Which 2024 NFL Draft prospects impressed during Day 2 of Senior Bowl practices? And which prospects have room to improve as the event carries on through the week? Another day has passed, and a new batch of “Stock Up, Stock Down” players has arrived.
Senior Bowl Day 2 Stock Up
Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
Wednesday’s Senior Bowl practice was dotted with risers, but the best player of the day was Missouri’s Darius Robinson, hands down. After a good Tuesday showing, Robinson slipped Super Soldier serum into his protein shake on Wednesday and unleashed that energy on ill-fated blockers.
In 1-on-1s, Robinson beat first-round prospect Tyler Guyton with a swift arm-over move, using size-defying finesse and flexibility at 6’5″, 286 pounds. Then he did the same against Andrew Raym from 1-tech.
Later, in team drills, Robinson pummeled new addition Travis Glover with a devastating long arm and blew up a run play with his explosiveness through the A-gap.
At his size, with near-35″ arms, Robinson simply has it all — burst, power, flexibility, and agility. And with that complete physical profile comes a wide-ranging arsenal of moves. He gives off shades of Denico Autry as a prospect, and his alignment-diverse disruption ability has him gaining steam in the Round 1 discussion.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon
Jackson Powers-Johnson left Wednesday’s practice early with an apparent injury and did not return, but he did so after already leaving a lasting impression. In just one and a half days, Powers-Johnson already distinguished himself as one of the best, if not the best, OL in Mobile.
To start, Powers-Johnson moves incredibly well at 6’3″, 330 pounds. He matched an elite athlete in Michael Hall Jr. with ease and reached his landmarks in team drills on reach blocks. But even more impressive is Powers-Johnson’s strength and refinement at just 21 years old. He may have locked himself into Round 1 this week.
Austin Booker, EDGE, Kansas
Austin Booker was a big winner during Wednesday’s practice. The 6’4 1/2″, 240-pound albatross with 34″ arms won almost all of his reps and did so with a variety of moves, showing off his burst, agility, power profile, and adaptability as a rusher.
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In 1-on-1s, he beat Marshall’s Driskell with a smooth long-arm-dip combo. Then, in the team session, Booker beat projected Top-50 pick Jordan Morgan on two straight reps — once with a bull rush and then with a long arm — and then beat Roger Rosengarten with a violent swim.
Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
Inconsistent separation and poor finishing rendered Xavier Legette a “Stock Down” player after Tuesday’s practice. Luckily, the 6’1″, 225-pound size-speed threat was able to right the ship with a strong Wednesday showing. Two plays in quick succession during 1-on-1s exemplified this shift.
On one rep on the right boundary, Legette sank suddenly and efficiently on an intermediate comeback, using his speed to press upfield. And on another rep, on the opposite side of the field, he made a high-flying, acrobatic grab with exceptional body control and focus, peeling through claustrophobic coverage.
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
Roman Wilson was one of our top “Stock Up” players on Tuesday, and he’s here again because — well — he dominated again. At 5’10 1/2″ and 186 pounds, Wilson’s separation style is incredibly translatable. With his speed, effortless sink, and curvilinear acceleration, no DB has been able to consistently cover him.
Quinyon Mitchell got the best of Wilson on one rep on Wednesday, but by and large, Wilson continued to create easy space as a route runner. And in one final 1-on-1 rep against Mitchell, Wilson won with a quick release off the line and made an absurd one-handed catch on the sideline.
Christian Haynes, OL, UConn
We all knew Christian Haynes was a refrigerator with turbo jets on zone runs coming into the Senior Bowl. But at 6’2 1/2″ and 319 pounds, his core strength has proved almost impenetrable in 1-on-1s.
He was stellar on Tuesday and dominant on Wednesday — to the point where one opponent wrenched off Haynes’ helmet in disgust after a futile power struggle. Haynes is strong, perpetually angry, and he’s rising quickly.
Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
It doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, but NC State’s Payton Wilson was quietly superb during Wednesday’s practice.
At 6’4″, 231 pounds, Wilson was very smooth in coverage during 1-on-1s, and he scored a pass breakup in team drills, triggering quickly on a slant over the middle. If medicals prove not to be a factor, Wilson could be one of the first LBs taken.
Dominick Puni, OL, Kansas
Dominick Puni was a “Stock Up” player on Day 1, but he took things up two more notches with his play on Wednesday. At 6’4″, 323 pounds, Puni once again proved difficult to move in 1-on-1s.
He locked down Gabe Hall, a Day 1 standout, with impeccable technique and stifling core strength, and he also fared well in team drills. Not only did Puni show good awareness and chemistry, but he also took reps at center and snapped the ball well.
Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State
If there was a safety who helped himself the most on Wednesday, it was probably Oregon State’s Kitan Oladapo. At 6’2″, 219 pounds, Oladapo moved very well in coverage drills and, at one point, locked down Penn State’s Theo Johnson in 1-on-1s with patient technique and targeted physicality.
Locking down Johnson, a high-level athlete, was an eye-catching feat for Oladapo. But the former Beaver also put the shutters on Brevyn Spann-Ford in team drills with good hands and positioning, and he attacked run lanes with voracity.
