can do--and Brooks did just that.

This week, there was also an interesting switch for Brooks, as he played almost exclusively on the edge at Bowling Green. In practice, he was operating mostly on the interior. With his quick feet and ability to consistently convert speed-to-power, it wouldn’t shock me if a team like the Giants or Lions took note.

RB Evan Hull, Northwestern

Going into Senior Bowl week, Evan Hull (5-foot-10, 214 pounds) was relatively low on my priority list to watch for running backs. Then Senior Bowl practices started, and there was a short-ish running back that consistently ripped off long runs. (Yes, other running backs also accomplished that, but they had that expectation on them going into practice.)

Hull was also the third-fastest running back in Mobile, clocking in at 19.89 mph.

Hull was a “lost in the shuffle” type of running back prospect, but he forced people to pay attention to him in Mobile. As a runner, Hull would find cut-back lanes and create long runs that he couldn’t create consistently at Northwestern behind their offensive line.

As a pass-catcher, we know that Hull can be reliable out of the backfield. Where Hull struggled both on film and in Mobile was in pass protection, the most glaring weakness in his game that has yet to be answered.

WR Jayden Reed, Michigan State

In 2022, Giants fans got to know Richie James very well as he tied with Saquon Barkley with the most catches on the team. James is a free agent that could still return to the Giants, but his skill set could also be replaced in the draft.

Enter Michigan State’s Jayden Reed (5-foot-11, 191 pounds). Reed is an inside-out receiver that can create yards after the catch in a hurry but was weighed down heavily by a pedestrian Michigan State offense and an even worse quarterback situation. Reed consistently created separation in Mobile and showed variety in his route tempo.

According to Zebra Technologies, Reed registered a top speed of 20.03 mph, the fourth-fastest among wide receivers, and he was one of nine total players to go over 20 mph. On special teams at Senior Bowl practices, Reed made waves as a returner by not dropping a punt (that I was present for) and returning a punt for a touchdown.

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