Senior Bowl 2025: Stock Up, Stock Down

By / Devy & College Football / Leave a Comment
Elijah Arroyo, Senior Bowl, The League Winners

Like the Shrine Bowl, the Senior Bowl is full of players looking to increase their draft stock in front of NFL scouts and personnel. For some players, their performances can be the difference between being a mid-round prospect, to a first-round selection. Meanwhile, others may find themselves in an unfortunate freefall based on these practice sessions. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at which players saw their stock rise, and who saw theirs fall in the 2025 Senior Bowl.

Senior Bowl 2025: Stock Up

Marcus Yarns, RB – Delaware (American Team)

Prior to the Senior Bowl, Delaware running back Marcus Yarns was poised to be an undrafted free agent after the NFL draft. After all, FCS players in general normally have a tough time breaking that barrier against other prospects. That is especially true in a deep position group, which running back is this year.

Yet all of that quickly changed, as Yarns showcased quickly that he truly belongs amongst his peers. Whether it was as a receiver, or a runner, the Delaware product displayed quick feet, burst, and vision; turning the heads of those in attendance, he’s likely found himself moving into Day 3 consideration come April.

Eugene Asante, Linebacker – Auburn (American Team)

On a team whose defense really stood out during live reps, Auburn Tigers linebacker Eugene Asante really set the tone on that side of the ball. Asante showed incredible technique in multiple individual drills. On top of that, he was a standout performer in live reps, consistently making plays, filling his gaps, and playing sound.

As someone who came into this event as a projected UDFA, it’s hard to say that remains the case going forward. Speaking to Asante, he showed he was a cerebral player who can add significant value to a team if given the opportunity.

Jack Kiser, Linebacker – Notre Dame (American Team)

Like the aforementioned Asante, Notre Dame’s Jack Kiser is another linebacker that really stood out during the Senior Bowl. Kiser was incredibly effective in one-on-one drills in pass coverage, which notoriously exploit defenders. So, when players (especially linebackers) do well in these coverage drills, it’s impressive, to say the least.

On top of that, Kiser showed to be effective in team drills, too. The Fighting Irish linebacker was all over the ball in the team portion of practice. He also showcased his ability to play well in zone coverage, intercepting a pass from Jalen Milroe.

Jared Ivey, EDGE – Ole Miss (American Team)

Despite not receiving the same attention as some of the other pass-rushers at the Senior Bowl, Ole Miss EDGE Jared Ivey was consistently producing at a high level. Ivey showed an ability to win with multiple moves in one-on-one drills. He even put together an excellent rep utilizing a cross-chop-to-rip move that would have made Aaron Donald happy.

In live reps, that production continued, as Ivey routinely dominated his opponent to make disruptive plays in the backfield.

Projected as a late Day 2 prospect, Ivey’s performance at the Senior Bowl likely moved him up a round in the eyes of NFL personnel – despite flying under-the-radar among the national media at the event.

Elijah Arroyo, Tight End – Miami (National Team)

In a deep tight end class, Miami’s Elijah Arroyo really seemed to improve his draft stock at the Senior Bowl.

The Hurricanes’ tight end consistently won in impressive fashion in one-on-one reps. Now, while these drills are catered to the offensive player, it’s rare to see tight ends to perform the way Arroyo did. The Miami product quickly got leverage on his stems, with incredible footwork that often left defenders completely lost.

With the utilization of tight ends at the next level ever-increasing, a player with Arroyo’s skillset should jump from his fourth-round projection, into a Day 2 pick.

Grey Zabel, Offensive Lineman – North Dakota State (National Team)

Grey Zabel originally played at tackle before shifting inside for the Senior Bowl. And despite the new position, the NDSU product has dominated during his time in Mobile. In one-on-one drills that normally benefit the defensive player, Zabel has looked incredible. For a small school player, his effectiveness in these drills against P4 talent was impressive.

Yet, it might be the live drills where he’s been the most impressive. Zabel has looked athletic, and quick to get into the second level in the rushing attack.

For a player projected to be a third-round pick, there’s a chance he finds himself slotting in much higher than that during the NFL draft.

Nickolas Martin, Linebacker – Oklahoma State (National Team)

As mentioned previously, one-on-one coverage sessions for linebackers are completely one-sided drills favoring the offense. However, OSU linebacker Nickolas Martin proved that is not always the case. The Cowboys prospect showcased incredible speed and ball awareness in these drills, routinely creating PBU’s in the process.

While his gap discipline can use work (at times he can play too fast), Martin has a skillset that can get him on the field in passing situations. And with the way running backs are being deployed in today’s NFL, that’s something teams will be looking for at the next level.

Jah Joyner, EDGE – Minnesota (National Team)

Originally a late Day 3 prospect, Minnesota’s Jah Joyner did himself plenty of favors at the Shrine Bowl. Joyner did a great job on Day 1 in one-on-one drills, showcasing a rip move that was near-impossible for opposing offensive linemen to stop.

Yet equally impressive was Joyner’s ability to stop the run in live drills. In the following rep, Joyner completely disrupts the rushing attack, and forces Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin to hold (who has been a great run-blocker throughout his career).

The production from Joyner in Mobile has been excellent to see, and likely has moved him up multiple rounds in the NFL draft.

Senior Bowl 2025: Stock Down

Jalen Milroe, Quarterback – Alabama (National Team)

By far, the worst performance at the Senior Bowl has come from quarterback Jalen Milroe. In on-air and one-on-one sessions, the Alabama quarterback has been terribly inaccurate. And normally, these are situations where a quarterback can easily shine.

On top of that, the quarterback has had very visible issues reading the field, holding the ball far too long in what would result in multiple sacks.

Personally, I think declaring for the NFL draft was a mistake for Milroe. Yet even worse, is that his performance at the Senior Bowl has very visibly tanked his draft stock.

Kyle Kennard, EDGE – South Carolina (National Team)

For a player that won the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year, the Senior Bowl performance of Kyle Kennard has been underwhelming. While he hasn’t been completely invisible in live reps, he hasn’t put up the type of performance you expect from a player of his caliber.

On top of that, Kennard was incredibly inconsistent in one-on-one reps. Overall, it has been a disappointing output for a player I was very hopeful to see put together an excellent week of practice.

Ollie Gordon, Running Back – Oklahoma State (National Team)

It was always going to be tough for every running back to put on a strong performance given the group that attended the Senior Bowl. However, for Ollie Gordon, having a poor performance after a down year does not do well for his draft stock.

Gordon has not shown the traits that created his initial hype, and frankly has looked uninspiring as a prospect during these practice sessions. One wonders if things would have been different if he attended the Shrine Bowl, where he would have been more likely to receive more reps, thus having more chances to showcase his talent. In the end, it’s incredibly hard to justify Gordon’s position among the better running backs of this class given his performance this week.

Yahya Black, Defensive Lineman – Iowa (National Team)

Prior to the 2024 season, Yahya Black was a player whose draft projection was all over the place. Some determined he could be a top-50 player if he performed well, while others had him within the top-150 among draft prospects. However, his performance at the Senior Bowl questions if he has taken the necessary steps to become a dominant force at his position.

The Iowa defensive lineman has struggled in one-on-one sessions. In fact, the most noticeable performance from him was involving an altercation with an offensive lineman after losing a rep, than anything productive being done during those sessions. Now, the heat of the moment can get to everyone, and I never want to bash players – especially if they are struggling. With that said, Black has not done himself many favors as he enters the final portion of his collegiate career.

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