Time To Scrap The Senior Bowl

Going over my final notes from the NFL Draft, I found something that stood out. The Senior Bowl — an annual all-star game that supposedly carries big weight in the process leading up to the draft — included 18 players who never heard their names called last weekend? Is it time to call the Senior Bowl like we see it — an overhyped game?

The Process

Every year, college prospects and their agents do everything in their power to get an invite to Mobile, Ala., to compete in the Senior Bowl — a week of practice capped by an all-star game. NFL coaches run the practices, scouts hover along the sidelines and agents work their magic to try and hype their clients in hotel lobbies.

Is it worth it?

As I’ve written before, I played in the now-extinct Hula Bowl in Maui. I participated in 45-minute practices in shorts under the watch of Barry Alvarez, went to luaus at night and drank cocktails with little umbrellas in them.

I wasn’t labeled a player who was good enough to “make it” to Mobile, although I heard my name called on draft weekend and played seven years in the league.

So why is the Senior Bowl so important? Because the NFL says it is? And if this game is the “place to be,” why do we see so many guys who participate go undrafted?

The Roster

Here’s a list of players who were considered the best of the best (granted, juniors aren’t eligible for this game). They went to Mobile and tried to put on a show for NFL brass — only to look at phones that stayed silent this past weekend.

QB (4): Graham Harrell, Texas Tech; Cullen Harper, Clemson; Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas; John Parker Wilson, Alabama.

RB (3): Jeremiah Johnson, Oregon; Kory Sheets, Purdue; Antoine Smith, Florida State.

FB (1): Travis McCall, Alabama.

WR (2): Quan Cosby, Texas; Greg Carr, Florida State.

OL/DL (5): Ryan Schuman, Virginia Tech; Mitch King, Iowa; Anthony Parker, Tennessee; Jason Watkins, Florida; Tim Jamison, Michigan.

LB (2): Darry Beckwith, LSU; Ashlee Palmer, Ole Miss.

DB (1): Derek Pegues, Mississippi State.

Eighteen names? Sounds like a lot of potential talent that was left on the cutting room floor when it came time for teams to make their investments.

The Verdict

This game is as overhyped as Whitesnake when we talk about ‘80s rock bands. It’s another opportunity for a player to come home with a swollen knee and surgery on the horizon.

Why do we put so much stock, and so much coverage, into a game that clearly shows us that even the most worthy names still go undrafted -- while the rest of the prospects play in all-star games hosted in baseball stadiums and in jerseys with more sponsors than a NASCAR driver’s suit?

Am I writing this because I’m still fired up that I wasn’t worthy when I came out? No, because I went to the beach for 10 days and still had a career of some worth. Sure, the guys I listed above could very well make a team as an undrafted free agent and play for a lot of years in this league, but it’s time we call it for what it is.

The Senior Bowl is in the news this week, and the future of the game is somewhat up in the air. Maybe it’s time to shut it down, get rid of the major risk of injury that could kill these prospects’ chances before the draft and move on to the NFL Combine.

Don’t they play enough college ball in the fall to judge what they can and can’t do on the field? Heck, underclassmen aren’t even allowed.

This game, just like the drama leading up to the draft, is full of smoke and hype that’s still to be determined.

And it all starts in Mobile. Time to move on, folks.

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