2022 NFL draft update: 6 seniors generating buzz entering Week 9

Each week during the season, On3 teams up with Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy to identify seniors generating buzz in the NFL scouting world.

Here are six who fall into that category for Nagy and the Senior Bowl staff entering Week 9.

Iowa State LB Mike Rose

Nagy’s take: “Rose, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player the Year, was impressive in last week’s win over then-No. 8 Oklahoma State. Our Midwest scout was in Ames last Saturday, and Rose’s combination of size and body quickness stood out. Rose has some of the best measurables (6-foot-3⅝ verified and 33⅛-inch arms) at the linebacker position in this year’s class, and few 250-pounders have the trigger and move laterally as well as he does. Some NFL scouts we’ve spoken with this fall have reservations about Rose’s speed, but we don’t share that concern. Rose shows plenty of range on tape, and from a supply/demand standpoint there simply aren’t enough big linebackers who can stay on the field on third down. We also think he has the versatility to play multiple positions in both a 4-3 and 3-4 scheme.”

FIU RB D’vonte Price

Nagy’s take: “A somewhat forgotten guy who many draft followers were talking about over the summer is Price. The late-blooming Price is averaging 1.4 yards less per carry than he did a year ago, but he’s still a player that the Senior Bowl and NFL scouts remain high on. The league is always looking for bigger backs, and Price came in verified at 6-2 and 225 pounds for combine scouts last spring. Price has good suddenness for his size, he runs behind his pads and he has shown a pull-away gear once he breaks past the second level. One question mark heading into the pre-draft process will be whether Price is strictly a two-down back or if he can play on third downs. While he has only nine receptions so far this season, Price could get plenty of opportunities to show off his receiving and pass-pro skill set if he ends up in Mobile.”

San Jose State TE Derrick Deese Jr.

Nagy’s take: “One of our Reese’s Senior Bowl ‘Stock Up’ players this week is Deese, who has made a big jump both statistically and on tape this year. Going into the season, we had 10-12 tight ends we felt comfortable with as draftable level tight ends for our game, and Deese has broken into that group. As a junior, Deese flashed a good pass-catching skill set on his 20 receptions, but he looks quicker and faster this year and it has resulted in a spike from 12.0 to 17.8 yards per catch. Deese’s nearly 34-inch arms give him a generous catch radius, and he has cleaned up some of the drops we saw on 2020 tape.  Deese’s father is former 49ers great offensive lineman Derrick Sr. Definitely an ascending player for NFL scouts in the western half of the country.”

UCLA S Quentin Lake

Nagy’s take: “Staying on the West Coast and sticking with the NFL legacy theme, Lake — son of former Steelers Pro Bowl DB Carnell Lake — is a guy who’s starting to generate some midseason buzz among scouts. In a fairly thin safety class, Lake has a few things for scouts to hang their hats on: intelligence, eye discipline and the ability to play in space. Scouts we’ve spoken with say Lake was dealing with some injury stuff the early part of the season, but he’s getting healthy and played the best game we’ve seen him play last Saturday against Oregon. Lake is a heady player who tends to be one step ahead of his opponent, as he was against the Ducks on a key goal-line interception. The Senior Bowl is excited to see how Lake finishes out the remainder of the season now that he is getting closer to full strength.”

FCS WRs Tanner Conner (Idaho State) and Christian Watson (North Dakota State)

Nagy’s take: “Two small-school skill prospects to keep an eye on between now and April are Conner and Watson. Both are players we have posted videos on earlier this fall (this is a friendly reminder to check out Senior Bowl pre-game videos every Saturday at @JimNagy_SB), and you can see in those field-level clips that both certainly look the part for the next level. Conner is a hair under 6-3 (6-2⅞ verified), weighs around 230 pounds and ran a 10.51 100-meter dash for the Idaho State track team. If he makes it to Mobile, Connor likely would get reps at fullback/H-back. Watson is another big guy (6-4 verified, 205 pounds) who can make plays down the field. The one question scouts have with Watson is his catch consistency, but he is a safely draftable prospect based on his return ability. Last spring, Watson averaged 33.8 on kickoff returns with two touchdowns.”

The 2022 NFL draft will be April 28-30 in Las Vegas.

Jim Nagy has been the executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier college all-star game, since 2018 after 18 years as an NFL scout. For interesting feedback and information on senior NFL draft prospects throughout the year, follow Jim on Twitter. For information on the Senior Bowl, follow both Jim and the Reese’s Senior Bowl main account.