• Bo Nix has plenty to gain in Mobile: Many have discounted his progression due to the Ducks' system, which features plenty of screens and short passes. He’ll get the chance to prove he’s more than that — and possibly worthy of a top-10 pick.
• Sione Vaki's athleticism intrigues: The Utah safety also played some running back and receiver in 2023, although he will likely feature only on defense at the Senior Bowl.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
As we enter Senior Bowl week, here are PFF’s players to watch at each position in Mobile, Alabama.
QB: BO NIX, OREGON
PFF Big Board Rank: 20
The 2024 Senior Bowl quarterback group carries plenty of intrigue. Michael Penix Jr. will look to bounce back from a disappointing national championship performance. Spencer Rattler won’t have to play behind a bad offensive line. Joe Milton will get to show off his cannon of an arm.
But the top story is reserved for Bo Nix, one of the most efficient passers in college football since joining Oregon. Many have discounted his progression due to the Ducks' system, which features plenty of screens and short passes. He’ll get the chance to prove he’s more than that — and possibly worthy of a top-10 pick.
RB: DYLAN LAUBE, NEW HAMPSHIRE
PFF Big Board Rank: 141
For a running back, having a high draft stock comes from what they can do in the passing game. Well, the 5-foot-9, 210-pound Laube tallied more than 300 receiving yards in a single game earlier this season, so it’s safe to say he caught our attention then and will have our attention this week in Mobile, Alabama. If he looks unrecoverable in one-on-ones and scrimmages, you’ll start seeing his name in the middle rounds of mock drafts.
WR: MALACHI CORLEY, WESTERN KENTUCKY
PFF Big Board Rank: 93
Corley is a fan favorite in this draft class, and for good reason. When he gets the ball in his hands, he reverts to his running back days and has high tackle-breaking and ankle-breaking potential due to his strength and agility. He has been playing wide receiver for only four years after being a cornerback recruit out of high school. Because of this, he isn’t the most nuanced route runner. If he can show improvement in that area, even just a little bit at the Senior Bowl, NFL teams will fall in love with the rest — specifically that after-the-catch ability.
TE: THEO JOHNSON, PENN STATE
PFF Big Board Rank: 147
Johnson brings a lot of size to the tight end position at 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds. He has a huge catch radius, which comes in handy when catching passes over the middle. He recorded two drops in each of the past three seasons, but his reception rate on catchable throws improved every year and was up to 94.1% in 2023. If he can show off good explosiveness and make the most of that catch radius on vertical routes this week, he could be a riser in a malleable tight end class beyond Brock Bowers and Ja'Tavion Sanders.
T: TYLER GUYTON, OKLAHOMA
PFF Big Board Rank: 49
Guyton appears to be at the top of an athletic offensive tackle class. He began his career at defensive end at TCU before switching to tight end, then ultimately ended up at offensive tackle. He transferred to Oklahoma and has been their starting right tackle for the past two seasons. He is still raw in his technique and consistency when maintaining blocks, but he can handle just about any size or speed on the edge. If he shows an improved ability to keep guys locked up in Mobile, he’ll soar up draft boards because of his movement skills.
G: CHRISTIAN HAYNES, UCONN
PFF Big Board Rank: 77
Haynes is an underrated player in this draft class and has a chance to change that narrative with a good week in Mobile. He played in 49 games over the past four years for UConn and earned pass-blocking grades of 91.0 and 82.5 over the last two seasons. He is a smooth-moving guard who will likely also get some reps at center during Senior Bowl week.
C: JACKSON POWERS-JOHNSON, OREGON
PFF Big Board Rank: 56
A fierce battle is brewing between West Virginia's Zach Frazier and Powers-Johnson for who will be the top center in the 2024 NFL Draft. Frazier has been more notable in the draft community, making a name for himself before the 2023 season. Powers-Johnson, meanwhile, emerged after a 2023 season in which he earned an 85.6 run-blocking grade and a 90.2 pass-blocking grade. If he has a strong week, you’ll hear people talk about him the way they talked about John Michael-Schmitz last year as a potential first-rounder.
EDGE: LAIATU LATU, UCLA
PFF Big Board Rank: 18
There are a lot of good edge rushers to watch this week in Senior Bowl practices, but Latu gets our vote because a good week for him could make him the first edge rusher taken, potentially in the top 10. He has been the most productive pass rusher in the country, with back-to-back elite pass-rush grades and a cumulative pass-rush win rate above 23% from 2022-2023. However, his 32.5-inch arms place him in just the 13th percentile of edge rushers in the NFL. That didn’t matter when getting into the backfield at UCLA, though. If he continues to prove that’s not an issue in Mobile, it will be hard to ignore his production.
DI: BRADEN FISKE, FLORIDA STATE
PFF Big Board Rank: 90
Fiske ended the season on a high note with a five-pressure performance in the ACC Championship game against Louisville. At 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, his calling card is exploding off the ball and getting across offensive linemen's faces with a quick first step. He flashed his disruptive ability more during the second half of his season. If that continues in Mobile, he could rise in an interior defensive line class that is searching for marquee pass rushers.
LB: MARIST LIUFAU, NOTRE DAME
PFF Big Board Rank: 84
The 2024 linebacker class is up in the air when it comes to who will go off the board first and what the order could look like after that. There is no consensus at this point. Liufau packs a punch when he hits; he’s a throwback kind of player, in that regard. Though players don’t get a real chance to show their physical presence in practices, it will be a good chance for Liufau to exhibit his explosive movement skills in coverage instead, a facet in which he earned an 84.1 grade this past season. A good week in that category could vault him up the linebacker rankings as we head into the NFL Combine.
CB: QUINYON MITCHELL, TOLEDO
PFF Big Board Rank: 39
No FBS cornerback forced more incompletions than Mitchell over the past two seasons. His 24.2% forced incompletion rate ranks in the 99th percentile compared to players in this draft class and some recently drafted cornerbacks. He is incredibly athletic, with a track background that includes a 10.6-second 100-meter dash in high school. He mainly played in an off-coverage role at Toledo, which allowed him to make fast breaks on passes and routes. But he will likely get plenty of reps in press coverage in Mobile. If he holds up in those situations, we’ll be talking about a top-20 player.
S: SIONE VAKI, UTAH
PFF Big Board Rank: 71
Vaki might be the most interesting player in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Most of his in-season reps were at safety, but he also played running back against Cal and rushed for 158 yards and two scores on 15 carries. And against USC, he recorded five catches for 149 and two touchdowns. Vaki is an all-around athlete who has a lot of hit power over the middle. He feels like a 2024 version of Shaq Thompson. He’ll likely be playing only on defense at the Senior Bowl, but that versatility is quite alluring.
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