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The 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl took place in Mobile, Alabama last week, with three days of practices held Tuesday through Thursday and the game on Saturday. Two rosters of the top draft-eligible players from the college ranks were pitted against each other in a variety of one-on-one and team drills to prove their mettle.
PFF’s Trevor Sikkema said this event is designed to sort the NFL players from those who aren’t, and that’s the best description of the Senior Bowl’s purpose I’ve heard articulated. Most evaluators are more interested in the practices than the game, as they are engineered to test prospects in ways that answer that question.
Prospects are put in unique, unfamiliar situations to see how they respond. Players the league wants to see at new positions are given reps there, and we see draft prospects facing off and testing themselves against the best competition they’ll face before entering the NFL itself.
Without further ado, let’s dive in to some winners from the Senior Bowl practices (players are listed alphabetically by position):
It wasn’t a great week for the quarterbacks in general, but Gabriel was the best of the bunch in Mobile. He showed off his timing and anticipation, an impressive feat given how little time he had to work with his receivers. As many expected, he looked comfortable and in command during the practices, demonstrating his ability to run an NFL offense. He’ll likely be drafted as a priority backup on Day 2.
While I won’t be moving Tuten up my board after the Senior Bowl, I was much higher on him than most, and it seems the league might be starting to catch up. Tuten came in healthy and had the fastest recorded speed for a back during the week, helping himself stand out in a loaded class. It’s hard for running backs to truly stand out at this event given its nature, but with Tuten’s speed and short-area agility clearly translating, he’s moved himself into the Round 2 discussion.
Bech was one of the biggest risers from Senior Bowl week. A big-bodied slot receiver, he had a few crazy contested catches, including the play of the day on Tuesday, going up and securing a pass between two defenders. Bech is tough, wily, and nimble for his size, gaining consistent separation throughout the week. He likely solidified his place as a top-50 selection.
Gabriel’s teammate was another big winner last week. The coaches put Johnson in difficult positions and he stepped up, beating much larger cornerbacks in press coverage and winning on the outside. He’s one of the lightest receivers in Senior Bowl history, checking in at 156 pounds, but he wins so consistently and in so many ways that it’ll be hard for teams to ignore. He’ll get compared to Texans WR Tank Dell, who went in the third round, and that’s likely Johnson’s...
