• Wide receivers impress: A couple of wideouts made big waves during All-Star practice weeks.
• Defense wins at Shrine: Defenders were the biggest winners at the Shrine Bowl.
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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The Shrine and Senior bowl weeks are each prospect's last chance to raise their stock by putting on the pads and getting to work. These were our top risers from All-Star Week at Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl.
DT Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa
Boyd looked like a future NFL player all week during Shrine Bowl practices. He measured in at just over 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds, and he showed some serious explosiveness and one-gap pass-rush ability. In one-on-one drills, he was consistently in the backfield against both centers and guards. His push-pull move was so violent and clean that you have to think about him as a mid-round option now, especially with very solid PFF grades over the past two years.
WR Tahj Washington, USC
Washington won’t win any intimidation points when he walks off the bus at 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds, but once he straps the helmet and steps on the field, he gets results. His quickness, great feet and good separation skills enabled to consistently stand out throughout the week of practices. He proved to be nearly unrecoverable in the one-on-one portions of practice. There are a handful of good, smaller receivers in this class, so despite his 85.0 PFF receiving grade this season, his draft projections didn’t seem high. From what he showed at the Shrine Bowl, he an easy riser amidst the slot receiver class.
CB Renardo Green, Florida State
Any team that plays more press-man coverage will love Green's skill set and mentality. He played 270 of his 363 coverage snaps in the slot this past season and earned an 86.7 PFF grade in the process. At the Shrine Bowl, he played in his comfortable spot, resulting in some of the best reps of the week. This also included the competition period where it was the offense’s best versus defense's best to end the practice, and he won with a tight coverage pass breakup. Anytime you can show the kind of confidence he displayed in a tough assignment, teams will bump you up the board.
S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas
Other than Boyd, Taylor-Demerson was probably the highest riser from the Shrine Bowl roster. He was already communicating with his fellow defensive backs before the snap on Day 1 and was consistently around the ball – he even came up with a nice interception from a single-high alignment from an overthrow. He has graded well as a pass-rusher while also earning a 75.0-plus PFF coverage grade in three consecutive seasons with 11 interceptions in that span. In a weaker safety class, he will – and should be – a fan favorite.
WR Roman Wilson, Michigan
Wilson put on a show this season with Michigan as the team's go-to deep threat. He recorded 23 catches of 15-plus yards with a 14.1-yard average depth of target. The Senior Bowl was no different. Whether it was one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven or full team scrimmages, Wilson was getting open behind the defense. He’s a smaller receiver at 5-foot-10 and 186 pounds, but he has legitimate track speed and is tough at the catch point. He has the national championship, the speed and the film to back up his production. He feels like a lock for Day 2 now.
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Mitchell being on this list honestly might be the most impressive since he was viewed as a consensus top-50 pick before heading to Mobile. Yet, he played so well that he’s now risen to CB1 territory in this class. Mitchell’s big question mark (one of his few) was press coverage experience. Out of his 437 coverage reps, just 20 of them came from a press alignment. At the Senior Bowl, he was put in that position and looked like his usually dominant self.
CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Louisville
Speaking of dominance at cornerback, Brownlee had such a good Senior Bowl week he’s now in the Day 2 cornerback conversation. Brownlee is a bit smaller at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, but he plays much bigger and stronger. There was a point in time during one-on-one drills where he won three consecutive reps so cleanly that he gave himself a chance to intercept the pass thrown in the drill. He then continued to show good one-on-one coverage ability in the red zone on Day 3 of practices.
IOL Christian Haynes, Connecticut
It was a great showing for a handful of offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, but Haynes arguably made the biggest jump from where he was projected to be drafted before and after. The two-year starter at Connecticut recorded PFF pass-blocking grades above 80.0 in each of the last two seasons at left guard. His best traits on tape came from his athletic ability, but at the Senior Bowl, he was going to go up against some strong interior defensive lineman. He held up very reliably, whether that was at guard or center. His stock should be in the second-round range.
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