Senior Bowl practices for 2026 NFL draft: Best QBs, prospects

Tuesday was the first of three days of Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama, with more than 100 top prospects working out in front of coaches, scouts and personnel from all 32 NFL teams.

Senior Bowl is a Invitation Only Showcase An important step towards the prospects of upper class people and making a plan for them 2026 nfl draft. You can watch practice coverage Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET ESPN2/ESPN AppAnd then at 5 pm ET espnu/espn app. Thursday’s practice will air at 2:30 p.m. ET espnu/espn appAnd then at 5 pm ET espnnews. (Thursday’s practice will be rebroadcast on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. ET.) The Senior Bowl game begins Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Mobile (NFL Network).

NFL Draft analysts Matt Miller, Jordan Reed and Fields Yates are in attendance. What are the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s session? Which quarterbacks moved up the board and who else stood out? We answered these questions in each practice and assessed how some of the top names in college football performed. (Reed also gave his assessment of Shrine Bowl practices last weekend.)

Let’s take a look at Tuesday’s action.

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day 1: take away | cubby | risers | notes
Shrine Bowl Overview

Tuesday’s biggest achievement

The defensive line class stood out on the first day. Many of the top players at the position did not participate in the Senior Bowl – only two players (zion young, lee hunter) Here are my top 32 overall picks – an opportunity for Riser to increase his draft stock, as there are fewer elite prospects to distract scouts. That’s the case with this deep group of defensive linemen.

On Tuesday, young hunter, Caleb Banks (Florida) and TJ Parker (Clemson) all looked like top-40 players with average talent classes. But the 2026 class lacks an overall pick that could land those four closer to the top 25 overall given their exceptional play in the first practice session. Hunter was the best player I saw on the field during two practices (more on that later), but Parker and Young both consistently won with power and length while using speed to close the ball in team sessions. And Banks, who is returning from a season-ending foot injury, was as impressive as expected. You’ll be hearing a lot about this defensive line class over the next three months. Tuesday was a great introduction. — miller

Tuesday’s best quarterback performance

This was the top performer on Tuesday cole payton (State of North Dakota). The lefty passer had two of the most impressive throws of the day, the best coming on a bootleg on a deep ball. Caleb Douglas (Texas Tech). After playing under-center at North Dakota State, Payton looked comfortable taking snaps and throwing from multiple pre-snap platforms. Even though his throwing motion is a bit long and loopy, it has had no negative impact on his timing.

Payton displayed his accuracy and mobility over several seasons. Payton suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand during the Bison’s loss in the FCS playoffs. He showed no signs of that injury. Payton deserves a Round 4 grade as he is a big athlete and some teams have mentioned him as a project to be a Day 3 pick. — reed

Day 1 extraordinary possibilities

All eyes were on Hood, my top-ranked player, at the Senior Bowl and he stepped up on Tuesday. He showed patience and confidence in one-on-one settings, turning and running with opposing receivers with ease, while not being beaten once. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound junior was my No. 18-ranked player entering the week and solidified his status as the best player in Mobile in full position drills and team settings. The Buccaneers, Jets and Lions all look like strong landing spots for him in the middle of Round 1. — miller

I always look for that “wow” first impression at All-Star games and Hunter displayed it during team practice on Tuesday. Dressed up as a 1-technique, Hunter completely demolished an interior offensive lineman with his first-step power, pushing past the blocker’s shoulders and gaining ground with ease. What we saw on tape during Texas Tech’s CFP run this season supports that. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Hunter is currently ranked 29th on my board and his stock rose even further on Tuesday. — miller

Ted HurstWR, Georgia State

Considering he played at a small school, this week presents a unique opportunity for Hurst. The tall wideout (6-foot-3, 207 pounds) made one of the day’s better highlights with a one-handed sideline grab. Hurst’s fluidity, especially considering his size, attracted scouts. He is also a strong run-after-catch player. With a strong predraft performance, Hurst could move up from his current spot to the third round, which I see as early as day three. – Yates

