As Senior Bowl week wraps up with Saturday’s All-Star Game, one of the first stages of the NFL Draft has come to an end.With so many players participating to improve their draft stock during practices and games, it’s likely that a future Patriots quarterback attended at some point during the week.
New England regularly selects players to participate in games, and last year drafted five players who participated in the 2023 Senior Bowl. The Patriots’ last three first-rounders advanced to the Senior Bowl (Cole Strange and McGones). Here are five players who stood out last week and qualified as potential draft picks for the Patriots.
South Carolina QB Spencer RattlerIf the Patriots choose to add a more proven veteran quarterback and select a quarterback with the third overall pick, the Rattlers could have an opportunity to add a young backup quarterback in the early rounds of the draft. The South Carolina product appeared to have the best week of the four players from Mobile, Alabama, including junior Michael Penix.
And Bonix. During practices, Rattler impressed scouts and draft evaluators with his decision-making and accuracy, earning Team USA’s best defender honors during the session. The Rattler continued his impressive play throughout the game, completing all four of his passes for 65 yards. His best throw of the day came when he connected with Georgia wide receiver Marcus Rozmi-Jacksent on a deep 29-yard pass.
The Rattler eventually earned game MVP honors despite only appearing in two series.While the Rattler impressed many in attendance at the Senior Bowl this week, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler isn’t convinced he “dramatically” improved his draft stock at the event. According to the Pro Football Network, Rattler was projected to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick.The Rattler was once projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, but his struggles in 2021 not only hurt his draft stock, but led to him being drafted in favor of Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams.
He transferred to South Carolina after this season and over 25 games with the Gamecocks, threw for 6,212 yards, 37 touchdowns, 20 interceptions and 7 rushing touchdowns.Roman Wilson WR MichiganWilson made some impressive plays that earned rave reviews from Mobile evaluators in both practices he attended. NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote that Wilson is “very explosive,” and Brugler wrote that the Michigan wide receiver has the ability to alternately go off balance and go deep on routes.
In addition to showing tremendous speed, Wilson also showed strong hands. One of the highlights of the week was Wilson’s one-handed catch as he was falling down the sideline.Going to the Senior Bowl seemed to help Wilson’s draft stock.
That’s because he didn’t get many passing opportunities in Michigan’s run-heavy offense. Although he had just 48 receptions in 15 games last season, Wilson made big plays as soon as he got the ball in his hands. He had 789 receiving yards and 12 receiving yards, including the game-tying field goal, in Michigan’s Rose Bowl win over Alabama. Wilson has a smaller frame for a wide receiver, measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds last week. But his speed and hands seem to make up for it. Because Wilson is projected to be a potential Day 2 pick.
In fact, Brugler believes Wilson has established himself as a top-75 prospect in the draft with a strong chance of being a second- or third-round pick by the Patriots.Georgia WR Ladd McConkieThe former Bulldogs wide receiver continued his consistent play from his college days at the Mobile practice range last week and into Saturday’s game.
McConkey’s route running stood out among draft evaluators, with NFL Media’s Eric Edholm calling him “an alert runner who attacks defenses with well-defined route plans.” On social media, McConkey makes a quick split on a short route before coming down for a one-on-one reception.Unlike Wilson, McConkey played in Saturday’s game. He recorded just one reception, but was able to create separation on routes even when he wasn’t throwing the ball to the target.
McConkey has been one of Georgia’s top offensive players in recent seasons, recording 58 receptions for 762 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. His numbers dipped in 2023 as he missed playing time with back and ankle injuries. But he’s been productive in the games he’s appeared fully healthy, totaling 17 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns in three games against Missouri and Ole Miss.
McConkey could be a first-round pick with multiple mock picks at the end of Day 1. However, he appears to be a viable option for the Patriots with the 34th overall pick if they want to draft a wide receiver. . Oklahoma OT Tyler GuytonWhen it comes to offensive linemen, it seems no one gets more attention at the Senior Bowl than Guyton.Guyton’s size and athleticism have consistently drawn praise from draft evaluators.
At 6-foot-4, 328 pounds and 34 1/4-inch arms, he has proven to be more than capable of playing an offensive role in the NFL. Jeremiah Guyton wrote that he lost “some” reps during one-on-one drills, but Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus wrote that he has an innate ability to overcome technique.
Guyton was a full-time starter for one season in college, which could explain questions about his blocking abilities. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded just 1,081 offensive tackles in college, most of which were straight tackles.
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