The Reese's Senior Bowl is an ideal opportunity for scouts and media across the country to get a more personal look at prospects for the upcoming NFL draft, and this year's week-long event had some clear winners ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The National team took down the American side 16-7 in the showcase game, but the contest at the end of the week is far from the only thing scouts are looking at during the week. The practices, along with interviews with media and NFL teams, helps give us a much clearer picture about which prospects will be more highly sought after than originally expected prior to the Senior Bowl.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the biggest winners of this year's Senior Bowl.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
In a draft class with no clear top interior offensive lineman, Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson might have already locked up the iOL1 spot with an absolutely dominant performance down in Mobile.
The Oregon center shined throughout the week of Senior Bowl practices, going against some of the draft's best pass rushers and shining in one-on-one drills. This clip from The Athletic's Dane Brugler was just one of the many reps that Powers-Johnson flashed during the week.
Jackson Powers-Johnson was really, really good today (again).
The balance at contact and ability to push the rusher wide with his off-hand is tremendous. pic.twitter.com/JkyOzBarQL
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 31, 2024
The film on Powers-Johnson shows a center with excellent movement skills, allowing him to operate in space on second-level blocks or in the screen game. He has an excellent anchor to stymie bull rushers, and his play strength regularly shows up on film, even if the technique could still use a bit of refinement to maximize that power.
His Senior Bowl practice reps might have helped him secure the spot as the 2024 draft's top center.
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The MAC has produced some legitimate NFL talent over the years, and now Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has the opportunity to vault himself into the first round of this year's draft.
Mitchell has been PFF's highest-graded cornerback over the last two seasons, posting an absurd 95.1 overall grade out of 100. During that span, he came away with 83 total tackles, six interceptions, and an absurd 37 pass breakups.
The Toledo prospect might have been the biggest winner of the entire week, locking up some of the country's best wideouts at the Senior Bowl despite playing against lesser competition in college. He stuck to wide receivers at every practice, bringing energy and excitement onto the field with his play.
Coming in at 6'0" and 195 pounds, Mitchell has the ideal frame for an NFL cornerback. He wasn't asked to press often at Toledo, but he showed that he would have no problem doing so at the next level during his time at the Senior Bowl.
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
The reigning national champions were known best for their running it down the opponent's throat, leaving limited opportunities for Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson to show what he's made of.
That wasn't the case this past week at the Senior Bowl.
The 5'10", 184-pound wideout was one of the most electric receivers of the entire group over the course of the week. While he was able to show off his play speed and movement skills, he was also able to haul in some tough catches, including this one.
It's the Roman Wilson show in Mobile this week
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 31, 2024
After being overshadowed in his own offense that loved to run the ball and attack the middle of the field, Wilson was able to show scouts the kind of wide receiver he can be at the next level.
J.D. Bertrand, LB, Notre Dame
Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This year's linebacker class lacks a truly elite top-ranked prospect, but that's good news for players like Notre Dame's J.D. Bertrand, who has a chance to quickly climb up draft boards after his Senior Bowl performance.
The Fighting Irish senior had a standout week in Mobile, showing excellent movement skills in coverage, something that more and more NFL teams are coveting in their off-ball linebackers to handle modern offenses. It was such a good week for Bertrand that running backs and offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl voted him as the National team's top linebacker.
Notre Dame's J.D. Bertrand was named top LB on the National team in a vote from OL and RB teammates at practice player-of-the-week awards ceremony today at 2024 Reese?s Senior Bowl. #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE?? pic.twitter.com/0KzNVCfuyF
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 2, 2024
Bertrand's college stats aren't jaw dropping, but he was consistently productive with a nose for the ball, and his draft stock is rising heading into the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina
After a long and difficult college career, Spencer Rattler got to experience a coming-out moment as he prepares for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Rattler struggled early on in the Senior Bowl practices, but settled in throughout the week before shining in limited reps during the showcase. He only played two series in the game, but completed all four of his pass attempts for 65 yards and this 29-yard touchdown connection to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, earning MVP honors for the event.
A dime from @SpencerRattler to @rosemy_marcus on the first drive for the American squad ? @GamecockFB @GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/3Ctqyj8AJR
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 3, 2024
During a Senior Bowl week where other quarterbacks like Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were getting all of the attention, Rattler was able to settle in and make some plays of his own.
Rattler was once considered a top QB prospect, but a disappointing year at Oklahoma led to him being benched for Caleb Williams before eventually transferring to South Carolina. While he's been a more consistent playmaker for the SEC program, there wasn't nearly as much draft hype for Rattler heading into this year's draft as there once was.
Now, the young QB prospect has a chance to carry this momentum into the rest of the pre-draft process, potentially helping him leap over some other potential quarterbacks on draft boards.
