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Bo Nix, Sam Hartman and numerous skill position players signed up for the Senior Bowl as an opportunity to give teams one last big look at them in shoulder pads. For some, the gamble appeared to pay off. For others, the gamble blew up in their faces. Here are three players who improved their draft stock at practices this week and three players who seem to have shot themselves in the foot.
Trending Down: QB Michael Pratt
The quarterback prospect from Tulane wasn't the biggest name at the Senior Bowl coming into the week and at best, he might have treaded ground. However, to many, he lost ground. On at least one play at practice, he dropped a snap, killing a play before it started.
It was reminiscent of Jaime Newman, who did the same cardinal sin at the Senior Bowl in 2021. Newman went undrafted and although he did find a spot briefly with the Philadelphia Eagles, he quickly bounced out of the league. Pratt still has the game ahead to prove otherwise, but he stumbled in practice this week.
Trending Down: QB Bo Nix
This is a controversial one, as Bo Nix did have a few solid plays this week. However, he also had arguably the most painful miss of the week when a receiver cut in on an inside slant to the right and Bo Nix's pass sailed over his head and to the left. It appeared to be a communication breakdown, so it is unclear if it was Bo Nix or the receiver who was confused.
However, he now has the miss on tape, which dug a hole deeper than perhaps any play might have elevated him this week in practice. A quality game on Saturday would go a long way toward placing the blame for the miss on his receiver but until then, it's a tough look for Bo Nix.
Trending down: QB Sam Hartman
While Hartman was given the All-Star treatment at the Senior Bowl, it could be seen as a net negative. Many plays with the quarterback went awry in practice, but Hartman still emerged as the center of conversation in Mobile, Alabama.
That, for one, might result from a couple of factors. Teammates Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. have reasons to take things easier at the Senior Bowl. Many are talking about Bo Nix and Penix as potential first-round selections while not many were talking about Hartman as much.
As such, injuries for Penix and an already decent draft stock for Bo Nix may have been the reasons for Hartman to take the spotlight.
A similar phenomenon happened at the 2022 Senior Bowl when Carson Strong soaked up plenty of attention at practice only to go undrafted and land with brief stints with the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. Strong has since called it a career.
Trending up: RB Ray Davis
The Senior Bowl practices are a perfect place for running backs to show their skills. Put simply, tackles are not allowed, which gives plenty of added freedom to the most physical position in the sport. Since defenders usually pull up on tackles, backs elected to take basically every run to the house, leaving viewers to wonder if he truly would have been tackled long before the goal line.
While many running backs used the rules of practice to their advantage, Ray Davis put on a move that impressed and would have been a touchdown in conventional game in addition to practice. Sprinting down the sideline, Davis managed to put on the brakes and juke back so hard that two defenders approaching from his side screamed past. He then jogged into the end zone for six points.
Had such a move occurred in a game-winning drive, it would be one of the top plays of the week called out by Good Morning Football on Monday morning. In other words, keep Davis on the radar.
Trending Up: QB Joe Milton III
Joe Milton III didn't have much chatter about him coming into the weekend, but the quarterback put himself on the map with a chip-on-his-shoulder-esque performance this week. He wasn't perfect, but he proved to be one of the top quarterback-sized players on the field.
In particular, he managed to overcome adversity in a game-like situation. In a red zone 11-on-11 passing scrimmage drill at near-game speed, Milton showed a hint of clutch. He had a high snap that was caught high and, rolling to his left, he found a wide receiver who was getting smothered by a defensive back.
However, Milton managed to put the ball in the perfect position, which put the back into a rebounding role. The receiver caught the ball and scored the touchdown.
Trending up: WR Xavier Legette
Xavier Legette started the week already hyped up by pundits and analysts. During practice, he delivered on at least one massive occasion. Early in the week, he managed to put on a move that spun a defensive back metaphorically out of his shoes. Then, sprinting toward the sideline, he managed to nab a catch while jumping and spinning in mid-air.
He then managed to remain inbounds. The most impressive aspect about the catch was that it was one-handed. The NFL has made careers out of certain catches and had that catch been made during a game on Sunday, it would have likely been the talk of the league in line with Odell Beckham Jr. and Julian Edelman's catches.
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