[actionjack]

So far i like what I see from the TE's

Love Mason Taylor LSU (son of Jason Taylor)

and Elijah Arroyo (Miami)

[actionjack]

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2025/0 ... tight-end/

Although the Los Angeles Rams have good depth at tight end, they’re lacking a dynamic receiving threat at the position. Fortunately, this is a great year to need a tight end because the draft class is full of playmakers.

One player who’s standing out at the Senior Bowl in Mobile is Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo. It’s early and there’s only been one day of practices so far, but Arroyo is turning heads with his combination of size and athleticism.

Arroyo, who’s 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, looks the part of an NFL tight end and is viewed as one of the best pass-catching prospects at the position this year. Although these are only one-on-one drills where the offensive player always has an advantage, his route running looked good in Mobile.

Even when he wasn’t generating a lot of separation, he was good at the catch point. This play, for example, showed him get behind the defender and make an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone despite the coverage being decent.

The biggest question mark with Arroyo is his injury history. He only played 11 total games in 2022 and 2023 due to a serious knee injury, costing him a large portion of his college career.

If the medical checks out before the draft, he should be a top-100 pick, potentially going as early as the second round. The Rams don’t have a second-round pick this year, but if they trade back from No. 26 or move up from their spot in the third round, Arroyo could be someone on their radar.

Tyler Higbee has one year left on his contract, Colby Parkinson was disappointing in the first year of his three-year deal and neither Hunter Long nor Davis Allen have taken the next step.

Arroyo could be the seam threat the Rams need on offense, giving them yet another playmaker who can catch passes down the field and threaten a defense vertically.

[actionjack]

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2025/0 ... arsely-api

One of the most important events in the pre-draft process each year is the Senior Bowl, a week-long showcase featuring many of the top prospects in the class. This year, there were several standouts in Mobile, both on the offensive side of the ball and on defense.

The Rams, led by Sean McVay and Les Snead, often find playmakers at the Senior Bowl, which is why this is such a critical week for the team’s talent evaluators.

These 15 prospects could all be targets for Los Angeles in the draft this year, from quarterback Jaxson Dart to cornerback Azareye’h Thomas.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart

Like many of the other quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, Dart had some trouble with under-center snaps but he has a ton of talent and potential as a passer. He showed that in some of the drills in Mobile, which is causing his stock to rise ahead of the draft. He could be a target for the Rams whether Matthew Stafford returns to the team in 2025 or not.

Miami WR Xavier Restrepo

Restrepo is undersized at 5-foot-9 but he’s 45 pounds heavier than Tutu Atwell, so they’re built very differently. He has outstanding quickness and a great feel for running routes, which allows him to easily create separation from defenders and get open for his quarterback. He could be just the type of player the Rams need to complement Puka Nacua.

Oregon WR Tez Johnson

Johnson will scare off Rams fans because his smaller stature is almost identical to Tutu Atwell’s, but no cornerback has been able to cover him at the Senior Bowl. He separates from defenders so easily thanks to his speed and quickness, and his route running has been on full display in Mobile. If the Rams want another undersized receiver with great agility, Johnson could be their guy.

Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins

If Higgins wasn’t already on the Rams’ radar, he should be now. The 6-foot-4 receiver has had a tremendous week at the Senior Bowl, moving incredibly well for a player his size. He’s been running crisp routes and has the agility of a smaller slot receiver, making him an exciting prospect on the outside. After a fantastic showing against some of the draft’s top prospects, Higgins should be rising up draft boards.

Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel

Noel is a smaller receiver with elite quickness, which allows him to separate from cornerbacks – especially when they try to press him at the line. He showed the ability to win down the field, on in-breaking routes and out routes in Mobile, running a complete route tree.

TCU WR Jack Bech

Bech was one of the real bright spots of Senior Bowl week, drastically improving his draft stock with a strong three days of practice. He’s 6-foot-1 and well-built, the exact type of receiver the Rams have gravitated toward during Sean McVay’s tenure.

Miami TE Elijah Arroyo

Arroyo has been as impressive as anyone at the Senior Bowl, making a strong case to be one of the first tight ends drafted. With his 6-foot-4 frame and route-running skills, he’s going to be an intriguing prospect for any team in need of a pass-catching tight end – including the Rams.

LSU TE Mason Taylor

Taylor was the most productive tight end in LSU history and he flashed at the Senior Bowl with good hands and solid route running. He even held his own in blocking drills, which is an area of his game that he worked hard to improve, according to his Hall of Fame dad, Jason Taylor.

Florida DT Cam Jackson

Jackson is a massive human being who has some real potential as a nose tackle in a scheme like the Rams’. Los Angeles could lose Bobby Brown III in free agency and as promising as the defensive line is, it could use more size in the middle.

Kentucky DT Deone Walker

Walker is going to be one of the biggest prospects in the draft, coming in at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds. That’s not typically the type of defensive lineman the Rams target but with Brown hitting free agency, he could be a perfect replacement at nose tackle. His size and length would complement Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske nicely on the interior of the defensive line.

Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa

Bassa is a safety-turned-linebacker, which is evident in his coverage and movement skills. He’s the type of linebacker the Rams could use in the middle of their defense, adding someone who can drop back and cover, and match up with running backs out of the backfield. He’s not a perfect prospect but he’s someone who could fit well in Chris Shula’s defense.

Notre Dame LB Jack Kiser

Kiser picked off a few passes in practice this week, showing good awareness dropping into coverage. The Rams need help at linebacker and Kiser could be a target for them on Day 3. He’s a smart, instinctual linebacker who fits the mold of what the Rams look for at the position.

Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston

Hairston is a fiery competitor, battling on each and every rep. He’s a good press corner and even when he wasn’t bumping receivers at the line, he looked comfortable in off coverage during the week of practice in Mobile. This rep against Bech shows how physical and tough he is in coverage, undercutting the route for a pass deflection. With the Rams’ need at cornerback, Hairston could be a perfect target for Los Angeles.

Ole Miss CB Trey Amos

Amos has good size and length for the cornerback position, which is blended with the requisite speed to play on the outside. He has a good week of practice at the Senior Bowl and looks the part of an NFL cornerback.

Florida State CB Azareye’h Thomas

Thomas has to be one of the most exciting cornerback prospects in the class. He’s got great size at 6-foot-1 and though he didn’t have a ton of ball production in college (two interceptions), he also wasn’t targeted much. He held up well in coverage at the Senior Bowl and could be an early-round target for the Rams.

[AvengerRam]

Hairston and Thomas are two CBs I like as well.

[actionjack]

Hairston and Thomas are two CBs I like as well.

On defense, I like Bassa and Cam in our defensive system as well.

[Elvis]

Senior Bowl winners by position: Which 2025 NFL Draft prospects impressed scouts?

By Dane Brugler
Feb 1, 2025

MOBILE, Ala. — For all but two NFL coaching staffs, the page has turned from the 2024 season to the 2025 offseason, and to the NFL Draft specifically. Though scouts already have done a lot of legwork on this class, the Senior Bowl is the first chance for most coaches to get eyes on these prospects.

At one point during Wednesday’s practice, I was standing on the sidelines within 5 feet of three NFL coaches: Kevin Stefanski, Mike Tomlin and Dave Canales. For the prospects at the Senior Bowl, the chance to make a lasting impression in front of these coaches is invaluable.

Here are the players from each position who maximized their opportunities in Mobile:

Quarterback: Tyler Shough, Louisville
If we’re being honest, none of the quarterbacks — Shough, Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, Riley Leonard, Seth Henigan, Dillon Gabriel or Canadian prospect Taylor Elgersma — jumped out in a major way throughout the week. Based on an informal poll of scouts in attendance, no one disagreed.

However, Shough was the most consistent of the group, which isn’t a major surprise. In my Senior Bowl preview, I highlighted Shough as an underrated candidate to be QB3 or QB4 in this class (behind Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders), and he didn’t do anything to hurt that projection. With his size, arm strength and mobility, he has the requisite physical traits and sees the field well to deliver the ball downfield. If the main criticism against him is that he is already 25, plenty of teams can live with that.

Runner-up would be Gabriel, who processes things at a high level to make quick, snap decisions. The Oregon quarterback also was the most impressive in group interview sessions, multiple scouts said. In which middle round will the Miami Dolphins draft the southpaw?

Milroe and Dart entered the week with plenty of hype, and scouts were hoping to see them play at a level that left no doubt they should be top-50 picks. That didn’t happen in Mobile, as both were inconsistent, at best.

Running back: Devin Neal, Kansas
It can be tough for running backs to truly impress during Senior Bowl practices, but Neal was consistent all week hitting holes on time and catching the football. Though he wasn’t a high-volume pass catcher at Kansas, he was reliable when targeted in Mobile, and his hand-eye coordination is terrific (not surprising considering Neal also played baseball for a bit at Kansas).

Georgia’s Trevor Etienne and UCF’s RJ Harvey also caught the ball well during drills, and Miami’s Damien Martinez was impressive in pass protection, especially during Thursday’s practice.

Wide receiver: Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
There were several deserving options for top wide receiver this week.

Oregon’s Tez Johnson is speedy yet undersized, at just 155 pounds — but that didn’t matter much either in college or this week during practices, because defenders struggled to get hands on him or affect his catch point. His week looked very similar to Tank Dell’s from two years ago.

Utah State’s Jalen Royals missed the last two months of the 2024 season with a foot injury, but he returned to the field in Mobile and reminded NFL scouts why he’d been stamped as a potential top-75 pick in September. Washington State’s Kyle Williams — and his play speed — was a nice surprise. TCU’s Jack Bech made several highlight-reel catches downfield. And, according to a few scouts in attendance, Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins is the favorite to be the first Senior Bowl receiver drafted.

But I’m giving the edge here to Noel, the “other” Cyclones receiver. Already considered a likely Day 2 draft pick, he only cemented himself in the top 100 with his ability to separate and pull away. He doesn’t have ideal size (5 feet 9 3/4, 196 pounds), but he plays with supreme confidence in his hands.

