2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl: Small-school standouts

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  • David Walker proves that he belongs: The Central Arkansas EDGE was arguably the most productive edge defender in college football last season, and his performance at the Senior Bowl proved that he can hang with the top talent in the 2025 NFL Draft.
  • Grey Zabel stands out at multiple positions: The North Dakota State offensive lineman has looked particularly strong as an interior offensive lineman in Mobile.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Every year, the Senior Bowl attracts some of the best draft prospects in college football to Mobile, Alabama to face off against other top competitors and to receive NFL coaching. While most of the invited players are from big football programs, a few small school players make the cut each season and get to square off against top players from the FBS level. Here are some of the small school stars that are using the week in Mobile to show that they belong with the top players in the draft class in front of NFL coaches and front office personnel.

EDGE David Walker, Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas’s David Walker was PFF’s highest-graded edge defender in Division 1 last year with a 94.4 overall grade. Walker has been historically and consistently dominant at the FCS level during his career, posting elite pass-rushing grades of 91.5 in 2022, 90.3 in 2023 and 94.0 grade in 2024, which led all defensive edge players in FBS and FCS.  Walker has amassed 37 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 97 hurries over the past three seasons. Walker has also shown to be an elite run defender over the past three seasons with a 91.9 run-defense grade in 2022, an 83.6 grade in 2023 and a 92.0 run-defense grade in 2024, which also led all defense edge players in FBS and FCS. One would be hard-pressed to think of another FCS defender who was so consistently dominant during his career.  Walker’s outstanding career production at Central Arkansas got him the Senior Bowl invite, but questions remained about how he would be able to perform against the high level of competition in Mobile due to his lack of desirable length. Walker measured in at only 6-foot tall with 31-3/4-inch arms, both numbers are below average for an NFL draft pick at the position. Walker has answered these questions this week in Senior Bowl practices. While Walker’s 6-foot, 267-pound frame isn’t how you would design an edge rusher in a lab, he can use that low center of gravity and dense build to generate a powerful bull rush right off the snap or to use a sudden jolt of power to surprise a blocker later in his rush. Walker has used that power to win several one-on-one reps against top FBS tackles during the Senior Bowl practices, showing NFL coaches and scouts in attendance that he can be a productive edge-rusher at the NFL level. After his performance this week, we should be able to predict with confidence that Walker will be able to become a productive NFL edge-rusher. 

OT Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M

Occasionally a small-school player stands out at the Senior Bowl weigh-ins due to their tremendous size, which is the case with Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson. In Mobile, Vinson measured in at nearly 6-foot-7, weighed 314 pounds and posted a very impressive 35-1/8-inch arm length, both his height and his arm length were greater than any player in attendance.  Vinson is growing into his frame and constantly improving as a pass protector. Vinson’s pass-blocking grades have consistently improved from 66.6 in 2022, to 76.4 in 2023 and then an impressive 81.8 in 2024. On his 104 true pass set snaps in 2024, Vinson only allowed one sack and two quarterback hits for a 98.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating. Carson Vinson is the only HBCU player at the Senior Bowl and has proved that there are talented players and draft prospects at the HBCU schools. NFL coaching in addition to his incredible attitude and desire to improve should see Vinson turn into a capable NFL pass protector in the future. 

IOL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

During his career at North Dakota State, Zabel played at all five positions on the offensive line, but the majority of his snaps came at the tackle position — most recently as the starting left tackle in 2024. That range of experience has allowed Zabel to demonstrate he can play multiple positions along the offensive line in the NFL during the week of Senior Bowl practices.  While Zabel played left tackle in 2024, most NFL talent evaluators view him as an interior offensive lineman. During Senior Bowl practices Zabel lined up at left guard, center and right guard and looked good at all three positions. Zabel performed well in pass-rush one-on-ones as well as a run blocker in the team period, showing that he could reach a one-technique (shaded over the center) defensive tackle to the play side and create space for a halfback on outside zone runs as a center. Zabel really appears to be a high-floor prospect at multiple offensive line positions, which will be attractive to NFL teams in April. 
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RB Marcus Yarns, Delaware

Marcus Yarns has graded well for three straight seasons for the Blue Hens with a 74.5 grade in 2023, an elite 90.6 grade in 2023 and an 83.3 mark in 2024. As a rusher in 2024, Yarns forced 32 missed tackles and averaged 6.4 yards per carry, including rushing for an impressive 4.26 yards after contact per attempt.  Yarns’ best years as a pass-catcher remain ahead of him because he can produce in more ways than how Delaware utilized him. He recorded 17 receptions for 297 receiving yards and five touchdowns and while he was primarily targeted on outside screens and shovel passes, he also caught 30- and 65-yard touchdowns on wheel routes in 2024. Senior Bowl practices have shown that Yarns can offer even more to an NFL team as a pass-catcher than how he was used at Delaware, as linebackers have had trouble sticking with him on routes in the middle of the field due to his quickness, and he has the cutting ability to make coverage defenders miss after the catch.

S Keondre Jackson, Illinois State

Keondre Jackson measured in at nearly 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds at the Senior Bowl, so he has NFL size. Jackson predominantly played in a deep safety role (877 snaps) during his career at Illinois State, but he also played 636 snaps in the box and 385 in the slot. Jackson had an impressive nine plays on the ball this year as a coverage defender with three interceptions and six passes broken up.  However, to play safety in the NFL you have to be a reliable tackler and Jackson’s 85.8 tackling grade and his 84.3 run-defense grade prove he’s more than just a coverage player, as he can be a factor in stopping the opposition’s run game as well. Jackson’s versatility, tackling ability and sound run support make him an attractive safety prospect.
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