Day 2 of Senior Bowl practices is in the books, and the action in Mobile is starting to separate the true risers from the players who need a strong finish this week.Â
Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel continued to dominate, solidifying himself as one of the biggest winners of the week. Miami TE Elijah Arroyo also turned heads again, making his case to be a top tight end in this loaded draft class. Meanwhile, Georgia WR Arian Smith flashed his deep-play ability with one of the best catches of the day, but his inconsistencies in route running and hands continue to raise concerns.
Alabama Quarterback Jalen Milroe showed flashes of improvement after a rough start on Day 1, but his struggles with accuracy and decision-making remain a storyline to watch.
From big-play wide receivers to tight ends making their mark, we’ve got all the biggest takeaways from Senior Bowl Day 2, including updated draft stock analysis for dynasty fantasy football managers and NFL Draft fans. Let’s dive into today’s risers, fallers, and standout performances.
Risers
WR Jaylin Noel Iowa State
There is no disputing that Noel has been the brightest star of the week at the wide receiver position in Mobile. It should be quite notable when players stack back-to-back standout days in a format like this, and Noel should lead that conversation. He obliterated every corner in front of him all day. He flashed effortless speed, the ability to beat press coverage, and short area agility today that should have NFL teams salivating. Noel can play out of the slot and on the perimeter in the NFL. I fully believed that entering the Senior Bowl process, but it has been loudly confirmed after only two practices in Mobile. Noel has punched his ticket to round 2 of the NFL Draft.
TE Elijah Arroyo Miami
Arroyo was one of the biggest risers on Day 1, and he picked up where he left off on Day 2. He continued to dominate his reps in passing drills, and multiple evaluators here in Mobile have already mentioned that they’re moving him up in their NFL Draft rankings. The 2025 NFL Draft is expected to be deep at TE, and Arroyo is looking like he could be as high as TE3 in a talented class. In fact, he has looked so good through the first two days that it would be surprising if he sticks around for Day 3 and the game, as the best prospects who show out in practices are often advised by their agents to skip the rest of practices and the game itself.
RB Devin Neal Kansas
He flashed good vision on a carry in 11-on-11s. While there wasn’t any tackling today in those situations, it didn’t matter as Neal was lightning-fast and decisive. Even if this was a flag football event, no one was catching Neal in those reps. He was solid in receiving drills but, again, didn’t crush every single rep, so I continue to hope that he will whip the floor with all takers on Day 3 in route running drills.
WR Jaylen Royals Utah State
Royals put on a clinic today. He flashed all the route-running nuance that I was hoping to see this week from the small school prospect. What is even more impressive in the route wins that he stacked today is that he is clearly not 100%, and he is dealing with some nagging injury, which Royals confirmed during our interview. Royals consistently won off the line with his varied release package and displayed a good understanding of leverage as he was beating corners on in-breakers. Assuming he tests well later in the pre-draft process, Royals should hear his name called on draft night earlier than many will likely expect.
WR Jack Bech TCU
Bech bounced back from an up-and-down Day 1 with a strong showing on Day 2. Bech gained easy separation on slants early in practice. Later in the day, he had a nice rep in 1-on-1s, coming down with a big boy catch in a contested situation. The varied skill set will be needed in the NFL and just cemented that he has the goods to win as a perimeter wide receiver in the NFL. I think that his ideal deployment should still be from the slot, but that doesn’t mean that he can move outside and win if a team moves into 12 personnel during a game.
Fallers
WR Xavier Restrepo Miami
Restrepo had another meh day in Mobile. He looked clunky in and out of his breaks. This has been a disappointing showing for the former Hurricane. Restrepo has struggled to earn separation in team drills and 1-on-1s consistently. I hope he can salvage his week on the final day of practice, but I won’t be shocked if he doesn’t.
WR Arian Smith Georgia
Smith had the catch of the day on Wednesday, and that alone could have him as a riser in some write ups this week. We have him as a faller because, despite that incredible catch, he has been inconsistent in his routes and has struggled with the same drops that plagued him at Georgia over the last two seasons (18.8% drop rate, per PFF). His elite speed and ability to generate explosive plays will catch the eyes of scouts, but he’ll need to show more polish in his route tree and continue to improve his hands if he is going to make gains between now and when he runs the 40 in Indianapolis.
QB Jalen Milroe Alabama
Milroe had a better Day 2 than his disastrous Day 1, but he still struggled with his accuracy and timing, and he held the ball for an eternity on some of his reps. He did, however, throw a few nice deep balls today. He hit TCU WR Jack Bech deep for one of the catches of the day in 11-on-11 drills, and this bomb to Florida WR Chimere Dike in 1-on-1s was his best throw of the last two days. We have him as a faller because he’s been inconsistent and, as someone who could fly up draft boards with a solid performance, is not taking advantage. For every highlight like the ones we talk about above, he has three reps where he holds the ball forever, air-mails a throw into the sidelines, or bounces a ball in front of a target. He’s thrown multiple interceptions and near-interceptions over the last two days, and he had one rep where he took a “sack” and then had his throw picked by Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kizer. He has the tools and athleticism that have NFL Draft evaluators salivating over his potential, but his limitations as a passer are on full display in Mobile.
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