2025 Senior Bowl Day 1 standouts: TE Elijah Arroyo sizzles; Jack Bech, Jalen Royals star at WR

MOBILE, Ala. — With Reese’s Senior Bowl practices getting underway on Tuesday, 100-plus prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft are in the midst of a crucial job interview. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein and Eric Edholm provide a look at standouts from Day 1, as well as news and notes from the day’s events.

Tune in for live coverage of Senior Bowl practice Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 12 p.m. ET on NFL Network and NFL+, and don’t miss exclusive coverage Saturday of the Senior Bowl game at 2:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network and NFL+.


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Five stars from Day 1 of Senior Bowl practice

Elijah Arroyo

Miami
·
TE · Junior (RS)

One of the things I had to weigh in my evaluation of Arroyo heading into this week was a major knee injury that limited him to just 11 total games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He was a heralded recruit coming into Miami, but he made just 11 catches from 2021 to 2023.

It looked like his athleticism and speed improved as the 2024 season wore on, and Arroyo validated that on Tuesday, looking fluid and fast in one-on-one drills when matched up against linebackers and cornerbacks. He ran routes with good leverage and frequently created separation at the top of his route.

Despite his relatively modest career snap count and production, Arroyo’s flashes in Tuesday’s practice highlighted his potential and the reason my colleague Daniel Jeremiah included him in his initial ranking of the draft’s top 50 prospects.

Jack Bech

TCU
·
WR · Senior

There are always prospects I’m excited to see compete at the Senior Bowl after studying them on tape, and Bech was one of the players at the top of my list this year. He measured in at just over 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds in Mobile, but his hands measured smaller than I expected (just under nine inches) for a receiver who almost never drops the football.

Not only did Bech show off those sticky mitts on Tuesday with the way he snared throws outside his frame but he also got after blocking responsibilities heads-up and on toss cracks. He was the same player that I saw on tape, which should help him this draft season. The 40-yard dash still awaits this spring to help him answer the last big question I have about his game.

Walter Nolen

Mississippi
·
DT · Junior

Nolen is my top-rated defensive tackle in this year’s draft class because of his explosiveness and productivity on all three downs.

In Tuesday’s practice, Nolen stormed through his one-on-one matchups. He consistently was able to get on top of blockers with a big burst off the snap and pushed them into the pocket with relative ease. There were some up-and-down reps during the scrimmage phase, but overall, Nolen did what he needed to do maintain his standing.

Jalen Royals

Utah State
·
WR · Senior

Royals is a big, strong wideout who measured in at just under 6-feet tall and 210 pounds at the Senior Bowl. On tape, what stood out most about him was the way he attacked the position like a pro. That was once again the case throughout practice on Tuesday.

He’s going to have a size/strength advantage against almost every defensive back covering him this week, but it was the way he ran his routes with efficiency and created throwing windows that impressed me. He played inside and outside at Utah State but projects as a tough possession slot in the NFL.

Grey Zabel

North Dakota State
·
IOL · Senior

North Dakota State had an offensive lineman drafted in the first four rounds for three straight years from 2021 to 2023 (Cody Mauch, Cordell Volson, Dillon Radunz). I expect Zabel to join them in that club this year. He has taken snaps at each spot on the offensive line, but he really stood out at both guard and center during Tuesday’s practice.

He displayed good core strength and an impressive anchor in one-on-one matchups against powerful interior rushers. He has shorter arms but a good build and the potential to add a few more pounds on his frame. Zabel’s ability to offer position flexibility and pass protection value will push him up the board if he continues to play well this week.

Four Senior Bowl takeaways from Tuesday

1) Tight ends put on a show. As Lance mentioned earlier in this post, Elijah Arroyo was one of the standouts of the first practice on Tuesday — and I had a chance to talk to him and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal about Arroyo’s breakout season in 2024. Arroyo finished the first practice with a great catch and was a clear winner from the day.

Then the second practice began, and LSU’s Mason Taylor was giving Arroyo a run for Tight End of the Day honors. He’s also the son of former Dolphins great Jason Taylor, who was on the sideline watching his son’s every move on Tuesday.

“He’s a natural route runner,” Jason told NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. “(He) catches the ball naturally … kinda takes the ball out of the air and doesn’t fight it.”

The younger Taylor, who checked in at No. 35 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top 50, ran great routes and made several eye-opening catches — including a one-hander on a ball from Alabama QB Jalen Milroe that was outside Taylor’s frame. Taylor also stood out in the blocking sessions as he tries to prove he’s an all-around tight end.

