Senior Bowl 2025: Grey Zabel, Anthony Belton, T.J. Sanders Among Day 1 Risers

Check out the 14 top performers I saw during the first day of Senior Bowl practices

The first day of Senior Bowl practices is in the books, which means it’s time to highlight the top performers. The Senior Bowl’s opening day is usually a little slow for the aerial attacks, and that was certainly the case yesterday. There’s still plenty to talk about from the matchups in the trenches.

The following insights are from what I gleaned from watching the practice and recording some reps in person, as well as the limited amount of practice film I reviewed before calling it a night.

I decided to focus heavily on the offensive and defensive lines yesterday since it’s impossible to take in and process all the action at once. Today, I’ll spend more time watching the receivers and cornerbacks. You’ll notice most of my risers are from the trenches. I will likely have a more diverse selection of athletes tomorrow.

Most of my selections are National Team athletes because that practice was highly competitive and well-run. There was a little scuffle in the OL-DL 1-on-1s and everything. The American Team practice, in my opinion, was slow, low-intensity, and lacked competitive elements. It was poorly run and didn’t present as many opportunities for prospects to distinguish themselves.

National Team Top Performers

1. Grey Zabel, T/G North Dakota State

Zabel dominated during the 1-on-1s and showcased good technical savvy and football IQ during the team drills. He delivered sturdy punches, reset his hands to maintain leverage, and recovered when he felt defenders testing his shoulders. Zabel forced both Aeneas Peebles and Jamaree Caldwell to lose their balance, turned Darius Alexander around, stonewalled Ty Robinson, and stayed in front of a Joshua Farmer spin.

Zabel was the best performer for the National Team on Day 1. Zero lost 1-on-1s and multiple key blocks in the team drills secured him that top spot. I continue to marvel at the improvements in Zabel’s hand usage, anchor, and balance from 2023 to 2024. He was No. 45 on my big board in December and should push for the top 40 this month.

You can see all of Zabel’s 1-on-1 reps here.

2. Anthony Belton, LT North Carolina State

Speaking of power, Belton enforced his will throughout the 1-on-1s. The 6'5 3/8", 345 lb. left tackle boasts 34 5/8" arms and tremendous stopping power. Playing with that much weight made Belton unbalanced and limited his foot speed and agility during the season, but those issues didn’t bog him down against the National Teams’ edge rushers.

Belton faced Donovan Ezeiruaku twice. He caught Ezeiruaku’s spin move, leading to a one-sided rep, and later absorbed his bull rush and redirected him around the pocket. Belton also caved in Landon Jackson as he shut down the Arkansas product’s long-arm. He also took a rep against Jah Joyner while playing guard and took him to the ground. I can’t tell if it was a penalty or not, but Belton seemed to be trying to launch a snatch-trap. He won a rep at guard against Junior Tafuna too.

I have a fourth round grade on Belton, but I can almost guarantee the NFL will take him in the top 100 if he keeps his weight stable.

3. Elijah Arroyo, TE Miami

At 6'4 1/2", 251 lbs., Arroyo checks the league’s size boxes, and his 33 1/8" arms are just icing on top of the cake. But it’s his speed that has fans and analysts buzzing. Arroyo will probably be the fastest tight end at the Combine this year. He’s a vertical field-stretcher who blows past linebackers and has the route running savvy to separate from safeties.

Arroyo beat Keondre Jackson deep and put Rayuan Lane III in a blender to open his 1-on-1s. His footwork, change of direction, and route fakes effectively make him a big receiver with some of the best mismatch ability in the 2025 class.

Check out all of Arroyo’s 1-on-1 reps here.

4. Aeneas Peebles, IDL Virginia Tech

Peebles announced his presence early in practice, exploding into the backfield. He possesses excellent straight line burst that, when paired with his swim move and twitch, make him one of the best penetrating 3-techs in the class. His hands are violently twitchy, and his frame helps him get skinny to shoot gaps.

Peebles found most of his success during the team sessions. He made plays in both 11-on-11 opportunities the coaching staff put together. The offensive line tried to reach block Peebles once or twice, but he’s simply too fast for most linemen to match in that scenario.

It’s worth noting that Peebles NEEDS to be that kind of explosive disruptor because he’s only 6'0 3/8", 289 lbs. with 31 3/4" arms. He’s in Braden Fiske territory, except Fiske was more than three inches taller than Peebles.

5. Jalen Rivers, LT/LG Miami

Rivers is a Day 3 player on my board and projects as a long-term backup at guard, but I know some in the scouting community have him higher up the rankings. It was a good day to own shares of Rivers’ stock because he kicked butt at guard. His reps at offensive tackle were significantly less inspiring, but that’s not his role at the next level.

