2025 NFL Draft

2025 Senior Bowl roster reveal: What you need to know

Published: Jan 13, 2025 at 08:35 PM

Eric Edholm

Lead Draft Writer

The Reese’s Senior Bowl on Monday revealed 120-plus players who have accepted invitations to participate in the 2025 installment of the annual all-star game.

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy joined NFL Network's Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah and Rhett Lewis on the Move The Sticks Senior Bowl Roster Reveal show to unveil the participants.

Draft-eligible underclassmen will be able to participate in the Senior Bowl for the second year in a row. Prior to last year, fourth-year juniors who had completed their degree prior to Senior Bowl week were allowed to be invited. But now, the game is open to underclassmen who were not eligible to play prior to last year.

Practices will be held from Jan. 28-30 (with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NFL Network and NFL+) at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. The game will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1 (2:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network and NFL+).

Here are five things to know about this year's participants, along with the player roster as of Monday, Jan. 13:

1) Big names at quarterback.

The 2024 Senior Bowl QB group produced the eighth and 12th overall picks in last year's draft, Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr. and Denver's Bo Nix, along with three Day 3 selections -- Spencer Rattler (Round 5, Saints), Joe Milton III (Round 6, Patriots) and Michael Pratt (Round 7, Packers).

Can this year's Senior Bowl six pack of QBs top that group? That remains to be seen. At the least, it might be a more balanced group overall.

Alabama's Jalen Milroe is a headliner, and not just because he'll be playing a few hours down the road from Tuscaloosa. Milroe has traits that will certainly intrigue teams, but he's also had some games that left much to be desired. Will his rare gifts vault him in this setting?

Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart is another QB prospect who could rise. His inconsistent tape leaves you wanting a little more, but his traits are strong.

Ohio State's Will Howard and Notre Dame's Riley Leonard each raised their profiles with their respective runs in the College Football Playoff, and now they're set to square off in the Jan. 20 national championship game. Howard struggled in the Michigan loss, just as Leonard had his worst game in Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois, but they have found ways to win a lot of games.

Oregon's Dillon Gabriel lacks size, but his rare experience (64 games), production (18,722 pass yards, 155 TDs, 32 INTs), improved accuracy and winning résumé have earned him fans in scouting.

Louisville's Tyler Shough has been on scouts' radars since his early Texas Tech days, where injuries derailed him. He's a big, natural athlete who puts zip on his throws, although his touch is spotty.

All six will have excellent opportunities in Mobile.

2) Texas A&M trio leads strong DL group.

Texas A&M featured one of the country's best defensive lines in 2024, and it figures to be well represented in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Three Aggies D-linemen will be in Mobile: Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner. Their production last season was somewhat disappointing, but from a traits-over-production standpoint, all three look like pros.

But this is a deep well of talent up front, making for some tasty one-on-one potential in the all-important three days of practice leading up to Saturday's game.

Ole Miss' trio of Walter Nolen, Jared Ivey and Princely Umanmielen will try to give the A&M trio a run for its money. The terrific South Carolina duo of Kyle Kennard and T.J. Sanders should stack up well, too.

Two fascinating edge rushers -- Marshall's Mike Green and Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku -- ranked first and second in FBS sacks, with 17 and 16.5, respectively. Both are considered on the smaller side. How they match up with the game's bigger, more powerful blockers could tell us a lot.

Kentucky's massive Deone Walker will draw a lot of eyes, too.

The Senior Bowl OL room will feature some very respectable talent, but that group should be on notice with the rare DL depth and skill in town.

3) WRs still have something to prove.

We've been blessed with rare WR riches in recent draft classes, but this year isn't quite as eye-catching a group at first glance. The question remains whether there's an elite contributor among them. The good news is that there's a flavor of receiver for virtually everyone's taste.

Stanford's Elic Ayomanor is an explosive athlete who plays with an edge. Similarly profiled prospects such as Puka Nacua and Michael Wilson have helped their draft causes with successful weeks in recent Senior Bowls.

