Identifying the next Dak Prescott at this year’s Senior Bowl
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Saturday’s Senior Bowl is the last opportunity college football’s top seniors to show what they can do in a game situation before they get to the NFL Combine and are measured without pads on.
A year ago, Dak Prescott went to the Senior Bowl as one of the lesser talked-about quarterback prospects. By participating in the game, however, he got to meet members of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. The Dallas coaches came away impressed by Prescott in meetings, and the fact that he went on to win the game’s MVP certainly helped his cause.
Prescott was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of last year’s draft, and is spending this week in Orlando as a Pro Bowl participant. Without the Senior Bowl, Prescott’s NFL career would likely be off to a very different start.
Here are four SEC departed seniors who could potentially be the next Prescott:
OT Robert Leff, Auburn: For one thing, Leff needs the exposure of the Senior Bowl. On NFLDraftScout.com, there’s no projection for what round Leff might be drafted. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. recently told AL.com that Leff should be drafted sometime on Day 3. Any potential Day 3 is obviously trying to push his way into the Day 2 rounds.
WR Travin Dural, LSU: The Tigers had quarterback issues throughout Dural’s career. The Senior Bowl could give him an opportunity to add something recent to his highlight tape. The departed senior also told The Advocate that he’s out to prove he’s healthy, and wants to shake the reputation of injury-prone. CBS Sports’ NFLDraftScout.com currently projects him in the sixth round.
QB Josh Dobbs, Tennessee: It’s well documented that Dobbs has his share of believers and critics when it comes to being a potential NFL quarterback. CBS projects Dobbs in the seventh round, which means he could entering this weekend on the bubble of being drafted.
Prescott was a dual-threat quarterback out to prove he could play in the pros, but had a much better reputation as a passer than Dobbs. For the former Vol, this Saturday will be all about his arm and his accuracy.
TE Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas: Current projections have Sprinkle as a fifth-round pick. If he were to impress at the Senior Bowl, one has to wonder if NFL teams may start to think twice about sleeping on a tight end from Arkansas. Sprinkle’s former teammate Hunter Henry had a very productive rookie season (36 catches, 478 yards, 8 TD) for the San Diego Chargers.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