Rivers quickly engaged his hands, landing the first blow in many of his best reps. This led to some instant wins against Yahya Black and Ty Robinson. Rivers battled and frequently refit his hands in his matchups to maintain leverage. He drove excellent power through his hands and dictated terms.

6. Jamaree Caldwell, IDL Oregon

I spoke with Caldwell for four minutes after practice. He told me he prefers to set his rush moves up with a stutter-bull, but his short-area quickness and hand usage also serve as key parts of his pass rush. At 6'2", 342 lbs., Caldwell is a mass of muscle and power. He can anchor against double teams or use his surprising burst to penetrate and cause congestion in the backfield.

Caldwell popped early in the practice, penetrating on a run play in a team drill before getting tripped up. He used his powerful upper body and sturdy leg drive to put offensive linemen on skates in the 1-on-1s, but he played a little out of control at times in that session. Even among some of this year’s top prospects, Caldwell’s power stood out.

7. Aireontae Ersery, LT Minnesota

Ersery showcased some of the best power among all offensive linemen on Day 1. He delivered some shock and pop through his hands that gave Landon Jackson fits. Ersery’s anchor held up well in the 1-on-1s, and he kept his outside shoulder clean, which was occasionally an issue at Minnesota.

At 6'5 3/4", 339 lbs. with 34" arms, Ersery moves light on his feet coming out of his stance and batters defenders with his heavy hands. He’s broad and long enough to frame and engulf some of the smaller edge rushers, like Mike Green and Donovan Ezeiruaku. Ersery looks for opportunities to land snatch traps and put pass rushers on the ground, as Landon Jackson found out the hard way.

Ersery’s arm length, grip strength, and leg drive also translate to the run game. He’ll latch to strain and finish blocks. He has no issue displacing outside linebackers and can move larger base ends too.

8. Josh Conerly, LT Oregon

A presumptive first round selection, Conerly is a nimble mover who significantly aided his case to stick at left tackle by checking in with 34" arms. Conerly’s nimbleness and footspeed give him excellent range in pass protection, but he’s sometimes slow to redirect for B-gap counters.

After Conerly pushed Jah Joyner up and around the pocket in the 1-on-1s, Josaiah Stewart beat the Oregon star with a rip move through the B-gap. UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo followed with a less successful B-gap rush that Conerly cut off. He later dominated Oladejo in a 1-on-1 competition. With everyone watching at midfield, Conerly tossed Oladejo to the ground while maintaining his balance and wide base through contact.

National Team Flashes

My eyes are getting heavy, so I want to speedrun through a few players who I thought had some good reps today but didn’t dominate enough to earn full write-ups.

Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander didn’t find a ton of success in the 1-on-1s outside of a thunderous club move on Jalen Travis that might’ve even caught Alexander off guard a bit. Instead, most of his best moments came in 11-on-11 sessions where his 6'3 5/8", 304 lbs. frame, 34" arms, and elite athleticism took over.

Alexander’s impact as both a pass rusher and run defender was somewhat inconsistent at Toledo. It feels like there’s still a lot more that can be unlocked in his game.

I wasn’t optimistic about Utah’s Junior Tafuna’s place in the pecking order after he joined the Senior Bowl roster as a late addition. However, he made some nice plays today, resetting the line of scrimmage in the early team session and putting Jonah Monheim on skates in the 1-on-1s. Tafuna also had a nice rep against Wyatt Milum where he forced the West Virginia star to hold him late in the play.

Injuries impacted Louisville cornerback Quincy Riley’s final season, but he’s healthy and ready to compete at the Senior Bowl (shoutout Tyler Forness, who raved to me about Riley before practice).

Riley had several sticky vertical reps in the 1-on-1s and got a shot to go 1-on-1 against Jayden Higgins with everyone watching. Riley, who is 25 lbs. lighter and more than five inches shorter than Higgins, compressed the receiver’s outside release along the sideline, located the football early, and raked Higgins’ hands at the catch point to poke the ball out on the back shoulder fade.

American Team Top Performers

1. T.J. Sanders, IDL South Carolina

Sanders has been a top 40 prospect on my board for a while, and I think there’s positive momentum for him working his way into the first round. Sanders is primarily known for his explosiveness and movement skills, but he’s much more than just a penetrating 3-tech. Sanders, who is only 284 lbs., coverts speed to power on bull rushes and has the violent power in his upper body to stack and suddenly shed blocks in the run game.

