The process leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in earnest this week with the Panini Senior Bowl. Practices begin on Tuesday.
Most of the focus has already been on the fifth overall pick for the New York Giants, however they need to continue to find contributors throughout the draft. They don’t currently have a third round pick, which makes the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds that much more important. The Senior Bowl is a great opportunity to uncover potential gems like Daniel Bellinger, Theo Johnson, or Dru Phillips.
What should we be watching over the week of practices?
1. Will any quarterbacks separate themselves?
This might be the question of the 2026 NFL Draft: Who’s next after Fernando Mendoza?
As things stand now, it seems as though Alabama’s Ty Simpson is most likely to be the second quarterback off the board. However, we don’t know when that will be or if another passer will jump him. This is the opportunity for players to boost their draft stock and establish some momentum going into the NFL Scouting Combine.
The player with the most to gain, and the most likely to leapfrog Simpson, is LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier is undersized (6-foot-1, 202 pounds), and is coming off of a season in which he was initially a top prospect but then fell off the national radar after dealing with patellar tendonitis and a “torso injury”. He’s a coach’s kid with good arm-talent, and has a real opportunity to remind the NFL why he was considered a potential first round quarterback before returning to school last year.
North Dakota State’s Cole Payton also has a good opportunity ahead of him to put himself on the national radar. Payton doesn’t have much in-game experience despite being a 5th year senior and had just 58 pass attempts combined over his first four years. However, he does have good size at 6-foot 2 3/8 inches, 229 pounds, a strong arm, and the athleticism to hurt teams as a ball carrier. He flashed in Grey Zabel’s tape a year ago and could open a lot of eyes around the NFL.
Could that be enough to put a trade back on the table for the Giants at the top of the second round?
2. Can the offensive linemen hold up?
We got a bit of bad news this week when edge defenders Rueben Bain Jr and Akheem Mesidor of Miami, as well as David Bailey of Texas Tech withdrew from the Senior Bowl. Those four defenders were pretty much the four best pass rushers in college football this year and set to be the highlight of the week.
But even without them, this still looks like a formidable collection of Front 7 talent. Players like Romello Height (EDGE, Texas Tech), T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson), Dani Dennis-Sutton (EDGE, Penn State), Lee Hunter (iDL, Texas Tech), Caleb Banks (iDL, Florida), and Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech) are all in attendance and will make life very difficult for blockers.
The upside here is that any lineman who actually flashes against the defensive talent on the property is definitely worth investigating. In particular, it’s worth watching Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. He’s very new to the sport of football (he’s a former soccer player from Nigeria who has only played American football since 2021), but has elite movement skills. A good week could be the start of a draft process that makes him a lock to go by the end of the second round.
We should also keep an eye out for any defender who manages to set himself apart in a talented class.
3. The battles in the secondary
The 2026 wide receiver class is well-stocked with potential role players with a wide variety of skill sets to fill just about every niche in the NFL. There are big, powerful players like Malachi Fields (Notre Dame), jump ball specialists like Ja’Kobi Layne (USC), or speedsters like Mississippi State Brenen Thompson (who recently withdrew from the Senior Bowl).
The secondary is also well stocked with defenders who have a real chance to make for a deep and talented position group beyond the well-known top prospects. The diversity of skill sets in the wide receiver room should test the defensive backs well and give them plenty of opportunities to showcase their skill set. On the flip side, the skillsets in the secondary gives the receivers a chance to show what they can do.
Players like San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore, and Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst all have the opportunity to see their draft stock skyrocket.
4. Which player will make a name for themselves?
Every year there’s a player, or even a few players, who step up and demand scouts go back to their tape. They’re usually small-school players who didn’t get much national exposure or players who were overshadowed at bigger schools. The week of practices is a great opportunity for these guys to shine against top competition and prove that they belong with the big school players.
Last year North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel showed up as an under-the-radar prospect and had the best week of any offensive lineman. After the Senior Bowl he became the 18th overall pick and a year later, he’s the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks starting left guard.
Not a “small school” guy, but Houston tight end Tanner Koziol is a long (6-foot 6 1/2 inches, 245 pounds) former basketball player with great movement skills who can go get the ball off the top shelf. He has the potential to make some “must see” highlights during practice and really elevate his stock even in a strong tight end class.
5. Who shows up for the Giants?
The Giants and Ravens have typically scouted the Senior Bowl heavily, and it makes a lot of sense.
It’s a chance to see a huge variety of prospects in a “good vs. good” setting, practicing and playing against unfamiliar opponents with unfamiliar teammates. It’s a chance to see players’ demeanor on the practice field as well as how they adapt to NFL coaching in NFL(ish) schemes. It’s also the first chance coaches have to see the these prospects up close and personal.
The Giants’ coaching staff, however, is far from complete. Joe Schoen and John Harbaugh won’t be attending the Senior Bowl, per a source to Big Blue View, as filling out the coaching staff is their first priority. That, in turn prompts the question of who will be representing the Giants? The Senior Bowl really is a unique opportunity to directly scout prospects up close in pads, and it will be interesting to see both who the Giants send and how it influences their draft as a whole.
See More:
