As we continue to roll toward the 2016 Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, this Saturday, let's take a look at some potential first round draft picks. There is quite a bit of talent on display this week. A few players were hot commodities heading into Senior Bowl week while one in particular has gotten the experts attention on the practice field.
QB Carson Wentz - North Dakota State
This is the guy everyone is talking about. Wentz is 6'6", 235 pounds, so he has the prototypical size scouts, coaches and general managers look for in an NFL quarterback. NFL Media Analyst Mike Mayock compares him to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, and NFL Media Analyst Daniel Jeremiah projects him as the No. 4 overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys in his latest mock draft. Wentz led North Dakota State to two straight Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national championships.
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LB Reggie Ragland - Alabama**
Ragland was the defensive leader for the NCAA FBS national champions as he led Alabama with 97 tackles and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. During Senior Bowl practices, he's been moved to the outside to gage his pass rushing skills, and he has been nothing short of impressive off the edge. Ragland measure out at 6'1" and 259 pounds. He has been projected as high as No. 11 overall to Chicago (Bucky Brooks, NFL.com, Chris Burke, SI.com), and CBSSports.com/NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler has the Raiders taking him at No. 14 overall.
DE Noah Spence - Eastern Kentucky
Spence began his collegiate career at Ohio State where has was named First Team All-Big Ten. Mel Kiper Jr., spoke very highly of him during his recent national media conference call. "[He] really came on late in the year. He's got a chance to be a pass rusher coming off the edge that you can pick up probably early to mid-second round," Kiper Jr., said. Spence was named the FCS National Defensive Performer of the Year for 2015 and First Team All-America. He chalked up 11.5 sacks, 63 total tackles (31 solo), and forced three fumbles. Kiper may have him in the second round, but Rob Rang and Dane Brugler of CBS Sports both project Spence to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 29 overall.
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DT Jarran Reed - Alabama**
Reed is 6'3" tall and weighs 311 pounds, a good size for a 4-3 defensive tackle or a base end in a 3-4 scheme. He was selected second team All-SEC and was a key member of Alabama's national championship defense. Rang has him going to Buffalo at No. 19 overall, while Brugler projects him to Green Bay at No. 27. NFL.com's Lance Zierlien has him going to Washington at No. 21, Jeremiah has him at 19 to Buffalo, while Brooks has him going to Detroit at 16.
DT Vernon Butler - Louisiana Tech
At 6'3", 325, Butler certainly has the size to play defensive tackle in the NFL. He was named first-team All-C-USA after his senior year as he racked up 50 tackles, 10 for loss, and three sacks in 2015. Zierlein projects him to go to Detroit with the No. 16 overall pick, while Jeremiah has him at No. 26 overall to Seattle.
