Senior Bowl sleepers to keep an eye on: Defense

The NFL Pre-Draft Cycle Season is about begin, kicking off with All-Star games like the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl. Fans seem to be already familiar with names like Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts, Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen, Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton, and UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger, as they have littered mock drafts posted online taken in the Top 50. In Watts’ case, they are some of the most common players to be mocked to the Colts.

But how about a few sleepers? Players who for one reason or the other, aren’t getting the same attention online? They might not be Round 1-2 targets, but in the mid rounds these players could provide some valuable competition to the roster.

Colts General Manager Chris Ballard has been good at finding these lesser-known players and turning them into contributors or even starters.

Let’s dive into some under the radar sleepers that fans should acquaint themselves with:

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Bilhal Kone, CB, Western Michigan

A former 0-star recruit, Kone started his collegiate playing career at Iowa Community College before transferring to Indiana State, then finishing his collegiate career at Western Michigan for the last 2 seasons.

Despite his unheralded start to his collegiate career, Kone has worked hard to turn into a strong starter for the Western Michigan Broncos. As their starting outside corner the last 2 seasons Kone has allowed:

• 34 Catches / 67 Targets = 50.7% Catch Rate
• 537 Receiving Yards
• 2 Touchdowns
• 2 INTs
• 13 Pass Breakups
• 75.2 Passer Rating Allowed

His 6’2 and 190lb. frame fits with what the Colts new defense wants to emphasize, and he has displayed a knack for press coverage with bail technique and highly smooth hips to transition in and out of breaks. He mirrors very well, and can anticipate in both man and zone coverages.

A high effort player on tape, Kone has shown a lot of effort plays across the field and in pursuit. He is not afraid to match against top receivers, flashing early in 2024 against Wisconsin and Ohio State. He allowed just 3 catches for 39 yards with 3 pass breakups in 9 targets across those games, also racking up 10 tackles in that span.

He was not asked to play to his press strengths often in his college scheme, with a lot more off experience. He has shown ability in man and cover 3 concepts, but needs more experience in a complex coverage scheme as well as more often being asked to use his length rather than exceptional mirroring ability in press.

Kone on tape needs development in tackling technique, often leaving his feet and lunging in tackle attempts. He needs better eye discipline, as big plays can happen when he tries bites on a play underneath. He lets inside leverage on in breaking routes at times, which hurts his ability to position to make a play despite his length. His ball skills need work as well, as he has opportunities to turn breakups into interceptions more often with his mirroring ability but has struggled to reel in passes.

If he can show out against higher quality WRs consistently in the Senior Bowl practices like Miami’s Xavier Restrepo, Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor, TCU’s Savion Williams and Jack Bech, Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins, and Utah State’s Jalen Royals, Kone will be a fast riser on draft boards.

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Tommi Hill, CB, Nebraska

Tommi Hill is flying under the radar for a few reasons despite being a BIG10 starting corner. For one, he dealt with plantar fasciitis throughout 2024, worsening his tape, particularly speed and ability to crash downhill vs the run. He also only has 648 career snaps in coverage, starting his college career as a WR before transitioning into a full time corner mid-2023.

Despite those concerns, there is a lot to love about Tommi on tape in his 7 games in 2023. In 2023 he allowed:

• 25 catches / 46 targets = 54.3% catch rate
• 243 receiving yards
• 1 TD
• 4 INTs
• 9 Passes Defended
• 40.4 Passer Rating
• 7 Run Stops
• 10.7% Miss Tackle Rate

Despite his inexperience at the position, I came away very impressed with his coverage instincts and technique. He was adept at both hard and soft press, mirroring WRs, and being able to pass off targets in zone to others while keeping his eyes on others potential entering his zone. As a former WR, he seems to be able to identify route concepts quickly and react accordingly. He works well in off coverage too, and is a willing tackler.

Hill is able to fly to the ball really well when healthy, and uses his length at 6’0 205lbs. to make plays on the ball. As a former WR, his ball skills are apparent and he turns pass deflection opportunities into INTs very well.

