Yesterday we went through the plethora of pass rushers suiting up in this year’s Senior Bowl as they look to improve their draft stock in front of scouts, coaches, and management from all 32 NFL teams in Mobile, Alabama. Today and tomorrow, we go to the other side of the ball and look at the offensive skill players preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Let’s start with the quarterbacks. Don’t expect anyone to hear their name called in the first round like Kenny Pickett, a 2022 Senior Bowl alum, but there are a few passers with draftable grades.
On the borderline is TCU’s Max Duggan, who rose to stardom late in the college football season as a Heisman finalist on his way to leading the Horned Frogs to the CFP Championship Game.
Duggan has a lot of positive traits: a good arm, physical toughness, and more than enough athleticism, but one significant question mark. Is he a good enough passer? Unless he works on his mechanics and improves his accuracy, he will fall short of the Brock Purdy comps.
With Hendon Hooker unable to suit up, the best quarterback in Mobile likely comes from the trio of Group of 5 signal callers in Houston’s Clayton Tune, BYU’s Jaren Hall, or Fresno State’s Jake Haener. Louisville’s Malik Cunningham joins Duggan as the Power 5 passers on hand.
Filling in for the injured Hooker, Cunningham is the most athletic quarterback at the Senior Bowl but leaves a lot to be desired as a passer and is coming off a disappointing season. Hall is blessed with the best arm and has the mobility to make plays outside the pocket.
Tune is physically tough and was a very productive passer with good size, coming off a 40-touchdown campaign. Haener is a natural passer with accuracy, anticipation, and touch who could succeed in the right system. His vision and feel for the game separate the former Bulldog from the pack.
I like Haener the best, but I lean toward him being a backup at the next level.
Then there’s Tyson Bagent, who hails from the football hotbed Shepherd University in West Virginia, a Division II school.
I haven’t even seen highlights of Bagent, but it’s not often a DII quarterback gets a Senior Bowl invite, so that alone makes one curious. He’s 6’3†with a solid frame and reportedly has an NFL-caliber arm and mobility. His 159 career touchdown passes are an NCAA record for all divisions.
Still, he’ll have much to prove this week and beyond if he wants to become the first Division II quarterback drafted this century.
None of the Senior Bowl quarterbacks are projected as future starters in the NFL. Then again, neither was the GOAT, Tom Brady, when he was a prospect 23 years ago coming out of Michigan. Yet, here we are today, celebrating arguably the most outstanding career in the sport’s history on the day he announces his retirement “for good.â€
Tomorrow, we’ll focus on the pass catchers in Mobile.
