I had an absolute blast my first year at the Senior Bowl, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. It was eye-opening to be able to assess these athletes in real time, and for some, against considerably greater competition than they encountered in college. Even while it may not be indicative of their entire draft stock, finding the risers and fallers this week is still enjoyable.
The following five players, who the Bengals might consider selecting in the 2024 NFL Draft, caught my attention this week:
I have rated Haynes highly throughout the majority of the procedure. Despite his slight build (6 feet 2 inches, 318 pounds), he is a strong player that I expected to see demonstrate his anchoring skills and people-moving abilities in the run game this week. At the Senior Bowl, he accomplished all of those things and more.
His peers chose him as their team’s top offensive guard. That ought to tell you everything you need to know about this week’s appearance. Given what he demonstrated in what may have been the most significant event of his offseason, I would still classify him as a “riser” even if he was previously highly regarded by me.
I wasn’t too high on Fiske going into the Senior Bowl, but this week he proved to be a formidable opponent. Despite having shorter arms (31 inches), he was nevertheless able to frequently dominate one-on-one matches. He showed like a speed rusher on tape, so I knew he had good burst out of his stance. But this week, Fiske demonstrated his pro-level leverage manipulation, high level productivity against the run, and ability to translate speed into power as a rusher. Fiske is going to make someone very pleased, especially given the direction the NFL defensive line market is taking.
Suamataia’s elite athleticism was evident on film, but aside from that, I had concerns about his discipline and basic growth. I’ve been impressed by how much he’s grown over the previous few days. He appeared to be a more balanced run blocker and was playing with far more control. Apart from my inquiries, he had an excellent capacity to reflect in defence, and his anchor has consistently shone on camera. He was, in my opinion, the biggest riser of the week.