Tommi has his question marks, but has had some time to get his body right after being out for the season in late November. A good showing at Mobile and positive medical checks at the Scouting Combine later to prove he is healthy could cause him to rise up boards.

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Nohl Williams, CB, California

Williams is an absolute baller and competitor at Corner. Willing to press and match up against top WRs, he is a menace when asked to stop a receiver from getting a clean release. The 6’1 200lb Golden Bear plays like his team’s namesake in that respect. Very aggressive and makes timely swipes in press as well as aggressive and effective efforts to go for the Interception, which his ball skills as a former High School WR reward often. That aggression also manifests in his run defense with a lot of energy vs screens and the run. The Park Services advises you keep your distance.

In his 5 college seasons at UNLV and Cal, Nohl has a long resume, allowing:

• 126 Catches / 224 Targets = 56.3% Catch% (32/66 = 48.5% Catch% in 2024)
• 1,508 Yards (362 yards in 2024)
• 10 TDs (3 TDs in 2024)
• 14 INTs (7 INTs in 2024)
• 21 Pass Breakups (9 Pass Breakups in 2024)
• 65.8 Passer Rating (40.9 Passer Rating in 2024)
• 41 Run Stops (8 in 2024)
• 3 Forced Fumbles (1 in 2024)

Nohl specializes in Man Coverage, mirroring his receiver well, staying attached to their hips. His deep speed is nice to recover, and he has good closing burst as well. However he can be a bit indecisive in Zone, and can be a bit delayed in flipping his hips. His aggressive playstyle can also make him have a bigger issue in tackling, bouncing off of runners at times. Although that issue was much less of an issue in 2024 compared to 2023 (went from 20.3% miss tackle rate to 5.9%).

Ultimately: his instincts, ball skills, press ability, special teams usage (both as a gunner and a returner), and good athleticism should make him a name more fans should be familiar with. He is currently very underrated in most mock draft simulations, and could enter Day 2 discussions with an effective Senior Bowl performance.

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Billy Bowman Jr., S, Oklahoma

In a very talented Safety class, sometimes players get pushed down the board or start flying under the radar. Billy Bowman Jr. in my opinion fits that bill, as his ADP on boards is 105-117, aka mid Round 4 projection. However, I have him as a Round 3 prospect, and I think more of the draft community should take notice.

Billy Bowman Jr. is a highly versatile, high IQ chess piece. His most frequent spot is as a Free Safety, showing ability to work very well in multiple schemes and coverages. However he also has shown versatility at nickel corner and box safety, thriving in zone depths all across the field. Very instinctual, Bowman reads QBs very well and is highly explosive in his closing speed to capitalize on his reads. He understands route concepts very well, making him a menace in zone and man coverage. He won’t take the bait on double moves or pump fakes, and he has good range as a deep safety to make up ground and disrupt a play. In Man, his hips are quite fluid, allowing him to match up very well.

Bowman also has a knack for the big play turnover. His Ball skills are very strong, and he capitalizes on his opportunities with the ball in hands, with three Pick 6s in his 6 INTs of 2023. He has 10 INTs and 3 Forced Fumbles in his career.

So why is Bowman not one of the top safety prospects? Size and tackling issues. He is 5’10 and 200lbs. and has missed 21.7% to 26% of his tackle attempts every year in college. His length limitations clearly affect his ability to wrap up tacklers, which is concerning for a safety.

His fit on the Colts would be interesting, as his best spot would be Free Safety, which could minimize his tackling concerns compared to playing Box Safety (where Nick Cross is predominantly playing) or Nickel Corner (where Kenny Moore II has a stranglehold over). This could also help maximize the impact of his coverage instincts and IQ, and he could have a tangible impact in helping communication in the back of the Defense. His ability in so many coverage schemes would be a great fit in the Lou Anarumo defense that asks for a strong variety of them.

