The middle of the draft events season is solidly here now that we are almost perfectly between the Senior Bowl and the Combine. The consensus big board has reacted to the all-star games, so our staff identified some risers to keep an eye on through the rest of draft season.
Mike Green – EDGE, Marshall
Perhaps the most peculiar, if not most dominant performance of the Senior Bowl came from Marshall EDGE Mike Green. Green, who has only started 14 games in his career, faced questions in this draft process about sustaining his level of play against a tougher level of competition. While he collected a nation-leading 24 sacks for the Thundering Herd last season, scouts and front offices wondered whether he would be able to perform against the elite offensive line talent he’d see in the NFL. Green put those questions to rest, weighing in over 250 pounds, absolutely dominating top-end talent, and then promptly leaving, deciding his work was finished. Green flashed with his hands and physicality, for instance levelling Oregon tackle Josh Connerly, Jr. in the process.
Mike Green from Marshall just killed a man pic.twitter.com/haPwjla8T7
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) January 29, 2025
Green’s dominant Senior Bowl workout was more than a flash in the pan – he ranks 22nd of 381 qualifying rushers in Pass Rush Getoff in 2024. Questions remain about Green’s ability to defend the run (he ranked 87th among edge rushers in run defense last season), but his physical brutality and quick burst are undeniable. As Green rises in mock drafts, the looming question will not be about his ability to rush the passer, but whether a team can afford to take a swing on him and deploy him less in run defense situations.
Tez Johnson – WR, Oregon
One guy who has been rising since the Senior Bowl game is Tez Johnson. With the departure of key offensive contributors after the 2023 season (Bucky Irving, Troy Franklin, and Bo Nix) and the Ducks bringing in another talented receiver in Evan Stewart, it seemed like an opportunity for Tez to prove he wasn’t just a vertical threat. He did just that as he was the first look through the season for newcomer Dillon Gabriel leading the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and catch rate. Even in the games he was out due to a shoulder injury, the Ducks offense seemed to slow showcasing the gravity of his effect on the team’s offense. When he did come back from injury, he had one of his best games (which Dane Brugler highlighted as well) in the Big Ten Championship against Penn State (11 catches, 181 yards, 1 TD).
There are several reasons Oregon is the favorite to win it all, but No. 1 on that list (IMO) is the Dillon Gabriel to Tez Johnson connection.
Two guys who will be dinged as NFL prospects due to size, but both just keep making plays. Ballers. pic.twitter.com/vYaNZIMo6Y
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 9, 2024
Given his petite official measurements at the Senior Bowl (5’9’’ 156lbs) and that he was in a scheme favorable for getting slot receivers open, people could have assumed he would start to fall down draft boards. However, he went into the week and dispelled that notion by winning virtually every one-on-one rep he had (flashes of Terry McLaurin winning every rep at the 2019 Senior Bowl). He showed clean footwork out of his breaks, smooth releases, the ability to run multiple different routes, and, despite being pressed at his frame, he was able to show good separation. NFL Executives on site were saying Johnson has “explosiveness you’d have to game-plan for”, per Jordan Shultz.
At SumerSports, we shouldn’t be too surprised given he has been 90th percentile or above in our route running metric in each of the last 3 years of college. It’s impressive to sustain that level of route running ability even after going from G5 (Troy) to P5 (Oregon) competition. He can contribute at the next level as both a slot receiver and provide value in special teams as punt returner. He’s currently sitting as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick and could continue to rise once he showcases his 4.3-4.4 speed at the combine.
Darius Alexander – DL, Toledo
Going into Senior Bowl week, Darius Alexander sat firmly as a Day 3 selection, ranking 186th on the Consensus Big Board. Alexander took advantage of the week in front of the teams and media, flashing the ability to destroy blocks with both speed and power throughout one-on-one and team periods. This made him one of SumerSports’ President of Football Operations Thomas Dimitroff’s favorite players of the week.
In this case, his Senior Bowl performance matches his 2024 analytical profile. Alexander was solidly in the top fifth percentile of SumerSports’ artificial intelligence driven pass rushing all-in-one score. Pairing that with a top 50 run stuffing score, and you have a quality profile of production for a top college defensive lineman.
All in all, Alexander’s stock has risen such that he is now 69th on the consensus big board. Given he has been invited to the combine, where he is expected to run a sub-5.0 40-yard dash despite weighing about 310 pounds, expect Alexander to continue to make noise this draft season.
