The 74th annual Senior Bowl is rapidly approaching. Practices for the all-star game begin in a week, with over 100 of the top eligible prospects looking to augment their 2023 NFL draft stock in the practice sessions, meeting rooms and interview studios.
I’ll be back in Mobile for my 14th Senior Bowl week. Much of this week is devoted to getting more familiar with the players I’ll see during the week and if they might hold some interest for the Detroit Lions in the coming NFL draft.
Here are some scouting first/early impressions of a few Senior Bowl defensive prospects
Auburn EDGE Derick Hall
Hall is an intriguing athlete at 6-3 and 250 pounds, with a background as a high school track star. Auburn used him as a stand-up OLB role that echoes Julian Okwara coming out of Notre Dame.
Hall offers some stoutness at the edge. He can set an edge in the run game and has pretty good base strength and tenacity. It’s easy to see his power when he gets an arm on the runner. The Tigers used his length and open-field speed to drop in coverage quite a bit, and Hall demonstrated good awareness and effort, if not always good coverage.
He desperately needs work in using his hands and shoulders as a pass rusher. Hall has above/average initial burst but if he doesn’t blow past the blocker he often fails to capitalize on his skills. Hand usage and creativity are missing in action.
There are some who see Hall as someone like Detroit’s Derrick Barnes, a college pass rusher who converts to off-ball LB in the NFL. I don’t see it, though they are indeed physically similar.
Kansas State CB Julius Brents
Cornerbacks with his length don’t come along every day. Brents is listed at 6-foot-4 and certainly looks close to that with his length. At 202 pounds, he can be physically imposing and will control route released when in press man.
There are two issues with Brents on film that will need to get cleared up during Senior Bowl reps. The first is his frustrating lack of ball awareness with the throw in the air. There were opportunities against TCU and Kansas to notch an interception with any ball awareness at all when he’s playing man on the outside.
The other thing is long speed. Brents doesn’t have a top-end gear and had trouble staying with faster receivers or keeping up on crossing routes. He’s better in zone schemes where he can funnel to his help and not worry about getting beaten over the top–which isn’t what the Lions do on defense a lot.
Brents is a willing and physical tackler in run defense. That makes him someone who could possibly convert to safety with his size and skills.
Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton
Benton earned some notes during the season when I casually tuned into Wisconsin games. Watching him in depth was revelatory.
He might already be my top choice for the interior defensive lineman the Lions need to draft. At 6-4 and a listed 315, Benton is very good at sinking his weight and anchoring against the run. He’s a nose tackle by trade, comfortable absorbing double-team blocks and letting the LBs behind him get clean vision and pursuit lanes to the ball.
Benton doesn’t have the foot quickness of Detroit’s Alim McNeill, but he does have the burst after disengaging that can help create interior pressures like McNeill does. I want to see Benton win some 1-on-1 reps in the pit and do it with more than just an up-and-under move or a straight bull rush. If he does that in Mobile, Benton could very well cement himself as my preferred Lions pick in the third round — if he lasts that long.
but one who can slip past a blocker with a quick swim or p
Troy LB Carlton Martial
Martial is easy to spot when watching Troy’s defense. Look for the football and soon enough, No. 2 will be right there. He’s got that kind of inherent gravity to the ball that cannot be taught. Over 500 tackles for the Trojans back up the film with proven production.
It worked very well for Martial at Troy despite being just a listed 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds. The official measurement in Mobile will be big (no pun intended) for Martial. So will the coverage drills, because that’s the role Martial projects to in the NFL–a sub-package hybrid LB/S who also is a fixture on special teams. Martial’s size is a bummer because he’s a very savvy, effective off-ball LB otherwise.
Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane
Williams earned some positive buzz for his performance in the Green Wave’s impressive bowl win over USC. That game highlights Williams, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound off-ball LB, at his best.
A former safety who did play some single-high for Tulane, Williams developed into a solid tackler with good power and balance into his hits. There is quite a bit of variance to his game tape. When he’s got one assignment on a play, Williams is a very solid all-around LB. When he’s got to read multiple keys, he can be late to react and doesn’t have the “wow” athleticism to make that work.
I suspect Williams will look good in individual drills in Mobile, so my focus during Senior Bowl week will be on how he fares in team reps.
Jammie Robinson, DB, Florida State
Is he a cornerback? Is he a safety? Is he an undersized off-ball LB?
I watched four games of Robinson at Florida State and I’m not sure I have an answer to any of those. Yet that might be why he appeals to the Lions as a potential Will Harris replacement.
At a listed 5-11 and 203 pounds, Robinson lined up all over the Seminoles defense. His kinetic quickness and instant reactions are all over the game film. He was at his best attacking in short-range coverage and as a between-the-tackles run defender. The open-field speed is nice and he can lower the boom as a hitter. There’s some tightness to him as an athlete and Robinson needs to learn to wrap as a tackler instead of just hitting.
The 1-on-1 coverage drills will be big for Robinson during Senior Bowl week. He’ll be playing under Lions defensive assistant Shaun Dion Hamilton in Mobile.
