{"id":719778,"date":"2026-01-31T19:41:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T19:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/719778\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T19:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T19:41:26","slug":"2026-nfl-draft-5-senior-bowl-risers-chiefs-fans-need-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/719778\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Draft: 5 Senior Bowl risers Chiefs fans need to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl kicks off at 1:30 p.m. CT on NFL Network. Players participated in three practice sessions earlier this week in preparation for the event. The Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, along with the other 31 teams, had a presence in Mobile, Ala. to meet with and further evaluate some of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Senior Bowl sits at the pinnacle of the All-Star circuit. Last year, 50 of the 102 prospects selected in the top three rounds of the draft participated in some element of the Senior Bowl process. Four of Kansas City\u2019s seven draft picks in 2025 competed in the event, including Jeffrey Bassa<\/a>, Omarr Norman-Lott<\/a>, Jalen Royals and Brashard Smith.<\/p>\n

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The week in Mobile provides prospects from all over the country with the unique opportunity to showcase their skills against fellow elite players. Based on their recent draft history, the Chiefs clearly value some element of this process. After all, the team\u2019s 2024 draft class also featured three Senior Bowl alumni in Jaden Hicks, Kingsley Suamataia and Jared Wiley. Several prospects stood out during the three practice sessions leading up to today\u2019s game. Chiefs fans should familiarize themselves with the following names.<\/p>\n

\"Oct<\/p>\n

Oct 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) runs after fumble recovery against the Boston College Eagles during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Louis played linebacker for the Panthers but lacks the traditional size to continue that role in the NFL. His official measurements from the Senior Bowl list him at 5\u201911 3\/4\u201d, 224 lbs. However, Louis arguably had the best week<\/a> out of all prospects who attended the event.<\/p>\n

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Louis is a defensive chess piece with the hip mobility, agility and instincts to mirror and disrupt tight ends and running backs in coverage. He lacks the ability to stack and shed blockers but flies to the football with excellent closing speed. Louis could take on a subpackage role in the NFL as a slot overhang defender.<\/p>\n

\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 1, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back Mike Washington Jr (4) rushes during the first quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Washington outperformed the other running backs in Mobile, including the Penn State duo. Officially listed at 6\u20190 1\/2\u201d, 228 lbs., Washington is built for war between the trenches. He drives through arm tackles and uses his contact balance to survive initial tackle attempts.<\/p>\n

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Washington is a unique prospect in this class. His patience and lateral explosiveness make him excel at finding small gaps to slip through, even when working against crowded boxes. He uses jump cuts and his vision to access small cutback lanes and work through tight spaces.<\/p>\n

Notre Dame Fighting Irish<\/a> WR Malachi Fields\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Malachi Fields (0) makes a catch as Navy Midshipmen linebacker Adam Klenk (49) defends during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Fields doesn\u2019t generate as much natural separation as other receivers in this class, but the classic 6\u20194\u201d, 218 lb. X receiver thrives at the catch point. He made several highlight reel grabs during the season and\u00a0continued to play<\/a> above the rim<\/a> or through contact in Mobile.<\/p>\n

Unlike USC\u2019s Ja\u2019Kobi Lane, Fields is more than a one-trick pony. He displays surprising sink in his hips for such a large receiver. This allows him to separate on comebacks and curls, even against tight man coverage.<\/p>\n

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\"Jan<\/p>\n

Jan 29, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; National cornerback Chris Johnson (2) of San Diego State practices during National Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Analysts entered the week hoping Johnson would dominate and emerge as a surefire top 40 selection. He didn\u2019t quite reach that level but still served as one of the Senior Bowl\u2019s most consistent corners across the final two days of practice.<\/p>\n

Johnson lacks elite speed but is patient and controlled with his movements. He uses anticipation and route recognition to maximize his leverage. This helps him deter throws or recover and make plays at the catch point.<\/p>\n

Western Michigan Broncos<\/a> DE Nadame Tucker\"Jan<\/p>\n

Jan 28, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; National Team outside linebacker Nadame Tucker (11) of Western Michigan practices during National Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Tucker is undersized. His official measurements only list him at 6\u20191 3\/4\u201d, 246 lbs. with 32 1\/8\u201d arms. That limits his ceiling as a prospect, which is fine for the Chiefs. Tucker presents an opportunity for Kansas City to add a rotational pass rush threat in the late rounds of the draft.<\/p>\n

Tucker didn\u2019t have many outstanding wins in the one-on-one periods, but he dominated during the team periods<\/a>. No National Team defensive lineman recorded more sacks across the three days of practice than Tucker.<\/p>\n

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Tucker won with speed rushes, two-handed swipes, swims and quality bend that allowed him to flatten his rush angle. He even used a bull rush to run over Carver Willis and force an interception.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs NFL Draft: 5 Senior Bowl stars fans must watch<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl kicks off at 1:30 p.m. CT on NFL Network. Players participated in three…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":719779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3285,7,26378,1177,8569,2774,118,110,1730,27002,6,15,126,3861,21188,3654,20703,13790,855],"class_list":["post-719778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl-draft","tag-brashard-smith","tag-football","tag-jaden-hicks","tag-jalen-royals","tag-jared-wiley","tag-jeffrey-bassa","tag-kansas-city","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kingsley-suamataia","tag-malachi-fields","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-nfl-network","tag-pittsburgh-panthers","tag-san-diego-state-aztecs","tag-senior-bowl","tag-taylen-green","tag-top-prospects","tag-washington"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115991419536233746","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/719779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}