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The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl is officially underway. It’s one of our favorite events of the year because it gives us the chance to see some of these players shine in new environments with NFL coaches giving them direction.
Plenty of players, over the last few years, have graded well in our grading system and stood out from an advanced analytics standpoint. Nonetheless, that is all from the comfort of their own college programs. They might have achieved their favorable numbers from schemes and alignments that we won’t see much of in the NFL, for varying reasons. The Senior Bowl gives us a first look at what is translatable for these players and what kind of versatility might be possible.
Zion Young's power is NFL-caliber
Zion Young again, man. I don’t even think this was a bad rep from the OT Bowry. Young stayed strong through the whistle (as always) pic.twitter.com/cQAEjCJMAa
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 27, 2026
Missouri edge rusher Zion Young was one of the names we already had highlighted to keep an eye on early at Senior Bowl, and he did not disappoint when our eyes looked his way. He measured in at over 260 pounds and 6-foot-5, verifying his measurements from Missouri (which isn’t always the case). He earned an 86.6 grade this past season as a run defender, as over 20.0% of his run defense snaps earned a positive grade. That’s impressive stuff, and it is possible because of the strength shown above.
The clip above wasn’t a run-defense snap, but it did help display Young’s power, as he continued to work through the rep and finish with a strong push-pull move to get clean and around the offensive lineman. That is a good piece of evidence for how he has been transitioning his run-stopping power into pass-rushing power as well over the last few seasons.
Nasty inside move here from Missouri ED Zion Young. Sold the outside rush and timed his inside cut perfectly pic.twitter.com/9G5yL2NbRH
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 27, 2026
Young earned a 17.5% pass-rush win rate this past season, a career high. He’ll never be the twitchiest or most flexible pass -usher, but there is a way to combine his stretch and first-step explosiveness into a strong pass-rush plan, as seen above. He had top-50 hype going into the week, and that has only grown after Day 1.
Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter is making a first-round case
Watch how Lee Hunter deals with this double team lol. Immovable pic.twitter.com/22fu5JbX7U
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 27, 2026
Hunter spent most of the previous three years at UCF as a run defender with occasional pass-rush flashes. However, this past year at Texas Tech, he was even more impressive in both categories. He earned an 84.5 run-defense grade this past season, and he was strong in the middle at the Senior Bowl, as we have come to expect.
Thought Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter had a mostly good day during first practice at @seniorbowl. Fast hands on display here pic.twitter.com/wKEuqDHJC0
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 27, 2026
Nevertheless, he also showed off some good hand usage as a pass-rusher, which also shines a light on his improvement in that area over the past year. He has developed some really quick hands that he uses to keep clean despite not having the longest arms. He earned a double-digit pass-rush win rate over the last two seasons and looks like he’s only getting better in that category.
It's time to talk about Clemson‘s T.J. Parker in the first round again
Great leverage + long arm pass rush rep here from Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker. He had some strong run defense reps as well. Good first day for him pic.twitter.com/1M4WxI8xJc
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 27, 2026
Parker’s draft stock has been intriguing to monitor this past season. He went into the year as a projected top-15 pick, but he wasn't as consistent or impactful this year as he was in 2024, earning run-defense and pass-rush grades in the 70.0s instead of the 80.0s like before – which felt like a theme for basically every Clemson player, so it wasn’t just him. Nonetheless, the 6-foot-3.5, 263-pound edge rusher reminded us on Day 1 at the Senior Bowl that even though his year wasn’t as good for the Tigers in 2025, he is still very much an NFL player.
Parker stood out consistently due to his power and violence. In the play above, he combined a strong first step with leverage and a strong long arm to forklift the offensive tackle back into the quarterback’s lap. It was one of the more impressive reps of the entire day. We don’t need to overthink this player.
Texas A&M‘s Dametrious Crownover might be the best offensive tackle in Mobile
Texas A&M OT Dametrious Crownover has been the best offensive tackle in the one-on-one drills. Here he is shutting down Romello Height. Those long arms are a huge advantage pic.twitter.com/A24Z6HEgUA
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 27, 2026
Crownover won the weigh-ins, verifying his 6-foot-6 and 330-pound listed height and weight with some very long arms to match. All of that size and length showed up consistently during one-on-ones, as he was the toughest tackle to beat on Day 1.
His foot speed is what impressed the most. His size has always been alluring, but when watching his tape, I felt as though he was too often reacting instead of anticipating, often leading to him needing to recover instead of being able to truly mirror pass-rushers, resulting in a 58.4 pass-blocking grade this season and a 6.8% pressure rate. The play above was a good example of what he can be when he combines anticipation with his physical gifts.
Other notable standouts
- John Carroll receiver Tyren Montgomery was one of the best wide receivers on Day 1. John Carroll is a Division III program where he didn't face anything close to NFL competition. Nevertheless, the 5-foot-11 and 190-pound receiver looked quick and aggressive to the ball all day. He even beat some of the best cornerbacks at the event.
- Illinois defensive lineman Gabe Jacas was consistently disruptive. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he can play any alignment with any technique (two-, three- or four-point stance). He won far more than he lost when defending the run and rushing the passer. His name should start to get some top-50 hype.
- Boston College offensive linemen Jude Bowry and Logan Taylor stood out on Day 1. Taylor was the most impressive of the two, showcasing really good lower-body mechanics and balance to mirror most of his rushers in the one-on-ones.
- If Kansas State center Sam Hecht lost during the one-on-ones, I must have missed it. Whether he was facing power, speed or length, Hecht's footwork and grip strength neutralized everyone he went up against. He’s been a starter at Kansas State for the last 25 games he played in, and that experience and detailed approach really stood out.