NFL Analysis
9/20/24
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Prospects To Watch in College Football Week 4
For the second year, our Reese’s Senior Bowl scouting team will be on more than 10 college campuses nationwide every week during the 2024 CFB season.
Follow @JimNagy_SB on Twitter all day Saturday to see up-close field-level videos on the following players (and many more!):
Iowa at Minnesota — 7:30 pm ET, NBC
Iowa DT Yahya Black
Iowa DT Yahya Black Measurements: (6054v, 333v, 34 7/8 arm, 10 3/8)
The fifth-year senior and second-year starter had a breakout season a year ago, landing himself firmly on the Senior Bowl’s radar. In fact, had Black entered the 2024 draft, he likely would have received an invite to Mobile.
This is a huge man who could fit any scheme at the next level. While he’s more of a one-gap player, his sheer size allows him to adequately handle double-teams, and he rarely gives ground vertically when singled. He is difficult to block when he gets his long arms extended. Black does a good job seeing through blocks and locating the ball, and he makes impressive range plays down the line of scrimmage for someone his size.
Some will question his ability to stay on the field on third downs, but he flashes good in-line power to push the pocket, and he can affect passing lanes with his unique reach. In what is shaping into a deep IDL class, Black is an under-the-radar name to remember.
NC State at Clemson — Noon ET, ABC
NC State LT Anthony Belton
NC State LT Anthony Belton Measurements: (6054v, 354v, 34 5/8 arm, 10 ¼ hand)
Last year’s Senior Bowl featured 13 offensive linemen taken in the first three rounds, and Belton’s tag was on the board among that group.
We extended Belton the invite last November, but he returned to school for a little more seasoning, which is never a bad idea. We’ve already had one of our scouts see the Wolfpack play live this fall, and he said that Belton carries 360 pounds well.
Belton, who has been entrenched as the starter at left tackle since the departure of former No. 6 overall pick Ickey Ekwonu, wins in both phases by simply engulfing defenders with his massive frame. Some scouts we’ve spoken with want to see him cross-train at right tackle and guard, and he could improve his already high Day 2 stock by showing well at multiple positions in Mobile.
One fun fact about Belton is that he was a junior college teammate in 2019 at Georgia Military with 2024 Senior Bowl Co-Defensive Rookies of the Year, Byron Young (Los Angeles Rams) and YaYa Diaby (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Pretty good JUCO roster there!
Utah State at Temple — 2 pm ET, ESPN+
Utah State WR Jalen Royals
Utah State WR Jalen RoyalsMeasurements: (5114v, 193v, 31 arm, 9 ¼ hand)
Few players got us more excited during summer tape study than this guy. After not recording a single catch in 2022, Royals had the ultimate breakout season last year by setting the school record for single-season touchdown receptions (15) and leading all FBS receivers with seven touchdowns over 50 yards.
The former JUCO product from Georgia Military looks even more crisp in his routes than he did a year ago, and his ability to create separation at the top of routes is among the best in this year’s wideout group.
Utah State struggled to get him the ball downfield in the first three games of this season, but he made a couple of rewind-worthy catches when they targeted him deep. It’s a small thing in the evaluation process, but NFL scouts will appreciate the fact that Royals turned down huge NIL money from P4 programs to stay in Logan, Utah, for his final season.
Speaking of money, we think Royals will make plenty of it during Senior Bowl 1-on-1 drills in late January.
UCLA at LSU — 3:30 pm ET, ABC
LSU TE Mason Taylor
LSU TE Mason Taylor Measurements: (6046v, 244v, no arm or hand measurements)
There was a ton of talent on display last March at LSU’s pro-day, with Commanders No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels and first-round wideouts Malik Nabors and Brian Thomas Jr. being the obvious headliners. Unlike NFL scouts in attendance, the Senior Bowl was focused on the rising junior TE Mason Taylor.
What Daniels’ passing script showed us that day was that Taylor was a much better route runner than he showed in LSU’s offense last year when the vast majority of his targets came in the flats and very few downfield.
Taylor, the son of Senior Bowl and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, is a smooth and sure-handed target who could be a true threat down the seam at the next level. We had a scout at last week’s South Carolina game, and their biggest takeaway from Taylor was his competitiveness as a blocker.
If Taylor decides to enter this year’s draft, we could see him being in the mix at the top of the tight end class.
James Madison at North Carolina — Noon ET, ACC Network
North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton
North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton Meaurements: (5116v, 219v, 30 7/8 arm, 9 3/8 hand)
Much has already been made of this year’s strong running back class, and UNC’s Omarion Hampton will undoubtedly be one of the top-size/speed combos in that group.
Getting cross-check looks, a second set of eyes on a player, is an important part of our Senior Bowl scouting process. This will be our second live exposure to Hampton after seeing him in the season-opener versus Minnesota. While the Tar Heels have faced a softer early season schedule to this point, Hampton already has 13 explosive runs (10+ yards) after having 36 all last season.
Hampton isn’t overly shifty or elusive, but there’s a noticeable gear change on tape when he hits the hole decisively, and his thick lower half allows him to bounce off or power through a decent amount of contact. One thing NFL running back coaches pay close attention to during Senior Bowl week is pass pro drills, and Hampton has put some “wow” type clips of him buckling blitzers in the past couple of years.
Last November’s NFL league office ruling allowing juniors to participate in the Senior Bowl opens the door for some smart underclassmen to take advantage of it this year. Hampton could be one of those guys.
Ouachita Baptist at Southern Arkansas — 7 pm ET
Southern Arkansas CB Melvin Smith Jr.
Measurements: (5104v, 189v, 31 1/8 arm, 9 hand)
The transfer portal has certainly impacted the small-school prospect pool, but we’ll check out one of the top players at the D-II level this week, Southern Arkansas’ Smith.
NFL scouts have gotten off the beaten path this fall to see Smith, who had four interceptions and a pair of pick-sixes last year. The wiry cover guy, who plays outside and inside for SAU, looks fast running with verticals, and sources think he could be a low-4.4/high-4.3 guy next spring.
Three years ago, another corner from the Great American Conference, Ouachita’s Gregory Junior, parlayed a good week in Mobile into being a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Southwest area scouts we’ve spoken with think Smith compares favorably as a potential late-draftable prospect.
South Dakota State vs. Southeastern Louisiana — 7 pm ET
South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski
South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski Measurements: (6023v, 235v, 32 5/8 arm, 10 ½ hand)
If there’s a sub-FBS quarterback who has a chance to play in this year’s Senior Bowl, it’s this guy, which is why we’re making the two-plus hour drive to Hammond, Louisiana, to see him.
The reigning back-to-back FCS national champion spurned an opportunity this offseason to join his hometown Northwestern Wildcats so he could make a run at a three-peat with the Jackrabbits, and NFL scouts will love that loyalty.
Physically, he’s a big, sturdy-built kid with big hands, and when you cut on the tape, there’s plenty to like about Gronowski’s game. Everything starts with the feet in a quarterback evaluation, and Gronowski does a nice job consistently maintaining his base. He has a nice feel maneuvering inside the pocket, and he’s not afraid to stay in there and get hit.
While he’s mostly a touch thrower — and he throws a nice catchable ball — he has plenty of arm to play at the next level. I had a chance to meet Gronowski at the Manning Passing Camp this summer, and he’s going to crush pre-draft interviews.
It’s still early in the evaluation process, but multiple NFL scouts have already contacted us to lobby to get Gronowski to Mobile.
