Senior Bowl week is one of my favorites out of the entire NFL calendar. We get so much insight into how each class will shape up through the three practices, with a chance to see these prospects match up against each other in a different environment than they’re used to. Team intel usually starts to trickle out, as well, and at least one player makes a big jump up draft boards.

Today, I’ll be discussing some of my biggest winners from the Senior Bowl practices. But first, a few notes (and some shoutouts) before we dive in:

• This was viewed as a much stronger and deeper class on defense than on offense, and that largely played out during Senior Bowl practices. The defensive units looked a lot better overall and had a higher concentration of talent.
• The defensive line, in particular, was absolutely stacked. In addition to the names I mentioned below, Alabama ED LT Overton, Missouri ED Zion Young, Penn State ED Dani Dennis-Sutton, Texas Tech ED Romello Height, Florida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Illinois ED Gabe Jacas, Alabama DT Tim Keenan III, Florida DT Caleb Banks, Iowa ED Max Llewellyn and Penn State DT Zane Durant all had great weeks.
• Continuing my defensive shoutouts with the secondary, I thought North Carolina CB Thaddeus Dixon, Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun, San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, Georgia CB Daylen Everette, USC S Kamari Ramsey and Texas S Michael Taaffe had strong weeks as well.
• It’s not a banner quarterback class and the passers struggled this week, but Arkansas’ Taylen Green and Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson each had their moments and were the best of the bunch. Both have great physical tools and made some impressive throws, though even their weeks were pretty up and down.
• Of the offensive groups, the offensive line had the best weeks of practice. I thought Florida C Jake Slaughter, Kansas State C Sam Hecht, Illinois OT J.C. Davis, Texas A&M OT Dametrious Crownover and Iowa G Gennings Dunker all looked good.
• The nature of the Senior Bowl makes it difficult for running backs to stand out, but Oklahoma’s Jaydn Ott and Kentucky’s Seth McGowan both improved their stock this week.
• Among the wide receivers and tight ends, some standouts that I didn’t get to below include Baylor WR Josh Cameron, Stanford TE Sam Roush and Missouri WR Kevin Coleman Jr.
• One last shoutout to Pittsburgh LB Kyle Louis, who’s shaped more like a safety but played with his hair on fire this week.

Without further ado, let’s jump in to my top Senior Bowl standouts (listed in no particular order after the first two names):

Tyren Montgomery — WR, John Carroll

The story of the Senior Bowl is Montgomery, so let’s start with him. A Division III star at John Carroll University in Ohio, Montgomery was a late addition to the roster after a few players dropped out and he looks like the best receiver at the event. He’s beaten almost every corner he’s faced at least once, showcasing great route running and cutting abilities with some nice twitchiness.

But most impressively, he has multiple reps elevating over larger cornerbacks to bring in tough catches. His competitive fight at the catch point is good to see. This is what the Senior Bowl is about: guys getting a chance to prove themselves. In three days, Montgomery went from a likely undrafted free agent to a potential top-100 pick.

T.J. Parker — ED, Clemson

The best player at the Senior Bowl has probably been Parker. After a down junior year at Clemson, he was being projected as an early second-round pick, but he’s moved himself firmly back into first-round territory. No offensive tackle at the event could handle Parker’s strength. In team drills, he set a hard edge in the run game that funneled the action back inside, and he routinely drove through the chests of his blockers to get after the quarterback. Parker doesn’t have the quickest first step, but he still might go in the top 20.

Malik Muhammad — CB, Texas

It’s been a good week for cornerbacks and Muhammad has been the best at the event by a sizable margin. At Texas, he mostly played off-coverage, and he still showcased his mastery of that this week in the team drills. But in one-on-ones, he got to demonstrate how his athleticism translates to man coverage. Muhammad’s length and short-area quickness were on full display, coming up with multiple deflections and blanketing receivers throughout the rep. I’m higher than most on Muhammad, but he’s looking every bit like a top 50 pick right now.