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Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina

Knight brings an element of maturity, power, length, and instincts that is very fun to watch on tape. A 6th year Senior, he spent 4 years as predominantly a special teams player, before becoming a starter in the last 2 years at Charlotte and then South Carolina. But that long wait for his opportunity has paid dividends, with him flashing big potential.

The 6’2 and 245lb. Gamecock has a well built frame and impressive length, able to bring a strong amount of power in his hits and prevents Yards after Contact. He can fight through contact well against blockers, and plugs up holes in the run game, with 27 run stops in 2024. His pass rush has showed promise as a blitzer, using his combination of strong athletic traits and smart timing on his blitzed to make an impact there. He had 12 Pressures and 2 sacks in 30 blitz snaps in 2024.

In Coverage, his length and athleticism make a huge impact. He has excellent recovery speed and uses his length to disrupt pass lanes. He has 4 INTs and 6 Pass Breakups in the last 2 years, allowing just 1 TD in that span. He can work in both man and zone coverage, but he still does need to work a bit on loosening his hips and drop deeper into coverage. He could tweak his tackling form at times, but his length and power have helped him so far avoid bad miss tackle rates.

Knight is an underrated MIKE LB prospect, who could be a better fit in the Colts new scheme with their increased blitz rates under Anarumo.

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Tyreem Powell, LB, Rutgers

Powell is a player who you can immediately see a difference in him from the rest of the back 7 defenders in a defense. At 6’4/5 and 240lb. it is hard to miss him. Powell is a uniquely sized LB, which comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

His strengths are in his power, sideline to sideline run fits, his ability to disrupt pass lanes as a spot Zone dropper, and his interesting physical profile to match up with Tight Ends in Man Coverage. He can neutralize runners from YAC with his hit power, and he flows the ball very well. His length allows him to stack and shred opposing blockers quickly. His height enables him to see over OLs, allowing him to get a good read on misdirections and Play actions in the backfield. His abilities as a pass rusher are no joke, with 33 pressures and 6 sacks in his career.

The downsides with Powell are that his height can be an issue in lowering his pad level to bring down lower leverage power backs at times, and his change of direction skills need work. He could use better ball awareness in man coverage, but he has a clear TE eraser potential as well.

Health will be a big factor in his pre-draft evaluation, as he suffered a wrist injury that ended his 2023 season after 8 weeks, and he suffered an Achilles tear in the winter, delaying his 2024 debut until Week 4. proving himself fully healthy and having clean medical checks would do a lot for his draft stock.

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David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas

Perhaps the best small school prospect in this draft class, Walker has had a dominant career over the last 3 years. The Bears have been blessed with Walker mauling opposing OLs, as he has racked up:

• 151 Pressures
• 15.9% Pressure%
• 37 Sacks
• 129 Run Stops
• 5 Forced Fumbles
• 90.3-94 Pass Rush Grade Every Year
• 83.6-92 Run Defense Grade Every Year
• 88.6- 94.4 Defense Grade Every Year

The 6’2 260lb. edge rusher plays with high energy and top notch athleticism, outmatching his FCS competition routinely. His power output, leverage, explosiveness, agility, bend, and closing speed look sensational on tape. He uses these natural gifts well, and has great hands in his pass rush strikes. Frankly, he was the best and most athletic player every time he stepped on the field. His bull rush is nasty work, and his swipes looked so unstoppable, not even Dora would have stood a chance to stop them. He takes the quickest path to the QB without losing gap integrity, which can often be just through his opposing linemen.

His effort shows on run defense, where he swarms to the ball in the backside and ID’s pulling guards to get around them very well to fight to the ball carrier. His energy is evident every snap, and he brings up the entire defense’s level as well.

The issues with Walker’s profile is his lack of length limiting his moveset, his need to display more counters in his rush plan (usually just had 1-2 moves, which while highly effective vs FCS opponents, will need a bit more variety against NFL linemen. He could fill out his frame a bit more to help his battles against lengthier linemen as well.

The big question is how will he do against NFL caliber linemen, as he was never truly challenged consistently in the FCS. If he does well against the Senior Bowl Tackles, expect him to be a big riser in this Edge class.