Another exciting part: Taylor is still only 20 years old, with plenty of upside.

“They’re getting a really mature guy for his age,” Jason Taylor said.

Arroyo also is filled with untapped upside. His 2022 and 2023 seasons were marred by a knee injury that held him back, but good health and the arrival of QB Cam Ward helped unlock a lot of that talent in a strong 2024 season.

“He was healthy. That was the biggest thing — the only thing — holding him back,” Cristobal told me. “Speed, power, size, strength, length, catch radius, ridiculous ability to accelerate and decelerate. Quite frankly, I wish we had him another year.”

Cristobal believes Arroyo is in the mold of “the old Miami tight end — Jeremy Shockey, Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham” and others and will be an early-impact player in the NFL, even with his interrupted career with the Hurricanes.

“He’s a phenomenal human being, and he’s ridiculously smart, which will prepare him well,” Cristobal said. “He’s the total package now that he’s healthy.”

Arroyo said he played last season around 250-253 pounds, which falls in line with his Senior Bowl weigh-in of 251. He wants to mold his game after the Lions’ Sam LaPorta and the Ravens’ Isaiah Likely.

“I feel like they play how I want to play (in the NFL),” Arroyo said.

2) Two edge rushers separate from pack. The two leading sack artists in the FBS last season, Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku and Marshall’s Mike Green, drew a lot of eyes during the National Team’s morning practice on Tuesday.

And both showed out — but not just as pass rushers.

Ezeiruaku checked in at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds. Green measured in at 6-3 and 251. Those are not massive numbers for NFL pass rushers, yet each player set good, hard edges in the run game during Tuesday’s session.

Ezeiruaku fought through Oregon’s highly regarded tackle, Josh Conerly Jr., for a win during one run period. Then he beat two tight ends’ blocks for a clear victory in team sessions. Green battled against bigger players most of the day but also made his presence felt in the run game, displaying the kind of power that’s rare in a player his size.

And yes, both players also flashed some terrific speed and pass-rush moves in one-on-ones, as well as team periods.

Ezeiruaku’s dip and bend were impressive, showing in practice what he put on tape for most of last season. Green’s battles with Minnesota’s massive tackle, Aireontae Ersery, were some of the best theater in the early part of the day, with each man winning head-to-head battles. But Green never backed down from the physical battles, which will win evaluators over.

Both players answered some questions about their fits in the NFL with enough victories to project them holding up as three-down defenders. That was a big question entering the week given their smaller frames.

3) D-lineman exits with injury. Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Turner pulled out of the Senior Bowl due to a stress fracture that had never fully healed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported early on Tuesday.

The injury required a rod to be inserted in his leg during training camp last year, and he played all of the 2024 season with the injury, per Rapoport. Turner was advised not to put any major stress on the leg for 3-4 weeks, which likely will take him out of performing at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, but Turner is expected to conduct interviews at the combine and work out at his pro day.

4) Undersized lineman holding his own. One of the more fascinating stories here is North Carolina offensive lineman Willie Lampkin, who checked in at just over 5-foot-10 and 270 pounds at the Senior Bowl. It’s hard enough to find O-line prospects in the 270s, much less ones who fail to crack the 6-foot mark for height.

Dolphins center Aaron Brewer might be the closest recent comp. Weighing in at 274 pounds heading into the 2020 draft, Brewer has carved out a nice career for himself. But can Lampkin make it?

He’s working at center, which is probably where he has the best chance to play in the NFL. He played regularly at center at Coastal Carolina in 2022 and also occasionally at UNC. Lampkin primarily played right guard the past two years for the Tar Heels, making his impact felt significantly.

And in the truest of tests, Lampkin had to deal with two monstrous D-line prospects on Tuesday — Kentucky’s 6-7, 340-pound Deone Walker and Florida’s 6-6, 339-pound Cam Jackson. Lampkin held his own, especially against Walker, earning multiple wins.

Jackson praised Lampkin for their battles on Tuesday. He said: “You have to get low, real low. That ain’t easy. He played me tough.”

Lampkin expected the size questions, handling them in stride, and to be fair his hand size (10 inches) and wingspan (78 inches) are certainly more in line with the standard. He said a few teams have floated the idea of him being sort of a do-it-all guy: being able to play all three interior OL spots, hopping in as a sixth blocker in heavy sets and even lining up in the backfield as a fullback.

“I’m open to anything, as long as I can play and showcase my skills,” Lampkin said.

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