Although it has become a year-round topic for many, draft season is officially underway with players taking the field today at the first practices of the Senior Bowl. 

Hordes of NFL personnel, analysts and fans flock to Mobile, Alabama to get a first-hand look at some of the best prospects in the upcoming draft class as they go through training drills before the Senior Bowl game itself on Saturday, 

Stocks rise and money is made this week as players get the chance to prove themselves against their peers while also taking part in the first wave of interviews with teams.

Previously underrated prospects can boost their reputation beyond measure in Mobile and fly up draft boards while the top dogs can receive an official seal of approval from teams and fans alike by confirming the skills that have been seen on tape and endearing themselves to the people who may end up drafting them with their attitudes. 

The draft truly starts in Mobile.

To kick off our own personal 2024 NFL Draft coverage this year, we’re taking a look at some of the most highly touted prospects who will be taking part in the Senior Bowl, from an Arizona Cardinals perspective. We’re heading to the trenches, looking at some exhilarating pass-catchers and scouting the secondary. 

T’Vondre Sweat – DT – Texas Longhorns 

If you gave any Arizona Cardinals fan a golden ticket to guarantee a draft pick this year, they would cash it in for Marvin Harrison Jr. If there was a world where MHJ didn’t exist, my golden ticket would be handed in for the mammoth 360-pounder out of Texas; T’Vondre Sweat. 

The Arizona Cardinals had the worst run defence in the NFL this year, allowing a league-worst 2434 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry (part of a three-way tie for second-worst) while in the same time period T’Vondre Sweat was the best run defender in college football as he earned a 92.0 run defence grade via PFF. It’s simple maths – you pick the biggest, baddest motherfucker available, you stick him in the middle of this Cardinals defensive front and watch him swallow people up whole. 

Sweat also possesses a deceptive burst of speed  which makes him more of a factor in the passing game than a man of his size has any right to. The defensive tackle scored 26 QB hurries in 2023 which is 26 more than Nazir Stackhouse managed, the Georgia tackle pegged by many as the #2 pure nose tackle in this class. 

What to keep an eye on: Can Sweat show some quality pass rush ability against top quality opposition in 1-on-1s and team drills? 

Laiatu Latu – EDGE – UCLA 

When it comes to discussing EDGE prospects during draft season, we’re often focusing on players blessed with otherworldy athleticism, physical tools granted by the gods and we’re just willing that they can “put it all together” and “develop a pass rush plan”. 

Laiatu Latu is almost the mirror opposite of that. When it comes to simply beating an offensive linemen and taking down a quarterback, Latu is the best in this class.. 

34 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles and 81 QB hurries. That’s what Laiatu Latu has been up to in the past two years as a UCLA Bruin. Nobody comes close to the 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in terms of technique, hand movement, variety of attack and the ability to switch from one move to another so fluidly. 

The real concerns around Latu – who was forced to retire on medical grounds by Washington in 2021 following a neck injury and is only an average athlete in NFL terms – won’t be cleared up at the Senior Bowl but by medical staff and in the “underwear Olympics” of the Combine. However, his 1 v 1 drills will be appointment viewing in Mobile. 

What to keep an eye on: How does Latu fare against the athletically freaky tackles? 

Brandon Dorlus – DL – Oregon 

No defensive player on this list will benefit more from an impactful display at the Senior Bowl than Brandon Dorlus. The Oregon defender moved around the Ducks front in 2023, lining up in the B Gap for 253 snaps, over the tackle for 159 snaps and outside of the tackle for 160 snaps. 

A rangy, explosive player, Dorlus terrorised Caleb Williams in the Oregon/USC encounter in November, repeatedly bursting through the USC offensive line thanks to a first-step unlike any other interior defensive linemen and upper body strength unlike other pure EDGE defenders. 

With near 34 inch long arms and an innate understanding of leverage, Dorlus can immediately pin blockers and jolt them off balance which helped lead to 92 pressures in the past two seasons. 

That versatility could be viewed as either a help or hindrance in the league, depending on your viewpoint. Is he too small to play inside while also being too big to play exclusively on the edge? Dorlus did weigh-in lighter than his disclosed college weight (290) at 272 lbs at Senior Bowl registration which will further exacerbate those discussions. 

What to keep an eye on: Can Dorlus prove that he’s truly versatile or will he impress more at one position during this week? 

Quinyon Mitchell – CB – Toledo 

I have a question for all of the quarterbacks and offensive play-callers that faced Toledo in the past two seasons. Why did you keep throwing the ball in the same stratosphere as Quinyon Mitchell? 

The Toledo corner was a pass break-up machine for the Rockets recording 27 PBUs in two years, displaying the aggressiveness and anticipation to out-think and out-fight receivers. He forced more incompletions (36) than any cornerback in the FBS in that time, Those instincts at the catch-point also led to 6 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns and a 42.5 passer rating allowed over the past two seasons. 

Away from the ball being in the air, Mitchell also tackles well, wrapping players up in the open field and being able to track runners expertly. 

The biggest knock on Mitchell, which can be rectified at the Senior Bowl, is the level of competition he faced while at Toledo. If Mitchell can dominate in practice and in-game, then he will continue to push for 1st round consideration. 

What to keep an eye on: Can Mitchell compete with the elite receiving talent on display? 

Taliese Fuaga – OT – Oregon State

When you can prise Cardinals fans away from their MHJ shrines to talk about ANY OTHER POSITION in the 1st round, the conversation usually revolves around offensive tackle. With D.J. Humphries suffering an ACL injury in the penultimate game of the season and the possibility of bookending the offensive line with two rookie franchise-level tackles, it’s not hard to see why. 

While Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu have rightly received the most plaudits in this draft cycle so far, someone who all Cardinals fans should keep an eye on (particularly in the event of a trade down the board) is Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga. 

