Senior Bowl 2022: Rosters, Top Prospects for College All-Star Game
While the NFL Scouting Combine gets a lot of the love in the draft process, the Senior Bowl is arguably the most important pre-draft event.
That's because it offers NFL coaches and evaluators a full week of getting a look at some of the best prospects in the class going head-to-head. Then they get to see them in a competitive environment in the actual game.
This year's rosters are chock-full of high-profile prospects. In all, there are eight who are in the top 32 of Bleacher Report's big board.
While game film is still the ultimate measuring stick, Saturday's Senior Bowl will be a great opportunity for some players to separate themselves from their peers.
While the complete rosters can be found on the Senior Bowl site, here's a look at the top talents and a few position groups where things will be interesting.
Top Prospects
Below is a list of the top 10 prospects who are in Mobile, Alabama, according to the Bleacher Report big board put together by the scouting department, including their overall rank, position, school and grade from the scout:
17. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati (8.4)
22. Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College (8.2)
25. Logan Hall, DL, Houston (8.1)
27. Devonte Wyatt, DL, Georgia (8.0)
28. Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan (8.0)
29. Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State (8.0)
30. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah (8.0)
33. Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati (7.9)
34. Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa (7.9)
35. Derion Kendrick, CB, Georgia (7.9)
Quarterbacks
The 2022 class of quarterbacks is fascinating for the opposite reasons of the 2021 class. Last year's group featured Trevor Lawrence and then a series of QBs with impressive tools in Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Justin Fields.
None of them were at the Senior Bowl as their draft stock was fairly solid.
This year, six of the top seven quarterbacks on B/R's big board are competing. It's a testament to how open the QB evaluation process is this year. Desmond Ridder is the top passer according to Bleacher Report's panel of scouts, but he's QB5 on the consensus big board at NFL Mock Draft Database.
Matt Corral is the only potential first-round quarterback who won't be playing in the Senior Bowl. Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, Malik Willis and Carson Strong are all trying to improve their stock this week.
With draft analysts largely split on how you rank the quarterback group, this is a great opportunity to see each of them throw, handle the interview process and work with new teammates right next to their competition to have their name called first on April 28.
Interior O-Line vs. Interior D-Line
The Senior Bowl process is great for prospects all over the field, but it feels especially beneficial to the big men up front. Running around cones in spandex doesn't translate much to the work they do on the pitch.
The opportunity to actually put pads on and go head-to-head with their counterparts is a much better indication of what they can do.
Case-in-point, Boston College guard Zion Johnson impressed during drills on Day 1 of practice. Jordan Reid of ESPN called him "the best player on the field today," after he put in extra work following practice to get reps at center.
The 22-year-old didn't play center in Boston but his ability to kick inside could increase his value for a team looking to draft him. The Senior Bowl will give him the opportunity to show he can do that.
He'll have an impressive group of guys to go up against throughout the week and the game. The defensive tackle group is among the most tackles with Devonte Wyatt, Logan Hall and Phidarian Mathis should all be at least Day 2 selections.
Tight Ends
Much like the quarterback position, the tight end class doesn't have a dominant prospect like Kyle Pitts. However, there is a collection of players who could make an impact for their pro teams, and a few of them are competing in Mobile.
Trey McBride of Colorado State and Jeremy Ruckert of Ohio State are ranked as TE2 and TE3 by the B/R scouting department.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic noted that Ruckert got off to a strong start. The 6'5" 250-pound prospect not only has an NFL frame but was also praised for his ability to make athletic catches.
Meanwhile, Bryan Perez of The Draft Network was impressed with Coastal Carolina product Isaiah Likely and called him the best tight end on the field in Day 1.
Charlie Kolar of Iowa State should also be on teams' radars. He racked up over 750 yards in his final season with the Cyclones and offers a huge downfield target at 6'6" and 260 pounds.