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Rusty Costanza/Associated Press
The 2021 Senior Bowl went off without a hitch Saturday, with the National Team defeating the American Team 27-24 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
Normally, that sentence might come off as mundane and uninspired. But in this case, the fact that the event and its accompanying week of festivities happened at all is a miracle unto itself after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of numerous college football games (and in some cases, entire seasons) and the yearly NFL Scouting Combine.
The importance of this year s Senior Bowl to draft evaluation can t be overstated. So many mitigating factors made this the most important week of some of the participants lives whether they didn t play this season or because they won t have an opportunity to prove themselves elsewhere.
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Rusty Costanza/Associated Press
North Carolina s Michael Carter was overshadowed by a handful of the nation s top running backs, including one of his teammates, for parts of the 2020 college football season.
During Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama, Carter captured the spotlight as one of the most impressive four-year players on either roster.
Carter s performances in practice and Saturday s showcase led many draft experts to place him right underneath the top tier of running backs, which is led by Alabama s Najee Harris and Clemson s Travis Etienne. Carter was part of the winning squad in Saturday s contest. The National team, coached by the Miami Dolphins staff, beat the American team 27-24.
Matthew Hinton/Associated Press
As we see the rise of athletic quarterbacks such as Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen, prospects who have intriguing physical tools will come into focus during the draft evaluation process. You can add Jamie Newman to that incoming group.
When you turn on Jamie Newman s film, two aspects of his game will jump off the screen immediately. He throws a beautiful deep ball with good accuracy. According to Sports Info Solutions (starts at 2:30), the big-armed quarterback had a 67 percent on-target rate for pass attempts that went 20 or more yards downfield in 2019.
You ll also notice Newman can pound a QB draw up the middle, operate the run-pass option (RPO) or tuck and run with the ball when defenders close on his receivers downfield.
The New Orleans Pelicans have announced that star Zion Williamson will miss Wednesday's game vs. the Los Angeles Clippers because of the NBA 's health and safety protocols.
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John Raoux/Associated Press
The two apparent Heisman Trophy favorites have one more regular-season game in which to bolster their resumes before they go head-to-head in the SEC Championship Game.
Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask and Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller Mac Jones should pad their respective stat totals against two of the weaker sides in the SEC on Saturday.
Trask gets to face a LSU Tigers defense that was torched by Jones and his teammates in Week 14. The Crimson Tide take on the Arkansas Razorbacks, who were involved in a 98-point shootout last time out.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be watching from home Saturday as he prepares for the ACC Championship Game.