The Senior Bowl is the final showcase FOOTBALL event for the 2023 NFL Draft Class and it'll kick off next week in Mobile, Alabama.
Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy continues to string together rosters of outstanding and intriguing prospects for the fabled event in Alabama.
The Texans have 11 picks in this April's Draft, which begins April 27.
With that in mind, here's my Senior Bowl Five: the five I'm looking forward to seeing the most, for one reason or another.
1. The Cornerback Class - Nagy posted a video of the jerseys of the CBs that are headed to Mobile and my goodness, it's a SICK list. One jersey after the next dropped and I was like "OH, I love that guy. Rejzohn? Yes! Brents?!? Heck yeah. Quan Martin?!? Oh, yeah, that's my guy."
The 2023 NFL Draft class may not have a Stingley or a Sauce, but the width, depth and breadth of this cornerback class is UNREAL. There's going to be a starter or two in every round of this draft. Over a dozen of those prospects will take the field in Mobile at the CB position.
2. Army Edge Andre Carter, II - From a tools and makeup perspective, there's little question about Carter. Quickness. Length. Twitch. But for Carter, this is where he can build that resume back up a bit. He seemed to be a bit hotter heading into the 2022 season than he is at this point. Like the cornerbacks, the edge position is deep, DEEP with a variety of players, builds and styles. Carter, though, can re-energize the draft world with an excellent week in Mobile.
3. Troy LB Carlton Martial and Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace, Jr. - It's been clear that the linebackers' world has changed in the NFL. There were days in the mid-1990s when my buddy Ted Johnson -- 6-3, 250 pounds -- was what teams coveted in the NFL to stop the power running games dominating the league at the time. Well, things have changed, but HOW MUCH have they changed? Can these two undersized, incredibly brilliant, twitchy and productive linebackers make enough of a splash to stoke NFL's team embers? Pace is listed at 6-0, 235 pounds, and he doesn't look bigger than 5-10, while Martial is smaller than most safeties in Mobile at 5-9, 205. But watch them play and tell me they couldn't fit somewhere in your favorite team's defense.
4. Boise State S JL Skinner - I've been a Skinner guy for a couple of years now and I'm pumped to see him in action live for the first time. At 6-3 and change, he doesn't look like a safety, but he certainly plays like one with plenty of range in the middle of the field and hitting desire in his heart.
5. Houston WR Nathaniel 'Tank' Dell - The aptly nicknamed Tank might not be able to ride all the rides at Six Flags given his size, but if he did indeed sneak on one, the amusement park security would never be able to catch him. Dell is amongst a ton of fantastic and diverse receiving threats in this draft class. At 5-9, 160 pounds soaking wet, he's going to be the smallest in Mobile in stature, but his game plays big with all the deep throws or long runs after catch he can produce. Plus, he's a Scott St./Third Ward Cougar and that's good enough for me.
