Many of the country's top draft prospects will be in Mobile, Ala., to show off their skills for scouts at this week's Senior Bowl.
We asked CFB 24/7's panel of experts which player has the most at stake at the Senior Bowl.
Sammie Coates has the most to gain this week in Mobile. He has a rare blend of size and speed, but he's been very inconsistent catching the ball. If he has a solid week, showing he can track and catch the ball naturally, his stock will soar.
Bryce Petty is the prospect with the most riding on his performance at the Senior Bowl. He is viewed as a system quarterback by most observers in the league; he needs to show scouts that he can succeed outside of Art Briles' innovative scheme. In addition, Petty must show scouts that he has the arm strength and accuracy to make pro throws at the next level. If he can put on an impressive showing at practice this week, Petty could close the gap on Brett Hundley as the No. 3 quarterback on most draft boards.
With a big week in Mobile, Bryce Petty can stake his claim as the third-best quarterback in this year's draft, behind Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota. Brett Hundley of UCLA has chosen not to participate in Mobile, as is his prerogative, but Petty will compete alongside Garrett Grayson of Colorado State, Shane Carden of East Carolina, and Sean Mannion of Oregon State, all of whom are expected in Mobile. Petty (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) put up huge numbers in college and will have the opportunity to show he can do things the NFL way after mastering Baylor's high-powered, up-tempo spread attack. If he does, the second round of the draft, at worst, could beckon.
USC's Josh Shaw probably has the most upside among Senior Bowl prospects as far as draft position goes. Everybody's looking for tall defensive backs in today's game, and at 6-foot-1 1/2, 205 pounds, Shaw has excellent size and reminds me a little of Glover Quin of the Detroit Lions because of his ability to play both cornerback and safety. Shaw came into last week's East-West Shrine Game as a bit of a question mark because of the suspension he served this past season for fabricating a story about his ankle injury, but he really presented himself well at the Shrine Game, answering every question honestly, and I don't think there should be any concerns about his character entering the draft. I'm most interested in finding out which position he'll be best suited for in the NFL. Specifically, I want to see how he fares in man coverage against the kind of talent we're going to see at the Senior Bowl. He'll get plenty of work at it this week.
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- Lance Zierlein College Football 24/7
Rollins can further transition from hoops
I think Miami CB Quenten Rollins has the most at stake. As a four-year college basketball point guard, everyone expected him to be athletic with above-average foot quickness, but to play at the level he did in just one year of college football was eye-opening. Rollins' short-area quickness and aggressiveness is undeniable, but he has to prove he has deep speed and that he can cover bigger, more talented wide receivers this week. This week's performance could be the difference between going in the second round and the fourth round.
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- Bryan Fischer College Football 24/7
Petty has ability to clear up QB rankings
Given how much of a drop-off there is at the quarterback position after Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, I'll go with Baylor's Bryce Petty. He was tabbed by many as the best senior at the position coming into the 2014 season but didn't quite have the year he wanted, partly because of an early back injury. If he has a good week of practices, he can certainly put himself in the mix to be the third guy off the board, since he has all the physical tools and will interview well. If he's shaky, a bunch of questions will start to surface about his ability at the next level after playing in the Bears' spread offense.
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- Chase Goodbread College Football 24/7
Montgomery enters with questions off disappointing year
Stanford WR Ty Montgomery's week could impact his draft status as much as or more than anyone there. A shoulder injury that ended Montgomery's season early will get its first test in front of dozens of NFL scouts and coaches. Also, Montgomery struggled to make explosive plays in his final season with the Cardinal, averaging only about 10 yards per catch. Was that more about Stanford's sputtering offense being unable to get him the ball on deeper throws? If not, there will be no hiding among the likes of Devin Smith, Sammie Coates, Justin Hardy and Tyler Lockett at the 2015 Senior Bowl's deepest and most talented position.
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- Mike Huguenin College Football 24/7
Petty can separate himself from second-tier QBs
I think Baylor QB Bryce Petty has the most at stake. There is a clear-cut delineation of talent at quarterback: There are Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota at the top, then there's everyone else. I think Petty can help stake his claim that he is the No. 3 quarterback in this draft -- and being the No. 3 quarterback is big because everyone knows quarterbacks are overvalued in the draft. Obviously, one week of work in Mobile isn't going to trump what Petty has on tape, which is inconsistent play. But every other quarterback has a bunch of inconsistent play on tape, too, and if Petty can show off this week, it bodes well for his draft stock.
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