Packers Prospects: 5 Senior Bowl Standouts
There were plenty of potential future Packers on show in Mobile last week.
By markoldacres

The annual Reese’s Senior Bowl took place last week, kicking off the 2025 draft season in earnest.
As well as serving as an opportunity for prospects to show what they can do when pitted against some of the best prospects in the class, it also provided official height and weight measurements for a whole host of draft-eligible players.
That last part is especially important in Green Bay, as the Packers have tried and tested height and weight thresholds at each position. Fortunately for them, there were plenty of players who fit their usual type who turned in strong performances in Mobile.
Jalen Royals - Wide Receiver - Utah State
Royals did not grab the headlines last week, but he might have grabbed the attention of the evaluators in Green Bay.
On his tape at Utah State, he showed speed, the ability to make things happen after the catch, and some potential in terms of his technique, but there was some looseness and a lack of detail to his route running.
In Mobile, Royals was arguably the most consistent, professional route runner of the entire group of receivers. He did not have a jaw-dropping one-handed catch, but he was consistently getting open without fuss via clean releases and crisp route running.
He was routinely able to win off the line and then finish at the top of the route, and did not spend five seconds at the line wasting time with ridiculous releases like some others did. He looked pro ready.
The Packers put a lot of stock in how receivers perform at the Senior Bowl, and Royals fits the kind of size they like at 5’11, 203 lbs.
If Green Bay is in the market for someone who can replicate Christian Watson speed in the short term, but can do more than just that in the long-term, they could find what they’re looking for at Jordan Love’s alma mater.
Grey Zabel - Offensive Line - North Dakota State
Zabel was the star of the week of practices, massively boosting his draft stock with an excellent week, particularly in the one on one drills.
NDSU is a proven program at this point, but it is still important for prospects coming from an FCS school to show they can hang with FBS prospects. Zabel was dominant at times, and showed exactly why he is likely to be an early day-two pick, or potentially even higher.
The 22-year-old started at left tackle in North Dakota this past season, but has played all five spots along the offensive line at one time or another, and this versatility was on full display in Mobile.
Zabel lined up at all three interior spots and looked comfortable, proving a tough beat for a talented crop of defensive linemen all week. Along with his versatility, Zabel showcased a plethora of skills that NFL general managers will love.
He showed the ability to bend and anchor versus power, digging his heels in to slow his opponents’ momentum, while continuing to rework his hands as the rep goes on, keeping them inside and staying in control.
His nimble feet allowed him to mirror opponents and redirect when they tried another avenue, as well as wash them down the line if they tried to get around him.
At 6'5, 313 lbs, Zabel fits the kind of size profile the Packers like, and for a team which values versatility on the offensive line above all else, and enters 2025 with uncertainty over who will start where, Zabel will likely be high up on their list.
Darius Alexander - Defensive Line - Toledo
There was plenty of D-Line talent on show in Mobile, and yet it was a ‘small’ school guy in Alexander who found the most consistent success.
Alexander put some impressive tape out there in college, showing moves to get into the backfield and the power to give offensive linemen fits.
He was a player opponents always had to be aware of, and when facing some of the best offensive line prospects in the nation, he showed he belonged.
Whether it was with quickness and hand usage, shooting into the backfield, or more of a slow burn by walking them back towards the quarterback, Alexander won his one on one battles with impressive regularity all week long.
Clocking in at over 6’3 and 304 lbs, he has good size for the position to go with his wide range of ways to win. The Packers are in need of an all-purpose D-Lineman who can contribute against the run and the pass, and Alexander should be on their radar.
Shemar Stewart - EDGE - Texas A&M
Could the Packers raid A&M again, a year after taking Edgerrin Cooper? It certainly worked out the first time, and Stewart might be the most Packers prospect ever at the EDGE position.
He is a massive edge rusher at over 6’5 and 281 lbs, but moves and bends like a much smaller player. Combine that with the easy power he possesses, and Stewart has every athletic trait you would want in order to get after the quarterback.
What mainly makes him a Packers type though is his lack of college production. Stewart finished each of the last three seasons with only two sacks, not too dissimilar to a certain Rashan Gary, who did not put up gaudy numbers at Michigan before being drafted in the first round.
Drafting Stewart in the first round would be betting on traits, which is a bet Green Bay has had no hesitation in making before, and he showed off those raw materials in Mobile, dipping around the edge like a 250lb rusher on one rep, before powering through a tackle’s face on another.
While the sack numbers were not there in college, he did have 39 pressures in his final season. Packers fans might be thinking “here we go again” if they spent the 23rd pick on Stewart, but he has every tool a coach could possibly want, and performed well last week.
Quincy Riley - Cornerback - Louisville
Riley is a feisty cornerback from Louisville standing at just over 5’10 and weighing just over 190 lbs, sound familiar?
The 23-year-old would be a borderline acceptable height and weight for the Packers, just as Jaire Alexander was when they drafted him back in 2018, but Riley can flat out play.
He was competitive and sticky in coverage all week long, and balls were rarely completed against him, even when tasked with covering bigger receivers. Riley played with impressive physicality for his size and showed savvy in both his coverage and how he located the ball.
With Alexander potentially out the door this offseason, would the Packers return to his alma mater to draft a direct replacement?