Lee Hunter — DT, Texas Tech

Hunter was getting some first-round buzz coming into Senior Bowl week, and that will only intensify now. He was unblockable all week long, dominant against the run and showing off his improving pass rush skills. Hunter plays with quickness and power in everything he does and was pretty clearly the best interior defender at practice this week.

Jacob Rodriguez — LB, Texas Tech

On Wednesday alone, Rodriguez forced two turnovers in the team drills. That’s a microcosm of what he brings to the table as a prospect and he played like he belonged at the Senior Bowl. He was easily the best linebacker in attendance and strengthened his bid to be a Day 2 pick.

Nadame Tucker — ED, Western Michigan

One of my favorite dark horse draft prospects, Tucker is showing out in Mobile and raising his draft stock considerably. He’s a speed rusher with unreal bend around the edge and had many clean wins on reps this week. He also showcased his ability to split double teams in run support and has been flying around the field all week making plays in the backfield. At this point, Tucker’s floor is probably a mid-round pick with the intention of him being a designated pass rusher, but there’s a chance he’s taken in the top 100.

Bud Clark — S, TCU

Maybe the loudest player in terms of impact at the event, Clark was flying all over the field making plays in Mobile. His physicality and competitiveness was on full display and his speed allowed him to cover an impressive range to come up with his plays. It felt like Clark was involved in every big defensive play for his team, and that’s how it felt watching his TCU tape as well.

Derrick Moore — ED, Michigan

The forgotten man on the Michigan defensive front, Moore showed off his impressive strength this week at the Senior Bowl. Known more as a speed rusher, his dominance in the one-on-ones and in the team drills as a run defender probably raised his draft floor significantly. He’s a candidate for a top 100 pick now and might have cemented his status as a third-rounder — and maybe even better.

Keylan Rutledge — G, Georgia Tech

Rutledge set a physical tone in practice that the rest of the offense fed off of. He wasn’t perfect, but he held up well against the best interior defenders in the one-on-ones and showcased his ability to move people in the run game in the team drills. It’s a strong interior offensive line class, but Rutledge moved himself up my board and many others as well.

Malachi Fields — WR, Notre Dame

A confusing prospect to watch on tape, Fields did exactly what he needed to this week. He has the size and the speed, but his route tree with the Fighting Irish was pretty limited and he was almost more of a gadget player than a true receiver. But he made plays at all three levels of the field during practices, consistently winning his one-on-ones with some smooth flexibility I frankly didn’t know he had. Fields is now a potential top 100 pick.

Bryce Boettcher — LB, Oregon

Linebackers have a tough ask during Senior Bowl practices, which makes what Boettcher did all week all the more impressive. A former MLB draft pick by the Astros, he was flying around out there, making plays in coverage and against the run. His ability to flip his hips is impressive for a linebacker and is something he showcased repeatedly.

Chandler Rivers — CB, Duke

Rivers was a standout on Thursday, winning multiple one-on-one reps and making an impact in team drills, as well. He’s probably going to be a slot player in the NFL given his lack of ideal size, but he plays a physical brand of football that coaches love and never gives up on a rep.

Cyrus Allen — WR, Cincinnati

Allen is another guy who made himself a lot of money this week. He’s not the most physical receiver, but when he gets free releases off the line, he can really fly. He had some nice contested catch red zone work in the one-on-ones on Thursday and he looks like he can be a positive contributor as a WR3 in the NFL. Allen probably played his way into an early Day 3 selection.

Max Iheanachor — OT, Arizona State

Iheanachor has the size and athleticism NFL teams covet at the tackle position, but he could never quite establish himself as a consistent player down-to-down at the college level. He was fantastic this week, however, barely losing any reps at all and showcasing the agility, hand usage, and anchor strength he needed to. Iheanachor’s tape still isn’t great, which does matter, but he’s probably looking at a third-round pick at worst given his upside and the league’s desperate need for more tackles.