Fuaga, to put it politely, is a bonafide ass-kicker. If you want a ride or die offensive tackle that is capable of unsettling an entire defensive front from the first snap, Fuaga is your man. 

Violent at the point of contact to immediately displace defensive linemen and capable of treating other grown men like toddlers in the run game, the right tackle picked up a 90.9 run block grade from PFF this year and didn’t give up a single recognised sack in over 1500+ snaps while at Oregon State. He held up well against both Latu and Dorlus this year, so that hasn’t been achieved against scrubs. 

Watching his tape, it feels like Fuaga is everything we wanted Trevor Penning to be without the over-aggressiveness and the sloppy footwork, though he does still need to improve on his footwork when facing off against the best pass rushers. 

What to keep an eye on: FF – Fuaga’s Footwork when challenged by the best of his peers. 

Jordan Morgan – OT – Arizona 

In my opinion, Jordan Morgan is the most disrespected offensive tackle in this class. People will look at his 32 inch arms and 312 lbs frame and immediately bark “guard, move on”. To that, I’d say take a deep breath, take a step back and actually watch him play.

The Arizona native has everything it takes to be an offensive tackle at the next level. His balance, footwork and shovel-like hands make up for what should be minimal concerns about his length, with Morgan able to attach himself to a pass rusher and halt them in an instant. 

The most impressive part of Morgan’s game is that some of his best football came against the best level of competition that he faced including a stunning performance against UCLA where he faced Latu and the Murphy brothers. That should make for some thrilling encounters at the Senior Bowl and beyond. 

What to keep an eye on: Can any of the pass rushers give Morgan enough trouble to further strengthen the argument to move him to guard?

Tyler Guyton – OT – Oklahoma 

While Jordan Morgan is suffering from the “meat market” part of the draft cycle, Tyler Guyton looks like he was built in an offensive tackle laboratory. At 6 ft 7”, over 34 inch long arms, a wingspan of over 82 inches but with the athleticism of a man much smaller than that, there is massive upside in his game. He is the best athlete in an offensive tackle group full of top line athletes.

Guyton has everything needed physically to be a superstar at the position. 

Where Guyton’s stock falters is that he has only played 1081 snaps of football at the college level, with over half of that (662) coming in 2023 and that inexperience does show up in a number of ways. 

He’s prone to being knocked off balance by rushers, doesn’t respond well to players with multiple ways of attacking and needs to get more consistent to finishing reps. 

That being said, if Guyton lands somewhere where he can learn for a year behind an experienced tackle while receiving top coaching rather than being immediately thrown into the deep end then he could blossom into a fantastic talent. 

What to keep an eye on: How far behind the rest of the pack is Guyton and can he have multiple impressive days in practice?

Devontez Walker – WR – UNC 

Tez Walker takes the tops off defences. That’s just what he does. The wide receiver out of North Carolina is a vertical threat capable of burning any corner with a long-legged gallop twitch makes him one of the most enjoyable receivers to watch in this class. 

Drake Maye’s favourite weapon in college, Walker possesses the ability to track the ball while at top speed and has the catch radius to match. 

Being so blessed as a vertical threat does come with its limitations. Walker doesn’t have the route running experience or execution because he simply hasn’t had to. If he can successfully start running a more diverse route tree, he could be a true game changer in the NFL. 

What to keep an eye on: If Walker can bamboozle some of the elite CBs in Mobile with anything other than speed 

Xavier Legette – WR – South Carolina 

Is he the next Deebo Samuel? Is he the next DK Metcalf? Or is he just the first Xavier Legette? 

A surprise package in the 2023 season, bursting onto the scene with a career-best 1255 yards (his previous best was 167), with 17,7 yards per reception, it’s hard not to get excited by Legette. He can beat people at the catch point (10 last season), he’s a YAC guy that burns holes through defences, he has a vicious snap off his routes and he’s built like a truck. 

His mix of speed and strength made him a nightmare to defend in 2023. He can still fly past you if you decide to sit off him while he can smack you out of the way in man coverage. 

However, teams will have concerns over his age (he’s already 23), consistency (he’s as one-year wonder as you can get), whether he’s a flat-track bully and his mentality when blocking considering his size. There will also be some discussion about his measurements – we’ve spent all year bigging up a 6 ft 3” receiver who is actually two inches shorter. 

What to keep an eye on: Was it all a flash in the pan or can Legette mix it against top-tier competition?

Jackson Powers-Johnson – C – Oregon 

Before you bite my head off Cardinals fans, hear me out. I know Hjalte Froholdt exceeded expectations for the most part this season at center and there’s a number of more pressing concerns to address, but Jackson Powers-Johnson reminds me too much of Creed Humphrey to not mention him. I’m also still sad that we never picked Creed Humphrey. 

A one-year starter at center for the Ducks, Powers-Johnson is built like an off-road vehicle. Stout, strapping and incredibly strong, JPJ has never given up a sack in his college career and gave up 1 QB hit combining ferocity with footwork, as he bulldozes opposition players at the line of scrimmage and in the open field. His strength is frightening when you consider that at 21-years-old he still hasn’t come into his “man strength” yet and the boy can SHIFT. 

There are a number of comical cartoon-like clips of him blowing up defenders on social media, if you need a laugh. 

Some football players hype themselves up but when JPJ told The Draft Network recently “I play with a special type of tenacity. I’m extremely physical with a mean streak. I’m someone that embodies being a football player” there wasn’t a hint of hyperbole there. 

That sounds like a Monti Ossenfort/Jonathan Gannon type of guy if there ever was one.

What to keep an eye on: Can anyone put a dent in Powers-Johnson?

Photo Credits: University of Texas, SickEditz, Oregon State, Oregon, University of North Carolina