Senior Bowl winners Chicago Bears must keep eye on
DeAngelo Malone, OLB, Western Kentucky
Malong had a lot of questions to answer this week. He was an FBS player, but non-power five, and got to face more talent this week than most of his 2021 season. Beyond that, this is an edge rusher who checked in under 240 pounds. That is arguably too small for the edge, and many thought he would get work at linebacker.
He told scouts he was a pass rusher, and rush the passer he did. We all knew speed was his game, but for his size he did a really good job handling his own with power. He opened plenty of eyes this week with his commitment.
Travis Jones, NT, UCONN
A nose tackle at UConn is going to get buried in the weeds if you do not pay enough attention. Luckily for him, scouts found him and he got the invite to Mobile. He dominated practice, and the game, showing that he is not just a big man who plots in the middle. Jones got upfield with aggression, strong hands, and quick feet for his size.
Perrion Winfrey, DL, Oklahoma
Winfrey was the MVP of the event, so he has to be added. At Oklahoma, he is typically only used in one way, but he was able to show a variety of skills and alignments of this week. Of course, it also helped that he had two sacks this week.
Darrian Beavers, LB, Cincinnati
Beavers is a tough dude, and he did not back down in the Oklahoma drills. We knew that Beavers could blitz and attack downhill, but what improved his stock this week was how well he looked playing in coverage. He showed a more well-rounded skill set than what he was asked to do in college.
Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
Brian Asamoah was one of the big winners of the week at practice, per PFF. They noted the biggest thing in his game that he highlighted was his run defense. This is huge because we believe that he is going to be a combine darling due to his athleticism. Some of his questions coming from the Big 12 are how well he can take on blocks going downhill. Answering that was a huge win this week.
Jesse Luketa, EDGE, Penn State
Jesse Luketa entered the week as the other Penn State pass rusher, but arguably had the better week of practice. He needed it because he was mainly used rotationally for the Nittany Lions and was considered a day three pick. However, his athleticism flashed in big ways, and he may be viewed as a third-round rotational pass rusher now.