The Senior Bowl is a crucial event in the NFL’s pre-draft process. It allows teams to assess potential prospects up close, and representatives from all 32 teams attend the week-long event in Mobile, Alabama.
It is the most successful of the college all-star games, and it is clear that when it comes to selecting the players to attend, the Senior Bowl is doing something right.
The Senior Bowl’s Player Selection Process
The Senior Bowl excels at identifying top talent from across college football. Over 500 current NFL players are Senior Bowl alumni, and 2024 marked a milestone year with more than 100 players drafted from the game — accounting for 40% of the entire draft. That year, 110 Senior Bowl participants were selected, including 10 first-round picks and 45 players in the top 100.
The process of selecting players to attend the Senior Bowl is a lengthy, meticulous endeavor that begins immediately after the previous year’s draft. As SeniorBowl.com puts it, “The Reese’s Senior Bowl utilizes an extensive eight-month process to select the players invited to the annual showcase of college all-stars.”
Every summer, the Senior Bowl Watchlist is released, highlighting potential prospects who could earn an invitation with a strong season. The list is compiled from the Senior Bowl’s summer scouting grades, and talent is identified by its extensive scouting network.
From there, the Senior Bowl staff spends the following months attending games and scouting players in person, identifying the top draft-eligible seniors and underclassmen. Throughout the college football season, the event stays in constant communication with NFL front offices, ensuring that the final invitees are players the NFL wants to see in Mobile.
The Senior Bowl’s goal is to create a roster that reflects the NFL’s interests. It allows scouts to evaluate top talent in conjunction with the league while also providing exposure for players from smaller schools. As the Senior Bowl states, “We’re committed to bringing America’s best collegiate talent to Mobile for a week of exposure to the NFL community.”
Invites start arriving to prospects in October, with several in-season invites sent to players and schools well ahead of time. Twenty automatic invites are sent out in October, followed by 40 “priority” invites. The next group is invited between November and the end of the college season as the all-star event looks to finalize its roster.
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However, given the current college football landscape, the Senior Bowl must have contingency plans. Due to the transfer portal and NIL, players who have accepted invites are increasingly opting to return to school.
Therefore, the Senior Bowl staff has an emergency pool of players who may be needed to fill any holes due to returning players, potential injuries, or players opting out because the College Football Playoff has prolonged their season.
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