Every year, the Senior Bowl helps players prepare for the NFL Combine and NFL Draft by giving NFL scouts and coaches an early look at the athletes.

However, the event is limited only to seniors, so juniors who face tough decisions about whether or not to declare don’t get the same opportunity.

Phil Savage, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, said this week that he’d like to see juniors get all the information they can about the NFL (via AL.com):

“We all know after the draft, the next day, people put out the way-too-early mock draft,” Savage said. “And often times, that list is so inaccurate. Yes, the top names and recognizable names are there, but there are other names. And, people don’t know who they are. Someone’s graded a flash and said he’s a first-rounder. Well, once that kid’s name is in a mock draft in May of the previous year, it’s going to be hard to convince them you’re not really a first-rounder. No college coach is going to be able to do that.”

Savage said he thinks there should be a separate event for juniors, so that the underclassmen who won’t get picked in the draft have a better idea of what NFL teams think of them:

“There should be a Junior Showcase,” he said. “I think they should bring 150 to 175 juniors that look like they have a reasonable chance of coming into the NFL,” he explained. “Let everyone get a height and weight. Sit down and interview the young man. Say, ‘Look, these are the things you need to work on. You know what? You are a legitimate prospect. You absolutely stay health. Have a great year. You’ll be a top pick next year.’

“When 106 juniors come out and you know 35 or 40 of them won’t be picked, you know there’s a problem.”

Will this be an event we see down the road? That remains to be seen, but Savage is a guy who can probably get something done if there’s a market for the Junior Showcase.