Andru Phillips, DB, Kentucky
Especially in 1-on-1s for the American Team, Kentucky’s Andru Phillips popped on Wednesday. The 5’10 1/2″, 191-pound defender made a statement early with physical coverage and competitive zeal against a towering Johnny Wilson, forcing an incompletion.
And later, he was able to showcase his fluidity in recovery at the top of breaks, crowding WRs at stems.
Tanor Bortolini, OL, Wisconsin
After a rough day in 1-on-1s on Tuesday, Tanor Bortolini was able to bounce back with a solid Day 2 at the Senior Bowl.
His anchor and alignment looked visibly improved as he went up against a stalwart power threat in DeWayne Carter, and he also picked up stunts well with his hands and lateral athleticism. As a C/G hybrid, Bortolini will have his fans.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Troy
Several RBs made nice plays on Wednesday. Dylan Laube, Ray Davis, Cody Schrader, Emani Bailey, and MarShawn Lloyd all deserve mention. But if we’re talking about risers, Kimani Vidal has done the most with the least. He came into the week as a relative unknown.
But at 5’8″, 215 pounds, Vidal has been cutting with great quickness, running impressive routes, and catching the football with ease.
Trevin Wallace, LB, Kentucky
Joining his Kentucky teammate Phillips, Trevin Wallace was also a standout performer during Tuesday’s Senior Bowl practice. In 1-on-1 coverage drills against RBs, Wallace used his speed and length at 6’1″, 244 pounds to blanket throws up the sideline.
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And in team drills, he nearly scored an interception by reading Carter Bradley’s eyes and occluding a second-level passing window.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville
At 5’10 5/8″ and 183 pounds, with near-32″ arms, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has a unique profile, with the low center of gravity to sink naturally, but also the length to disrupt.
And during Wednesday’s practice, he was in “desert island” mode during 1-on-1s, locking down his WRs with sticky coverage. He’s twitched-up and physical in press, and he ran JhaQuan Jackson’s route for him on an intermediate out.
Javion Cohen, OL, Miami (FL)
His performance went under the radar with so many offensive linemen playing well, but Miami’s Javion Cohen was another riser on Day 2, especially after 1-on-1s.
Cohen anchored and aligned himself better against power, and on one rep, he threw Braden Fiske to the ground with a forceful display of power and torque. At 6’4″, 319 pounds, with near-34″ arms, Cohen is built to bully interior defenders.
Senior Bowl Day 2 Stock Down
It’s important to remember that none of these players are doomed to stay in this category. The Senior Bowl is a week-long affair, and prospects who show they can rebound from early losses are always held in high regard.
Tez Walker, WR, North Carolina
For two days now, Devontez “Tez” Walker has struggled to find a rhythm at the Senior Bowl. His Day 2 was more concerning. Walker routinely struggled to sink and sustain separation outside of the vertical plane as a route runner in 1-on-1s. And at the catch point, he had several drops, routinely failing to finish reps.
Walker is a size-speed specimen, but issues like route running variability and focus drops — things that were prevalent on tape — remain issues at the Senior Bowl. In a deep WR class, those kinds of things could push him into the late Day 2 range.
Kalen King, CB, Penn State
Kalen King had an up-and-down day on Tuesday, and Wednesday’s practice brought more issues for the Penn State CB, who’d been mocked in Round 1 at times earlier in the cycle.
He lost 1-on-1 reps against Javon Baker and Luke McCaffrey without much resistance, and his lack of elite size-adjusted athleticism showed up at times when trailing vertically. In a strong CB class, King could start to get drowned out.
Christian Jones, OT, Texas
After being listed as a “Stock Up” player on Tuesday, Christian Jones fell back to Earth a bit on Day 2 of Senior Bowl practices.
UConn’s Eric Watts plowed Jones into the dirt with a brutal bull rush, attacking his torso, and Alabama’s Chris Braswell exploited Jones’ lateral stiffness with a smooth inside swim in 1-on-1s. Jones’ measurements are appealing, but consistency is proving to be a question mark.
LaDarius Henderson, OL, Michigan
For the second day in a row, LaDarius Henderson’s tall pad level and lack of base load doomed him in 1-on-1s.
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This time, it was Duke’s DeWayne Carter who blasted Henderson onto his back with a menacing two-handed power exertion. Henderson has ideal athleticism and length, but he’ll need to improve his leverage on Day 3 if he wants his stock to level out.
Ethan Driskell, OL, Marshall
At 6’8″, 312 pounds, with arms over 35″ long, Ethan Driskell has a build that NFL teams will salivate over. That said, the projection is clear with Driskell on the field.
Anchor strength can be an issue at times when working from angle disadvantages, and he lacks elite recovery quickness and hand nuance. Booker was able to exploit Driskell’s leaner frame and taller pad level.
Jordan Jefferson, DT, LSU
There’s plenty to like with Jordan Jefferson’s initial get-off, mass, and power at contact. But so far, Jefferson has been inconsistent stacking moves off of his initial power.
When he needs to adapt, he experiences delays at times, and that can allow linemen to recover and cause reps to stall out. He let frustration get the best of him against Haynes, but if he can work on his counter quickness, he can avoid those situations in the future.
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