Top Winners and Losers from Day 3 of Senior Bowl Practices

MOBILE, Ala — The Senior Bowl continued to rage on towards the game Thursday, and plenty of guys stuck out in a good way, while others have some work to do as they finish the week out. Who are the guys that are the winners and losers from Day 3?

Winner: John Michael Schmitz

Kicking it off with the biggest winner of the day, John Michael Schmitz was the best player on the field Thursday. His dominance occurred in both the team and one-on-one periods, where Schmitz buried multiple people into the ground and played with great leverage. His wrestling background really pops with how well he plays with his pad level, and his hands are strong enough to stun defenders back.

If there is someone from this week who could get the boost all the way up into the Top 50 from where they were, I would not be all that surprised if Schmitz sneaks his way into that group. His high level of play consistently throughout the week has left teams encouraged.

Loser: Keeanu Benton

Benton’s had himself a nice week at the Senior Bowl, but Thursday was his worst day of the week. Matched up as a one-technique against Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi in both one-on-ones and in the team drills, the Michigan center took it to Benton all day, including driving him into the turf on a few occasions. While Benton was virtually unblockable on the first two days, he appeared too human on the final day of practice.

Should that hurt his stock or week much? Probably not. But it is something to note for a guy who truly lacks the pass rush production you want in a defensive lineman. Is it the scheme or is it the player? I think that is the biggest question with Benton coming out of this week.

Winner: Ade Adebawore

Ade Adebawore is the biggest improvement from start to finish this week. He might have been the worst defensive lineman from start to finish on Tuesday. But by the time Thursday ended, he was the most dominant and feared of them all. It is easy to see why, as Adebawore has great burst and a stout frame with enough length to give him access to a vast array of moves that keep linemen on their heels.

Jarrett Patterson was driven back multiple times by Adebawore’s bull rush. His speed-to-power conversation is proving to be special throughout the week, and I am interested to see how he is viewed by NFL teams moving from here on out. Adebawore has both the frame and the athleticism to earn some buzz.

Loser: Ronnie Bell

The Michigan wide receiver has the pedigree the NFL likes on his side, but Bell struggled on Thursday. Part of it came through drops, where the cornerbacks at the Senior Bowl disrupted his timing and play through his hands as a body catcher. But everything about Bell seemed a little bit out of phase this week.

He never really beat press all that consistently nor did he create separation with his routes. Then, when he was the slightest bit open, Bell had a number of drops in the practice. It’s hard to see what he did to help his stock this week after having a rough go of things.

Winner: Dontayvion Wicks

Dontayvion Wicks has had a good week, but he never put it fully together for one day until Thursday. The routes Wicks runs are special because of his start and stop ability. However, more than just that, Wicks has elite releases and expertly stacks defensive backs winning down the field. His wins on Thursday were peppered against all the top defensive backs at the event.

I can’t just take that lightly, and though his Virginia tape in 2022 left more to be desired than his 2021 tape did, this energy might rejuvenate Wicks into being the player that he could be.