Senior Bowl: 5 Players Who Are Boosting Their Stock

The Senior Bowl is in full swing as the 2nd day of practices ended yesterday. The best seniors in the country continue to battle it out with hopes of boosting their draft stock as high as possible. There are a lot of players who are making names for themselves. However, there are 5 players who are really shining in Mobile, Alabama. Let’s take a look at these 5 prospects whose stock is pointing up.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma St
The 28 year old quarterback has clearly separated himself from the rest of the pack in Mobile. He boasts a very good (but not elite) arm, great awareness in the pocket and puts a nice touch on his passes. He moves around in the pocket well, has great mechanics and has been the most accurate passer at the Senior Bowl. Weeden has displayed all the tools you look for in a starting NFL Quarterback. The age will be a hindrance, but with his performance, Weeden’s stock is pointing up despite his age.

Mike Adams, OT, Ohio St
If there is one person who is getting all the hype in Alabama, it is Mike Adams. The former Buckeye showed up at the Senior Bowl with an impressive 6 ft 7, 323 pound frame with 33 3/4 arms and 11 inch hands. He is athletic for his size and does a good job of utilizing his long arms. The knock against him has always been his consistency. While he is still inconsistent in drills, Adams is physically imposing and his stock is pointing all the way up to the 1st round.

Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Strength, power, speed. Coples is showing exactly why he was projected to be a top 10 pick before the start of the season. Unfortunately for Coples, he had a subpar season and his stock looked to be mid-late 1st. However, I would be shocked if he made it to 15 at this point. Coples has shown flashes of being absolutely unblockable at the Senior Bowl. Consistency will be the major question, but a good showing in the game will likely plant him in the top 10.

Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama
Similar to Coples, Upshaw has been almost unblockable in practices. In one instance on Tuesday, Upshaw fired out of his stance and bull rushed OT James Brown all the way backwards. On another instance, Upshaw used a speed rush and went right around the offensive tackle. He’s explosive, h sheds blocks great and uses his power to get to the QB. Before the Senior Bowl he was a likely mid-late 1st round pick but now he might be one of the first 10 picks of the draft.

Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
Ingram didn’t start the week off great weighing in at 6 ft 1, 276 pounds and very short 30 1/2 inch arms. However, the short arms don’t appear to be a factor at all for Ingram. Like Coples and Upshaw, he has been extremely difficult to stop in pass rush drills. He’s a bit of a tweener, but with the pass rush skill that he has shown, he looks like a solid 1st round pick.

Other Notables

Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
Thompson has always been known as a run stuffer, but he has turned heads with the way he has performed in pass rush drills. He has burned the top Guards repeatedly and is looking a lot like a 1st rounder.

Marvin Jones, WR, California
With top talents like Kendall Wright and Michael Floyd out, Jones has taken full advantage of his opportunities. Coming in at 6 ft 1, 198 pounds, Jones has been a tough guy to guard. He’s got good deep speed as well as runs good routes. He has gone from a late round grade to mid round potential.

Doug Martin, RB, Boise St
The top consensus RB coming into the Senior Bowl was Chris Polk from Washington. However, he’s having a poor showing in Alabama and Doug Martin has taken advantage. Martin has explosion, a good build with lower thickness and the ability to read and react well to his blocks.

The Senior Bowl game is scheduled to be played on Saturday. Stay with us as we continue to bring you updates and analysis on all the best prospects and which teams are looking at those prospects.