Four small school defenders to watch at the Senior Bowl

Every year, some small school players see their stock rise at the Senior Bowl. In just the last couple of years, we have seen guys such as Jeremy Chinn, Adam Trautman, Darius Leonard play in this game and gone on to excel in the NFL. This year’s small school group is led by four defensive prospects who could make a significant impact in the NFL in 2021.

The top small-school defender at the 2021 Senior Bowl is Central Arkansas cornerback Robert Rochell. Rochell has been an FCS standout throughout his career leading Central Arkansas in interceptions in 2018 and being named first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association in 2019. What teams will like the most about Rochell is his impressive combination of size, speed, and overall ball skills.

Another small school corner that should get plenty of interest at the Senior Bowl is North Carolina Central’s Bryan Mills. Like Rochell, Mills is another good sized corner as both players come in at 6-foot-2. Also like Rochell, Mills has shown the ball skills to attract NFL interest as he led the MEAC with five interceptions and also broke up 13 passes. If Mills can improve his technique and add some bulk he should be a good day three pick.

Yet another small school prospect to watch in the secondary is Illinois State safety Christian Uphoff. I touched on Uphoff and how he was the first player to make the Senior Bowl in school history in my Scouting Notes earlier this month. As noted in that article Uphoff is a player who could make a big impact on special teams and this is his chance he can both return kicks and be a solid cover man in the NFL. He also has the overall cover skills to be a backup safety at the next level.

The top FCS pass rusher at the Senior Bowl is UNI defensive end Elerson Smith. In 2019, Smith led the Missouri Valley Conference in both sacks with 14 and forced fumbles with five. Smith does not have the same explosive first step a first-round prospect like Gregory Rousseau possesses. However, he does have great length coming in at 6-foot-7 and has the natural pass-rushing skills to contribute in the NFL.

This year’s Senior Bowl also has several offensive prospects to keep an eye on including North Dakota State offensive tackle Dillon Radunz, Grambling State offensive guard David Moore, and South Dakota State wide receiver Cade Johnson. However, if I had to guess which non-FBS player would make the biggest impact next year it would be one of the defenders mentioned above