SEC football should be well represented at this year’s Senior Bowl, with some players really increasing their NFL Draft stock.
With the 2018 SEC football season winding down and the bowl games being finalized, there is one other bit of business for this college football season. Which players will be, or should be, invited to the Senior Bowl in January.
The Mobile, Ala., all-star classic is essentially an NFL scouts’ convention as they analyze the top seniors who will be available for the April draft.
In the preseason, the Senior Bowl released its watch list on the players who will round out the 110 spots in the 2019 game.
Southbound and Down looks at the SEC players, position-by-position, who should be included, could be included and some out-of-conference players who might swipe a few spots.
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SEC QUARTERBACKS WHO SHOULD BE IN:
Drew Lock, Missouri; Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss.
These two are the top pro prospects in the league this season. Lock came into the year as one of the top passers in the country, but his team did not help him out a lot.
Ta’amu had the luxury of the Rebels’ “Nasty Wideouts,” but did not have much of a running attack and a porous defense put a lot of strain on the Ole Miss offensive line. Still, both should go as they are the most NFL ready.
SEC QUARTERBACKS WHO COULD BE IN:
Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt; Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State.
Shurmur could get a look, not only for his on-field play, but his lineage. He has had an NFL mind for years after being mentored by his father, Fritz.
Fitzgerald does not translate into an NFL quarterback, but his running skills could get him a slot. If not at quarterback, then possibly at running back since this year’s crop of senior running backs is thin.
OTHER QBs WHO COULD CRASH THE SHOW:
West Virginia’s Will Grier and North Carolina State’s Ryan Finley will be invited, but if they are selected to the North squad, it should not be a problem for the SEC quarterbacks suiting up for the South.
But the North will feature Penn State’s Trace McSorley who has accepted an invitation, as has Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson, while Washington’s Jake Browning or possibly Brett Rypien of Boise State to possibly fill that roster.
However, a couple of other players could toss a monkey wrench into the show for the South.
Samford, which is an Alabama school, features Devlin Hodges who broke Steve McNair’s FCS career passing record. UAB quarterback A.J. Erdely could also get a look as an in-state player, but the one quarterback that would make the most sense in the game is Miami’s Malik Rosier, who is a native of Mobile, and the Senior Bowl has a soft spot for local players.