Jan. 28, 2026, 6:11 a.m. CT

It’s Senior Bowl week, which means select draft eligible prospects from across the country have one last chance to prove things with their pads on. While the NFL combine can highlight drill competency and key measurables, the Senior Bowl is a setting where the contact is live, and players are put to task in an audition type setting.

Scouting departements such as the Dallas Cowboys pay close attention to practice and drills every bit as much as the game itself. The preparation process offers a rare glimpse behind the curtain which could make-or-break draft hopefuls.

 Athletic traits are important, and film from the past NCAA seasons is paramount, but those landscapes miss things that the Senior Bowl catches. And it’s those things that make this annual January event such a great resource to the Cowboys’ scouting department.

Coachability and intelligence

Seeing how players respond and interact in a new environment is important to every NFL team. Every one of these draft picks will be dropped into new surroundings in the NFL and each one will need to navigate the interpersonal challenges that accompanies this jump. Practice gives Dallas a glimpse as how that might go should they be selected.

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New schemes, new directives and new demands will also be asked of these men. How quickly they pick these items up will expose their processing speed at the next level. Physical attributes are easy to measure but processing speed such as this can only be measured in real life situations.

Scheme and situational homogenization

Scouts are often asked to infer and deduce items from a college program’s film. Some schemes showcase some players while hiding others. Some schemes are complicated while others simplistic. Some prop players up and others hold players back. It’s up to scouting departements to figure out which is which, and it’s not always apparent. New schemes picked specifically to test a prospects’ abilities takes away much of this guesswork for scouts.

With all prospects showcased on a more level playing field such as this, it also allows coaches to to test players in one-on-one matchups. How two draft hopefuls perform against each other says a lot about how they measure up and how trustworthy their film may be.

Elite resource

The Senior Bowl is a great tool that scouts can use to reduce risk in an otherwise risky draft process. While blue-chip prospects typically avoid it, the Senior Bowl features plenty of tantalizing prosects who will inevitably be drafted on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft.  

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