Viewed as one of the top defenders in the country entering the season, Parker did not have the season he envisioned, with his sack total falling from 11 in 2024 to five last season. Parker took a positive step toward reviving his draft prospects on the first day of practice Tuesday, as the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder displayed plenty of power in his hands. That strength was present across many periods of practice. Scouts view Parker as a top-40 prospect who could enter the back end of Round 1.– reed

After playing exclusively guard during his career at Georgia Tech, the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Rutledge took snaps at center throughout practice Tuesday. Rutledge showed ease snapping the ball and demonstrated he could play any position on the interior, and answered one of scouts’ biggest questions about entering the Senior Bowl. — reed

Bright player since day one

Miller:

• Offensive linemen typically start Senior Bowl week slowly while defensive linemen arrive on the scene with speed and power. It’s best to allow offensive linemen to settle down, and that’s what happened beu stephens (Iowa). The guard prospect faced a tough challenge early against Hunter before settling in and winning with leverage and power. zane durant (Penn State) and others head-to-head. Stephens is a Day 3 possibility but he showed impressive composure on Tuesday.

• Speaking of Durant, I should especially recognize him for his opening day performance. The 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle consistently won 3-techniques with quickness and leverage during practice against a good group of interior linemen. Durant currently sits as a starting Day 3 player on my board, but in his early workouts he looked like a top 100 prospect.

Reed:

• torrent runner nadam tucker (Western Michigan) caught my eye a few times Tuesday. Such opportunities are important for small-school prospects because they offer major tests against high-level competition. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Tucker entered the week as one of the lesser-known names of the event, but opened many eyes during the first day of practice. He could draw interest from teams looking for a midround pass rusher.

• wide receiver Malachi Fields (Notre Dame) was the American team’s best offensive player on the first day. Officially listed at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, Fields used his frame well. He was challenged at the line of scrimmage several times during one-on-one battles against corners. His physicality showed and he was able to fight off jamming attempts before making a strong catch. Fields has a mix of mid to late Day 2 grades as a possibility that continues the upward trend.

• wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.. (Missouri) had a quiet good first day. A well-traveled prospect, he began his career at Jackson State (2022) before transferring to Louisville (2023) and Mississippi State (2024) before landing at Missouri. Coleman is a smooth route runner who spent time outside and in the slot during practice. He looked comfortable even while fielding on a cold and windy day. When talking to scouts, Coleman is primarily viewed as an early to mid-3rd day prospect, which is where I currently have him as well.

Yates:

• torrent runner zion young (Missouri) brought tremendous energy to the man-to-man field as he showed the power that made him a great college player. Young wins as a runner with knock-back power and length, which he uses to get offensive tackles off his back in one-on-one reps. I think Young will go early in Round 2.

• jennings dunker The next in a long line of talented Iowa offensive linemen, and I liked what I saw in pass protection on Tuesday. Dunker showed good lateral agility and length to stop edge rushers, as well as toughness and finishing on his reps (as well as an off-the-charts mullet). That’s another possibility for me for another day.

Shrine Bowl Overview

I spent three days at the Shrine Bowl last week and the talent did not disappoint. cornerback avery smith (Toledo) was the biggest winner of the week. He had no problems competing against bounces, which showed he was capable of playing press man and zone coverage. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Smith was the most talked about prospect to scouts and could potentially make his way into the top 100.

offensive lineman Brian Parker II (The Duke) was also standing outside. After spending last season at left tackle, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Parker played center in Shrine Bowl practice, showing off a strong arm and balanced base. He was seen as a potential Day 3 pick entering the event, but raised his stock and could go into Round 3 early.

On the quarterback front, cad klubnik (Clemson) recovered from a poor performance the first day and had strong practices the last two days. A streaky thrower, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Klubnik made several excellent throws during the team portion of practice. He showed a lot of emotion after each impressive throw and that certainly helped him stand out. Opinion was mixed on where Klubnik would go. Some scouts had third-round grades on him, but there were also some who saw him as a middling 3 passer. — reed