Even though the NFL is taking the week off before the Super Bowl, there's no rest for teams as they make preparations for the 2015 draft. A large contingent of talent has made its way to Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl, hoping to make an impression on scouts that will help elevate their future prospects.One of the great things about the Senior Bowl is it's not just a one-day event. The game will get most of the attention since it's on the NFL Network, but there is a week's worth of workouts leading up to the main event that will tell scouts as much about a player.With things are already well underway in Mobile, it's time to take a look at the players who have risen up draft boards and will make fans drool when they get a firsthand look at them when the game kicks off on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.North Team Roster: 2015 Senior BowlOffenseDefense / Special TeamsQB Bryce Petty (Baylor)CB Quandre Diggs (Texas)QB Sean Mannion (Oregon St.)CB Doran Grant (Ohio State)QB Shane Carden (East Carolina)CB Quinten Rollins (Miami Oh.)RB Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska)CB Eric Rowe (Utah)RB David Cobb (Minnesota)CB Steven Nelson (Oregon St.)RB Jeremy Langford (Michigan State)CB Josh Shaw (USC)FB Tyler Varga (Yale)S Damarious Randall (Arizona St.)TE Casey Pierce (Kent State)S Adrian Amos (Penn St.)TE Ben Koyack (Notre Dame)S Ibraheim Campbell (Northwestern)TE Nick Boyle (Delaware)S Kurtis Drummond (Michigan St.)WR Antwan Goodley (Baylor)DE Henry Anderson (Stanford)WR Vince Mayle (Washington State)DE Deion Barnes (Penn St.)WR Tony Lippett (Michigan State)DE Hau'oli Kikaha (Washington)WR Ty Montgomery (Stanford)DE Marcus Hardison (Arizona St.)WR Devin Smith (Ohio State)DE Za'Darius Smith (Kentucky)WR Jamison Crowder (Duke)DE Nate Orchard (Utah)WR Justin Hardy (East Carolina)DT Carl Davis (Iowa)OT Ali Marpet (Hobart)DT Louis Trinca-Pasat (Iowa)OT Trenton Brown (Florida)DT Danny Shelton (Washington)OT Rob Havenstein (Wisconsin)ILB Hayes Pullard (USC)OT T.J. Clemmings (Pittsburgh)ILB Jeff Luc (Cincinnati)OT Jamil Douglas (Arizona State)OLB Zach Hodges (Harvard)OT Donovan Smith (Penn State)OLB Mike Hull (Penn St.)C Max Garcia (Florida)OLB Jordan Hicks (Texas)C Chris Jasperse (Marshall)PK Tom Obarski (Concordia-St. Paul)G Laken Tomlinson (Duke)PT Kyle Loomis (Portland State)G Robert Myers (Tennessee St.)LS Joe Cardona (Navy)SeniorBowl.comSouth Team Roster: 2015 Senior BowlOffenseDefense / Special TeamsQB Garrett Grayson (Colorado St.)CB Ladarius Gunter (Miami)QB Blake Sims (Alabama)CB JaCorey Shepherd (Kansas)QB Nick Marshall (Auburn)CB Kevin White (TCU)RB Cameron Artis-Payne (Auburn)CB Senquez Golson (Ole Miss)RB David johnson (Northern Iowa)CB Imoan Claiborne (Northwestern St.)FB Jalston Fowler (Alabama)CB D'Joun Smith (Florida Atlantic)FB Connor Neighbors (LSU)S Clayton Geathers (Central Florida)TE C.J. Uzomah (Auburn)S Cody Prewitt (Ole Miss)TE Clive Walford (Miami)S Anthony Jefferson (UCLA)TE Devin Mahina (BYU)S Jaquiski Tartt (Samford)WR Phillip Dorsett (Miami)DE Markus Golden (Missouri)WR Devante Davis (UNLV)DE Preston Smith (Mississippi State)WR Josh Harper (Fresno St.)DE Trey Flowers (Arkansas)WR Tyler Lockett (Kansas St.)DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (UCLA)WR Sammie Coates (Auburn)DT Joey Mbu (Houston)WR Donatella Luckett (Harding)DT Grady Jarrett (Clemson)WR Dezmin Lewis (Central Arkansas)DT Kaleb Eulls (Mississippi State)WR Rannell Hall (Central Florida)DT Gabe Wright (Auburn)OT Tayo Fabuluje (TCU)ILB Amarlo Herrera (Georgia)OT Daryl Williams (Oklahoma)ILB Stephone Anthony (Clemson)OT Austin Shepherd (Alabama)ILB Denzel Perryman (Miami)OT Ty Sambrailo (Colorado St.)OLB Martrell Spaight (Arkansas)OT La'el Collins (LSU)OLB Lorenzo Mauldin (Louisville)C Reese Dismukes (Auburn)OLB Lynden Trail (Norfolk State)C Dillon Day (Mississippi State)LS Andrew East (Vanderbilt)G Arie Kouandjio (Alabama)PK Justin Manton (Louisiana Monroe)G Shaq Mason (Georgia Tech)-G Tre Jackson (Florida State)-SeniorBowl.comNote: Team rosters courtesy of the Senior Bowl official site.Denzel Perryman, ILB, MiamiDenzel Perryman is a personal favorite of mine in this class, so it's refreshing to hear that he's making an impression on scouts at Senior Bowl workouts. The Miami star has to battle the stigma of not being a prototypical inside linebacker due to his 5'11", 244-pound frame.However, it's hard to overlook the simple fact that Perryman is an outstanding football player. You can look at all the measurements you want, but at some point the simple question has to be, can the guy play in the NFL'Chris Burke ofSports Illustratedoffered some insights into what Perryman was doing during the practice sessions in Mobile, with a little help from scouts in attendance:His coverage can be a little spotty -- theJaguars' coaches, in charge of the South team this week, chatted him up after a couple of plays where he was late getting to his man.But there were no such concerns against the run. Midway through the South practice, the crowd in attendance let out a collective cheer, leading to this exchange between two scouts in front of me:"What happened' I missed it.""Perryman blew somebody up. Probably happens a lot."An easy trope that even the most advanced scouts fall into is simply