TCU's Jack Bech and Illinois' Pat Bryant possess quality size and functional athleticism, with good all-around games. Miami's Xavier Restrepo could benefit in the draft from the rookie success of the Chargers' Ladd McConkey. They aren't exact clones, but Restrepo wins in similar ways to McConkey, overcoming a lack of elite size and speed with hands, savvy and natural separation.

Iowa State's Jayden Higgins is a physical marvel, but can he consistently win one-on-ones and separate vertically in practice and the game?

Oregon's Tez Johnson is on the opposite end of the spectrum, listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, but he offsets that with quick twitch and immediate acceleration as a big-play threat.

Facing these receivers is a strong group of DBs, including cornerbacks Trey Amos (Ole Miss), Darien Porter (Iowa State), Jacob Parrish (Kansas State) and Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky).

The one-on-one battles between the receivers and DBs are always a highlight of the event, and there's plenty of ground to be gained for this promising but somewhat polarizing WR group.

Related Links

4) Who emerges from strong RB class?

Heading into Senior Bowl week, there are several interesting backs -- boasting various sizes and styles -- but there's no one back considered head and shoulders over the rest, giving the attendees an excellent chance to separate from the crowd.

Kansas' Devin Neal and UCF's RJ Harvey are two quicker, more elusive running backs of note at the game.

If it's more of a bruising back you seek, then Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II and Miami's Damien Martinez fit the bill.

Michigan's Kalel Mullings also fits that mold, but he differs style-wise from his Wolverines teammate, Donovan Edwards. Scouts are conflicted on Edwards, who's had an up-and-down career, but big-play ability dots his tape.

Auburn's Jarquez Hunter, Virginia Tech's Bhayshul Tuten and USC's Woody Marks are also noteworthy backs at the event.

5) Some personal favorites I'm excited to watch in Mobile.

It's a very good Senior Bowl crop this year across the board, and I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite prospects who slipped through the cracks above:

Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery: I've fallen in love with similar prospects in the past only to come away disappointed, but I'm willing to stick with my guy through the process. Ersery, listed at 6-6, 330 pounds, doesn't always maul his man the way you'd expect, and he's not as technically refined as you'd like for a senior. But that kind of athletic profile often ends up pushing a player up the draft board.

Missouri OT Armand Membou: You'll hear his name more, I suspect, during Senior Bowl week. All season long, Membou was Mizzou's most reliable blocker, displaying rare feel for pass blocking for a thickly built athlete. He should measure around 6-foot-3, and his arm length will be a key measurement for scouts, but Membou is very much on the rise.

LSU TE Mason Taylor: Taylor might have been underused as a receiver in his three college seasons, but he has football royalty in his blood as the son of Jason Taylor and the nephew of Zach Thomas, both Pro Football Hall of Famers. Taylor's play speed and run-after-catch ability really could stand out in one-on-one sessions. I think he's being slept on right now.

Miami TE Elijah Arroyo: Another catch-first tight end, Arroyo entered 2024 with 11 receptions in three seasons, but QB Cam Ward's arrival helped bring out Arroyo's talent. He averaged nearly 17 yards per catch in 2024, making him a fascinating, late-blooming talent. The TE crop rivals last year's strong group, headlined by Taylor, Arroyo and two others I like, Texas' Gunnar Helm and Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr.

Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa: Overlooked on the Ducks' defense, Bassa successfully converted from safety to linebacker. He has maintained his athleticism and instincts to project to three-down duty if he shows he can take on blockers effectively at the point of attack.

Texas S Andrew Mukuba: If you watched the Peach Bowl, you might also have seen Mukuba flash. He made a quality, open-field tackle on Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo (no easy task) and then had a key pass breakup near the goal line at game's end. Mukuba has a great GPS for finding the ball, with quality instincts, athleticism and length.

Louisville CB Quincy Riley: Louisville CB coach Steve Ellis told me he thinks Riley is a four-down player who can play outside on first and second downs, nickel on third downs and punt returner on fourth. With 15 career INTs, Riley has a nose for the ball, and the success of ex-Cardinals Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Storm Duck suggests that Riley could make a smooth NFL transition. "He's going to rise," Ellis told me.