Lee Hunter TJ Parker Diego Pavia Senior Bowl 2026: 10 players who made big impressions this week
The first stage of the 2026 NFL draft process is complete, with the 77th Panini Senior Bowl in the books.
More than 100 of the top draft-eligible college football players in the country have spent the last week in Mobile, showing their stuff for NFL scouts and talent evaluators through three days of practice and one-on-one meetings with representatives of professional clubs. The annual all-star game once again included a handful of third-year juniors this year.
So who made the biggest impressions during Senior Bowl 2026 week? With the caveat that it’s very difficult for a player to hurt his stock at the Senior Bowl, here are a few of the players who were most-discussed in Mobile (listed in alphabetical order):
1/37
Panini Senior Bowl
Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
Banks was one of the stars of one-on-one drills, part of an incredibly deep group of defensive linemen and edge rushers in this year’s game. And unlike many of his counterparts, he stayed in town and played on Saturday.
1/19
Panini Senior Bowl – National Practice
Bud Clark, SAF, TCU
Clark was a highly productive player in college (15 interceptions) and was consistently excellent during one-on-one and team drills during the week of practice. He didn’t have much of an opportunity to make plays in the game, as the opposing American team only threw 20 passes.
American tight end Josh Cuevas of Alabama practices for the Panini Senior Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
Josh Cuevas, TE, Alabama
Cuevas is the type of big-bodied (6-foot-3, 257 pounds), athletic specimen who might have a 10-year future at the next level as a second tight end and on special teams. He was banged up late in the year for the Crimson Tide, but showed plenty during the week of practice.
American quarterback Garrett Nussmeier of LSU throws on the run in the Panini Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
After Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson, QB3 in the 2026 NFL draft is there for the taking. Nussmeier showed during the week he was the best quarterback here, and took home Most Valuable Player honors in the game as well.
National defensive lineman Lee Hunter of Texas Tech practices for the Panini Senior Bowl on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech
A good bet to be the first player drafted out of the 2026 Senior Bowl, Hunter was a wrecking ball during practice. The former Blount High School graduate didn’t stick around for the game — to the disappointment of his hometown crowd — but solidified his first-round status during the week.
1/26
Panini Senior Bowl – National Practice
Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh
Louis came into the week not as heralded as some other members of a very deep group of linebackers, but came out of the week of practice as arguably the top performer. He also didn’t stick around for the game, apparently feeling like he showed enough from Tuesday-Thursday.
1/23
Panini Senior Bowl – American Practice
Tyren Montgomery, WR, John Carroll
The only non-Division I player in this year’s game was arguably the top receiver in Mobile all week, dominating defensive backs despite not possessing great size (5-foot-11, 190 pounds). A former walk-on basketball player at LSU, Montgomery is a good bet to make the difficult leap from non-scholarship Division III to the NFL.
National Team quarterback Diego Pavia (2), of Vanderbilt, runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP
Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
The most well-known player coming into Senior Bowl week, Pavia checked in at a shade under 5-foot-10 at the weigh-in and didn’t have a particularly great week of practice by all accounts. But the super-competitive Pavia was good on game day, completing a high percentage of his passes, and hustling to force a fumble after a first-quarter turnover.
National defensive end TJ Parker of Clemson practices for the Panini Senior Bowl on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
TJ Parker, DE, Clemson
Another in-state native (Phenix City) who starred out of state in college, Parker shook off a disappointing final season with the Tigers to turn in a dominant week at Senior Bowl practice. He also left town before the game, but might creep into the first round in April.
National linebacker Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech practices for the Panini Senior Bowl on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
One of the more-decorated players in recent college football history, the Butkus, Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski winner was a tackling machine during the week in practice. He, Hunter and the rest of the Texas Tech contingent departed after Thursday’s practice, but he proved his 2025 season for the Red Raiders was no fluke.
American offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright of Auburn (77) readies to play in the Panini Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
Honorable mention
Dametrious Crownover, OL, Texas A&M; Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee; Tim Keenan, DL, Alabama; Derrick Moore, DL, Michigan; Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State; Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke; Keylan Rutledge, OL, Georgia Tech; Michael Taaffe, SAF, Texas; Devin Voisin, WR, South Alabama; Jeremiah Wright, OL, Auburn; Zion Young, DL, Missouri