comparing two players who have the same body type, whether their actual talents match up or not. In Perryman's case, though, it's not out of line to say that he can be this year's version of Chris Borland.The 49ers got Borland in the third round last year, primarily because teams were concerned about how he would perform in the NFL at 5'11" and 247 pounds. He proceeded to record 107 total tackles despite not starting until after Patrick Willis got hurt in Week 6.Perryman has a nose for the football and more strength than you realize, like Borland, and he should benefit because of the success San Francisco's latest star linebacker had in 2014. He may not be a first-round pick, but a team should jump at the opportunity to grab him early in Day 2.Bryan Bennett, QB, Southeastern LouisianaThe crop of quarterbacks in this year's draft after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota leaves a lot to be desired. It's not even clear who the No. 3 player is, especially since UCLA's Brett Hundley decided to pass on the Senior Bowl.While that's bad news for teams seeking a quarterback, it's good news for under-the-radar players who could make a lot more money in the draft than they thought possible when the college season was going on.One of those players is Bryan Bennett, who is gaining traction at the Senior Bowl. The Southeastern Louisiana signal-caller isn't likely to be taken early in the NFL, but his workouts have at least provided some positives in an otherwise dreadful crop of quarterbacks this week.Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.comprovided a brief scouting report about Bennett and why he's been standing out in Mobile:Bennett finished his college career with 6,102 passing yards, 48 passing TD's, 2,080 rushing yards and 37 rushing TD's in three seasons. He has the best combination of arm strength and mobility among the six quarterbacks taking part in the Senior Bowl. That much was clear on Tuesday, as he did a nice job moving his team down the field with a combination of long passes and runs, one of which went for 15 yards.Doug Mouton of WWL-TV in New Orleans had some insights into Bennett's draft stock as it stands today and why the quarterback's late addition to the Senior Bowl isn't a bad thing or detrimental to his future NFL prospects:There's also an intriguing storyline emerging involving Bennett and a potential reunion with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, per Jeff McLane ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer:The Eagles have a much better chance of landing Bryan Bennett, who lost a competition with Mariota in 2012 before he transferred out of Oregon. The Southeastern Louisiana quarterback will likely be selected in the latter rounds of the draft, if at all, but a late invitation to the Senior Bowl could improve his stock.Mark Eckel of NJ.comreported the Eagles have looked into the possibility of moving up to draft Mariota, but it will likely take a substantial package of draft picks because they are slotted in at No. 20. The 2014 Heisman winner is expected to be taken in the top five, possibly going No. 1 overall to Tampa Bay.Given Kelly's familiarity with Bennett and his performance in Mobile, it would be more practical to keep Nick Foles as the starter next season. Bennett can develop behind the scenes for a year, while Philadelphia evaluates what the future holds for Foles.Nick Marshall, CB, AuburnInterestingly enough, Bennett was added to the Senior Bowl roster because Nick Marshall made the decision to play cornerback after spending the last two years as Auburn's quarterback.It was a bold step for Marshall, though certainly a wise one if he wants to be an NFL draft pick. He wasn't going to get taken by a team as a quarterback. It's also a move that seems to be paying dividends already, as Auburn receivers coach Dameyune Craig told Brandon Marcello of AL.com:"He looked really, really natural and it surprised me," Craig said. "He was able to jam the guys at the line of scrimmage, get into hips, undercut the routes, run with him and he used his length at times to bat balls down. So, it was quite surprising to see Nick play so well today."B/R draft expert Matt Miller echoed those sentiments while acknowledging Marshall is going to be a project for some NFL team:Despite the work it will take Marshall to get used to his new position, ESPN's Mel Kiper told Marcello in a separate report on AL.comthe former Auburn star "becomes a mid-round pick, maybe in the third or fourth round if he tests real well at the workout."As long as Marshall doesn't fall all over himself during the gamewhich is possible since he will be going up against quality wide receivers with understanding of how to manipulate a defensive backhis stock will continue to rise thanks to a 6'1", 205-pound frame.The best-case scenario for Marshall will be that he ends up on a team without an immediate need in the secondary. This will allow him the time to develop in practice before playing in a game, likely in his second year.That's not exactly what a team would hope to get from a third- or fourth-round pick, but Marshall is talented enough to eventually make it worth the risk.If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter.
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