Dating back to the Georgia game in 2023, it was evident that Sanders had the potential to be a high ranking draft selection. His performance resetting the line of scrimmage and throwing Logan Brown in the 11-on-11 session and planting Garrett Dellinger flat on his butt in the 1-on-1s highlights his unique power for an undersized interior rusher and ability to dominate when isolated with an opponent.

Sanders can push the pocket with power or win with a combination of lateral agility and burst at the snap. His anchor is hit or miss, especially against double teams, but he’s a threat to pop any single blocker with the firepower in his upper frame before redirecting to the ball.

2. Cam'Ron Jackson, IDL Florida

Jackson’s week started with him winning the weigh-ins with a 6'6 1/2", 339 lb. frame and 34 1/8" arms. I found his Florida tape to be very inconsistent, but his name came up the most during passing discussions with media members at the American Team practice. He flashed as a rusher in the 1-on-1s, which wasn’t typical in college.

Jackson displaces centers with his powerful clubs and swipes, but his long-arm or two-armed bull rush are his most consistent moves. He took Garrett Dellinger for a ride during the 11-on-11 session and just ran through Jonah Savaiinaea in the 1-on-1s.

Jackson primarily projects as a pocket pusher at the next level who eats space on early downs. This limits his ceiling as a prospect, but maybe a team convinces themselves that he can be a three-down player with more time spent developing a rush repertoire.

3. Brashard Smith, RB SMU

Everything I mentioned about Smith in my Senior Bowl preview yesterday showed up on the field. His shiftiness and speed were too much for linebackers to handle in coverage during the 1-on-1s. Smith’s background as a wide receiver at Miami certainly helped during that drill, but separating from an athlete like Smael Mondon Jr. isn’t a simple feat.

Smith also authored the best run any player had on Tuesday, regardless of which Senior Bowl team they were on. His vision and processing speed between the tackles are on a different level compared to early in the season. He sees the field so well and has the agility, understanding of using tempo to set up blocks, and the light footwork to execute sudden cuts.

I still have Smith in the Day 3 category because he’s only 5'9 1/4", 195 lbs., but he deserves credit for being one of the nation’s most improved players over the past seven or eight months.

4. Miles Frazier, RG LSU

Walter Nolen got the best of Frazier in a 1-on-1 rep, but Frazier had his number during the team drills. I have a late third round grade on the right guard, but I was hoping the Senior Bowl would provide me with the ammo to bump him higher up my board. Frazier is a brick wall in pass protection who should contribute as a starter sometime during his rookie contract. The second round is within his range.

Frazier began his college career starting at left tackle before playing left and right guard. He still has the build of someone who played outside (6'5 3/4", 324 lbs. with 33 3/8" arms) and has a tackle’s explosive kick step. His anchor is naturally sturdy, and he unleashes sudden, independent hands that defenders struggle to remove.

Frazier is comfortable climbing to the second level in the run game and arrives with violence on short pulls. He drives his legs to capitalize on the initial hit and finish the play. Frazier needs to sustain run blocks for longer and improve his balance to avoid falling off blocks or being countered by swims.

5. Walter Nolen, IDL Ole Miss

Did Nolen prove he’s on a different level compared to most of the other players at the Senior Bowl? Yes. Was it the most polished performance? No. Nolen is an elite athlete with a rare combination of overwhelming power, heavy hands, and explosiveness. He delivers jarring hits and walks linemen into the pocket as a pass rusher when he fails to win quickly with a rip, swim, swipe, or club.

Nolen possesses the short-area burst and agility to suddenly exchange gaps at the snap and slip into the backfield. His first step is a cheat code against guards. Nolen resets the line of scrimmage when facing single blockers in the run game. In terms of pure physical talent, he’s a top 15 prospect in the class.

6. Jalen Royals, WR Utah State

A foot injury cut Royals’ final season short, but he was on the path to potentially earning a top 60 selection. He might still get there. Royals’ game is defined by the combination of sudden acceleration, burst off the line, and 4.3 speed. He stacks defenders downfield out of both press and off-man coverages and manipulates leverage with route fakes before breaking in the opposite direction.

What impressed me the most about Royals’ performance on Tuesday was his release package. He’s always had light footwork, but it really showed up in his ability to avoid jams and shake press corners at the line of scrimmage. Royals’ route running and technical development are still a little rough around the edges, but he has some of the best upside of the Day 2 receiver prospects.

Note: Notre Dame’s RJ Oben had an impressive win against LSU right tackle Emery Jones Jr. that I can’t get out of my head.