With the 2023 NFL Draft less than three months away, opportunities for top prospects hoping to showcase their talents to potential new employers are dwindling. One of those remaining opportunities occurs at the Senior Bowl, an all-star game featuring top NFL prospects from around the country. But who gets invited to the Senior Bowl, why is it important for some prospects to attend and what changes have been made to this year’s showcase?
The Athletic has you covered on everything you need to know about the upcoming 74th edition of the game:
When is the Senior Bowl?
The 2023 Senior Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Where is the Senior Bowl?
The Senior Bowl will take place at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The event is entering its second season at the new venue after a 50-year run at Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
How to watch
The Senior Bowl will be televised on NFL Network.
Practices on Wednesday and Thursday will be shown live from Ladd-Peebles Stadium on ESPNU.
What is the Senior Bowl and how does it work?
The Senior Bowl bills itself as the “pre-eminent” postseason college football all-star game, serving as a national showcase for top NFL prospects who have completed their college eligibility. Players from around the country are rostered into “National” and “American” teams and take part in a week of practices leading up to the event where NFL coaches, scouts and personnel executives get a chance to meet and evaluate them.
(Photo of Christian Watson at 2022 Senior Bowl: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)
Historically, two NFL teams also equip each Senior Bowl team with a full coaching, training, video and equipment staff. However, in an effort to promote professional development, this year’s edition will use a “coach up” format for the first time, where coordinators and assistant coaches are placed into elevated or different roles from the ones they currently hold with their respective clubs.
How are players selected?
The Senior Bowl’s year-round evaluation process begins in February with extensive tape study on college prospects and continues through the summer, with an initial 400-player watch list of returning starters and rising seniors released in late August.
Executive director Jim Nagy, who took over the role from former Browns GM Phil Savage in 2018, spearheads the identification, evaluation and selection of the top NFL prospects to be invited to the game and serves as a liaison to the agents representing those players.
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According to the Senior Bowl website, the first round of 20 “automatic” invites are sent at the end of October and another 40 “priority” invites follow a few weeks later. By Dec. 1, the next group of 40 “in-season” invites have been mailed, allowing the Senior Bowl to finalize both rosters between the end of the regular season and the college bowl games. After the bowl games are concluded, “emergency” invites are used to fill any holes on either roster that develop due to injury.
Described as the “ultimate bridge between college and pro football,” the event aims to have a mixture of college standouts and potential prospects “with a particular interest in those that are rated above the fifth round.”
Who’s coaching in the Senior Bowl?
Earlier this month, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy (American team) and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham (National team) were announced as head coaches for the 2023 Senior Bowl. Their teams are selecting No. 1 and No. 7 in the 2023 NFL Draft, respectively.
Additionally, Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London (American) and New Orleans Saints QB coach/pass game coordinator Ronald Curry (National) will serve as offensive coordinators, while New England Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington (American) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach Grady Brown (National) were selected as defensive coordinators.
In this year’s new “coach up” format, head coaches and general managers from all non-playoff teams had the opportunity to nominate assistant coaches. Those candidates were then selected by a group comprised of league office executives, representatives from the general managers advisory committee and Senior Bowl leadership.
Players to watch
Max Duggan, QB, TCU: The 2022 Heisman finalist who helped lead the Horned Frogs’ magical run to the CFP title game will get another shot at helping his draft stock. The 6-foot-1, 211-pound QB finished his senior campaign with 3,698 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 159.2 passer rating. While Duggan still needs considerable development to be a potential NFL starter, he’s projected to go somewhere in the middle rounds thanks to his NFL-level arm strength and mobility, which he’ll get to put on display at the Senior Bowl. The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler ranked him 10th among quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
Jake Haener, QB, Fresno State: Aside from Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, who accepted an invitation but won’t play due to his season-ending ACL injury, Haener is Brugler’s highest-ranked quarterback (No. 7) taking part in the Senior Bowl. Despite missing time with a leg injury, Haener threw for 20 touchdowns and three interceptions this season to follow up a standout 2021 campaign where he totaled career highs in passing yards (4,096) and touchdowns (33).
Brugler writes: “If there is to be a Brock Purdy in this year’s draft class, my money is on Jake Haener. Although he may not have ideal physical traits (which will hurt him on draft weekend), Haener has the field vision and natural accuracy to consistently throw receivers open. He won’t wilt against pressure and has the competitive makeup that will endear him to NFL coaches. At worst, he can be a resourceful backup in the Taylor Heinicke mold.”
(Photo of Jake Haener: Troy Babbitt / USA Today)
Rashee Rice, WR, SMU: The dynamic 6-foot-2, 203-pound receiver ranked third in the nation with 1,355 receiving yards this season and added 10 touchdowns to cap a four-year career with the Mustangs. Rice, the no. 6 ranked wide receiver in this year’s class, is trying to solidify himself as a high-end second-round pick during Senior Bowl week. Brugler’s latest NFL mock draft has Rice going No. 46 to the New England Patriots.
Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame: In a stacked edge rusher class, Foskey (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) will look to separate himself in Mobile. This season, he racked up 45 total tackles and 11 sacks, the fourth-highest total in the FBS and the same number of sacks he had in 2021. Foskey is ranked as the No. 7 edge rusher in the 2023 class and claimed a spot in Brugler’s midseason prospect rankings, but fell from No. 20 preseason to No. 47.
From Brugler: “He tends to be overly reliant on his long-arm techniques and must improve his block-destruction skills if he’s going to crack the first round. There are also questions about his best NFL position, but his high-energy play style is an appealing part of his game.”
Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State: The three-time FCS champion and former walk-on tight end will be one of the best stories at the Senior Bowl. The No. 2 interior offensive line prospect in this year’s class has already endeared himself to fans with his long red locks and two missing front teeth, which were knocked out during a high school basketball game.
The projected second-rounder came in at No. 50 in Brugler’s midseason rankings: “North Dakota State has had a good run of producing draft picks along the offensive line, but Cody Mauch has the talent to be the best of the group. A former walk-on tight end, Mauch has impressive athletic traits with the glass-eating personality that NFL coaches covet up front. Regardless if he stays at tackle or moves inside to guard, Mauch has NFL starting potential.”
See the full list of Senior Bowl roster commitments here.
How many Senior Bowl players are usually drafted?
According to the Senior Bowl, the 2022 edition produced a record-tying 106 total picks for the second straight year, representing 40 percent of the entire NFL Draft, including 45 of the top 100 players selected. Over the last four drafts (2019-2022), 87.2 percent of Senior Bowl players wound up making an active 53-man NFL roster at some point during their rookie season, according to organizers.
In the 73-year history of the game, the Senior Bowl has featured 53 Pro Football Hall of Fame members, including Joe Namath, Joe Greene, Walter Payton and Dan Marino.
(Photo: Michael Wade / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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