And I wasn’t the only one who thought Noel was the most impressive at this position. When I asked Louisville’s Quincy Riley and a few other cornerbacks to name the toughest receiver they faced this week, they mentioned Noel first.

Tight end: Elijah Arroyo, Miami
Entering Senior Bowl week, LSU’s Mason Taylor was my TE3 in this class, followed by Arroyo at TE4 — but the Miami product is closing that gap, based on how he performed in Mobile. Taylor also had a strong week, though, and both players deserve easy starter-level grades.

Arroyo (6-4 1/2, 251) is a fluid mover with the speed to create spacing from coverage and cleanly secure throws outside his frame. He is knocking on the door of the first round.

Offensive tackle: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
Here’s the thing about offensive tackles during Senior Bowl one-on-one drills: They all end up getting beat at some point (often multiple times). And that was especially true of this year’s group, which was tasked with facing a stacked defensive line class. There wasn’t one offensive tackle who truly impressed. When focusing on the positive reps, however, several handled themselves well — and Conerly is a good example of that.

Everyone has seen the Mike Green bull rush that left Conerly on his back, but I was encouraged by the way Conerly responded. The former Oregon left tackle put that play behind him and got better on the next rep and in the next practice, performing his best during one-on-ones on Day 3. When he is late with his hands and exposes his chest, Conerly is in trouble; when on time, he stays square and can get himself out of some compromising situations.

Interior offensive line: Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
No other prospect in Mobile stacked more “wins” throughout the week than Zabel. He showed technique, play strength and quick feet to consistently work himself into position and control defenders.

On my midseason top 50 draft board in November, the North Dakota State left tackle made the cut as my top-ranked center — and he has only helped himself since then. I feel comfortable calling Zabel a top-40 lock, and a first-round landing spot isn’t out of the question.

Edge rusher: Mike Green, Marshall
Anyone who follows my work knows how glowing my thoughts are on Green as a prospect. But — no bias here — he had the most flashes of a very flashy edge group in Mobile. That bull rush on Conerly got the most attention, but Green consistently made plays with bend, burst and violence.

I chuckle whenever I see someone caught up on Green’s size instead of focusing on the ways he wins. He is an easy first-round grade. The question is: How high will he go?

My three highest-ranked edge rushers in Mobile — Green, Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku — all performed well. UCLA’s Femi Oladejo also deserves mention for looking, and then playing, the part. He is a stock-up prospect.

Defensive tackle: Darius Alexander, Toledo
This year’s defensive line class is loaded, and it includes several likely early-rounders who were in Mobile: Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, Kentucky’s Deone Walker and South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders.

But it was Alexander who had the most consistently impressive week. It didn’t matter whether he lined up on the edge, over the B-gap or as a nose, he won with fluid body control and strong hands, using a club-rip on one rep and then a firm bull rush the next play.

Defensive linemen that are 6-3 5/8, 304 with 33-inch arms and this type of talent rarely fall out of the top 100 — and I’ll bet Alexander doesn’t, either.

Linebacker: Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
Several linebackers did a nice job throughout the week. Georgia’s Smael Mondon Jr. was the loudest voice on the field and showed off his range during drills. Florida’s Shemar James flashed more than a few times, especially in one-on-one coverage against running backs.

After an up-and-down 2024 season, though, Bassa needed a strong week in Mobile to remind scouts of his talent — and he did that. The former safety plays fast and aggressive, which can backfire at times, but he has the natural fluidity to make quick recoveries. In an all-star game setting, NFL scouts and coaches pay close attention to how players move in space, and Bassa was terrific in that respect.

Cornerback: Quincy Riley, Louisville
One-on-one drills are such a tough ask for cornerbacks — there’s no pass rush, no hook or post defender; there’s only green grass for the receiver. Yet, I was consistently impressed with this cornerback group in Mobile, especially Riley. The Louisville product consistently stayed in phase with receivers and did a great job turning his head or reading the eyes of the receiver to make plays on the ball.

Another aspect of Riley’s week that was impressive was the way he coached up the other corners. When a player such as Darien Porter returned to the huddle, Riley pointed out different leverages and route tells to help him on his next rep. Riley’s combination of experience and quick-reaction skills will serve him well in the NFL.

Others who impressed: Western Kentucky’s Upton Stout, who’s small (5-8 1/4, 178) but stayed attached to receivers all week and made it difficult to complete passes; Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, who was already in the top-50 mix but made a case for the first round; UCF’s Mac McWilliams, a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster who left no doubt he belonged because of the way he covered during drills.

Safety: Dante Trader Jr., Maryland
I didn’t hear a lot of buzz from scouts about this safety group, as it was an up-and-down week for the position. Virginia’s Jonas Sanker had a few nice moments, especially on Day 3. Georgia’s Dan Jackson doesn’t know how to play other than fast and physical, and that showed during practices.

But Trader might have been the most consistent of the safeties in attendance. Slightly undersized, Trader (5-10 3/4, 196) stayed connected to tight ends in coverage and took coaching well throughout the week. The Maryland staff raves about his work ethic and mindset, and both were evident in Mobile.