Competition brings out the best in athletes, which is the exact premise behind the Senior Bowl practice week and drives evaluations by NFL personnel.
“The same thing every scout and coach is looking for here,” Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said about the experience, per Simone Eli of PIX11 News. “Competitors welcome it. This is their opportunity to go out and show that. It’s one of those limited opportunities. Not everyone gets to do it. You don’t have to do it. You get to do it.”
A prospect’s performance in Mobile, Ala., can’t hurt him in the traditional sense. Yes, the hope is to excel against top competition. At the same time, every evaluator understands the inherent limitations of a practice week basically being thrown together on the fly with little-to-no familiarity among the coaches or teammates.
The No. 1 aspect everyone in the NFL wants to see is an an individual going out and competing to the best of their ability regardless of circumstances. Mistakes will be made. Bad reps happen. But a prospect stepping onto that field, trying his hardest, taking to what’s being taught and improving every day sends a positive message to everyone around the league.
A select few tend to stand out from the rest. They showed up, competed at a high level and provided a specific reason why they deserve to be viewed far more favorably after three padded practices—whether it’s a once-highly regarded prospect reminding everyone of his ability, a talented individual finally putting it all together or a lesser-known option making a name for himself. All three options can be found among the eight selected as improving their stock the most through this year’s practices.