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Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
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Comments (24)
HarryHodag
February 03, 2025 at 06:36 am
Shemar Stewart is a player I've noticed in doing some of my draft work ups. He has a good size-speed ratio and would fill a need. He might also be around when the Packers pick.
TKWorldWide
February 03, 2025 at 07:11 am
I commented on Stewart just yesterday in the “Making Our Wish List’s” article. I think GB already has Stewart. His name is Lukas Van Ness.
jannesbjornson
February 03, 2025 at 07:55 am
Stewart is a DT. Move up for Scourton for the true DE.
TKWorldWide
February 03, 2025 at 08:26 am
NFLDRAFTBUZZ (which also cuts my hair) has him listed as an edge. I’m thinking if GB can improve their pass rush, I’d gladly take a tackle or an edge. But a TRUE edge, not a false one. 😂
LeotisHarris
February 03, 2025 at 08:31 am
More wisdom from TK: Beware false edges. From your keyboard to Gute's retina.
TKWorldWide
February 03, 2025 at 09:49 am
I’ve been to the edge
And there I stood and looked down
You know I’ve lost a lot of friends there, baby
I got no time to mess around
(With another raw edge project.) 😉
LeotisHarris
February 03, 2025 at 10:41 am
Helluva riff, brother.
jannesbjornson
February 03, 2025 at 05:09 pm
Indeed, they are Buzzed. He's a one year starter and green.
GregC
February 03, 2025 at 08:59 am
Ouch. I haven't given up on Van Ness, but I would like to see them go in a different direction with their next DE pick. The author says that Stewart moves and bends like a much smaller player, but I'm skeptical.
Coldworld
February 03, 2025 at 08:03 am
Jaylen Royals is a 6’ ish WR who has short arms. He’s got some real speed, he can get deep, but a replacement for Watson? I don’t see it.
In contrast to your statement about his route running, in my view he’s always been a pretty decent route runner. What he has never has a chance to show is anything other than a very basic route tree.
There is no doubt he can get deep and catch over his shoulder. The problem is he’s showed this against small school opposition in a pretty simple O and is not a size or catch radius threat. He is not an X: he struggles with physicality at the line.
He might be a candidate for the Doubs role in the future, once his route tree expands. There his speed could eventually open new dimensions, but as a Watson replacement? He’s neither an X nor a big target. He’s a player I like, but not in the context suggested.
stockholder
February 03, 2025 at 08:31 am
Speed wise yes. Height no.
Try Greg Jennings/Cobb, not Watson.
Coldworld
February 03, 2025 at 09:04 am
I’m not sure he’s as shifty as Cobb or Reed. He's bigger than Reed and faster than Cobb, but yes, I see his fit as a Jennings type, but one who will need time to learn the route tree with the potential to be a more athletic Doubs, but not immediately.
GregC
February 03, 2025 at 08:55 am
Yeah, when I read the article I was thinking that 5'11" is NOT the kind of size the Packers like. They've already got one smaller guy in Jayden Reed. I don't think they want another. Even as a Doubs replacement, Royal would be significantly smaller. Doubs is listed at 6'2".
stockholder
February 03, 2025 at 09:32 am
I don't think they want another.-
Bet they do. -
Royals gets off the LOs.
jannesbjornson
February 03, 2025 at 05:43 pm
Separation is the rule.
splitpea1
February 03, 2025 at 10:05 am
Time to deviate from the usual height and weight thresholds at the WR position. I'm just interested in players that make plays and provide some energy and juice to this offense regardless of their physical measurements so we can get back to lighting up the scoreboard. Right now the Packers passing game really doesn't scare anybody--especially with Watson out. There are plenty of good smaller receivers thriving in the NFL, so I don't see why we always need to adhere to these limiting thresholds.
Bitternotsour
February 03, 2025 at 10:34 am
tough to make plays if you're being physically dominated by a more athletic and larger corner. There's a reason those metrics are in place.
splitpea1
February 03, 2025 at 12:19 pm
Zay Flowers, Devonta Smith, Tyreek Hill all seem to make plays without the ideal metrics.
jannesbjornson
February 03, 2025 at 05:43 pm
Restrepo. They blew the chance on Bucky Irving last session.
BuckyBadger
February 03, 2025 at 10:21 am
Thanks for the coverage. These bowl weeks don't get the coverage they should. You get more good info here than you do at the combine.
BuckyBadger
February 03, 2025 at 10:24 am
Production in college can't be dismissed. Sort of shows a ceiling on the player. Gary is a good rusher but where he was drafted his lack of production was a red flag. Gary had been good but not great. He gets pressure but doesn't get home nearly enough. The pass rush has to get fixed.
BuckyBadger
February 03, 2025 at 10:27 am
Off topic but saw Murphy come out vs the Tush Push (I will always call it the Bush Push as it was Reggie Bush pushing Leinert in vs ND) calling the play bad football. He is 100% right. The play is not fun to watch and has made goal line stands less exciting. Was never allowed before and we should go back to that.
GregC
February 03, 2025 at 11:47 am
I hate it too. It doesn't look like football to me. I don't remember many controversies before they started allowing it. It's easier to call than a lot of other penalties.
dobber
February 03, 2025 at 10:38 am
Gutey loves the college all star games. Note these guys, especially those who played under Vrable (he was OC on the National team), and I bet we see the Packers call some of their names at the draft. Packers also have a couple coaches in the East for the Shrine Bowl.