NFL Draft season is officially upon us. This past week, EssentiallySports NFL Draft Expert Tony Pauline hit the road and traveled to Frisco, Texas for the Shrine Bowl before hopping over to Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl.

Pauline had excellent coverage from the two biggest pre-draft bowls of the year, and earlier this week, he sat down with Tim Wood to discuss all the news and notes from the week on their newest edition of the DraftCast podcast.

As always, make sure you’re tuning in to the DraftCast every week, and keeping your eye on Pauline’s Big Board, which will be updated throughout the pre-draft process.

Now, let’s recap this week’s episode of the DraftCast with Tony Pauline.

Winners From the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl

The first name out of Pauline’s mouth when talking about winners from the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl was Maryland’s Alan Herron. There were a lot of questions about whether or not he’d even be drafted late in the season, but he showed out this past week, fending off some day two picks such as Logan Fano and Dani Dennis-Sutton. He was very impressed by how athletic he was at 6-foot-4.5, 320 pounds.

“Heron wasn’t even graded by scouts coming into the year,” Pauline explained. “There were some questions late in the process if he was even getting a draftable grade. He was fantastic. He played left tackle, showed a lot of athleticism, was shutting down day‑two prospects like Dani Dennis‑Sutton of Penn State and Logan Fano of Utah, which I mentioned in the article on EssentiallySports.”

Another tackle Pauline thought played well was Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. Pauline’s been higher on him than most this draft cycle, and he showed out at the Senior Bowl, stopping guys like Michigan’s Derrick Moore, who nobody else had an answer for. He frustrated Moore so much that they got into a bit of a scuffle at one point. Both of these guys were fantastic this past week and shot up draft boards.

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Pauline also fell in love with Tyron Montgomery, a wide receiver prospect out of DIII school John Carroll. He was a very late addition after some players dropped out, and he impressed everyone there. Montgomery beat potential first-round pick Colton Hood in day one practice, and didn’t even realize who he was, but it didn’t stop there. He was a standout all three days and is now awaiting a potential combine invite. He will work out at Cincinnati’s Pro Day.

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Aaron Hall from Duke was another standout during Pauline’s road trip. He was nearly unblockable despite being undersized, so if a team is looking for a one-gap, three-technique DT late in the draft, Hall should be a guy they keep their eye on throughout the rest of the process.

Sticking to the defensive line, Lee Hunter is a guy who possibly worked himself into first-round conversations. David Bailey gets all the love, but Hunter was a star for Texas Tech, and according to Pauline, he amplified everything he showed on tape this year. He’s a powerful pass rusher at 325 pounds, but he also moves incredibly well for someone his size.

Florida State’s Darrell Jackson is another DT who made a name for himself this weekend. He’s not going to blow you away by getting after the passer, though he can still do that, but he can occupy gaps and defend the run at a high level. Pauline was told by NFL teams that Jackson has third-round talent, but his off-the-field issues could make him slide.

Kyle Lewis is another player who caught the eye of scouts this past week. He’s an undersized linebacker, so there’s questions about where he’ll play at the NFL level, but he was a machine at the Senior Bowl. Everyone knew he was solid against the run, but he really showed his ability to cover tight ends and other receivers despite being 5-foot-11.

Why These Bowl Games Are So Important

The Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl and other bowl games are so important because it’s the best chance to get recognized. Players have the most eyes on them, because all position coaches, general managers and head coaches in attendance are watching all of the action.

At Pro Days, only select coaches from a handful of teams typically show up. The NFL Combine is a much bigger event, but not every coach is in the building on a specific day. For offensive linemen, who typically go last, it’s usually all offensive line coaches, and maybe a couple of GMs and head coaches. The same goes for pretty much every position group, so taking advantage of your opportunity at one of these bowls, where all the coaches are watching, is paramount.

“You’ll have maybe 100 people show up at a top pro‑day workout,” said Pauline. “You go to the combine: the last group that works out at the combine is the offensive linemen. There are only offensive line coaches and maybe a few head coaches in Lucas Oil Stadium watching the offensive linemen work out. When the defensive backs work out, it’s all defensive back coaches and maybe a couple general managers or head coaches. But at the Senior Bowl and the Shrine Bowl you have all the scouts, all the coaches, general managers there watching all the players.”

How Robert Saleh Could Influence the Titans’ Pick at 4

The Tennessee Titans hired Robert Saleh to be their next head coach, and Pauline believes this decision could impact where the Titans go in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Pauline says Saleh is going to want David Bailey, the defensive end out of Texas Tech, at No. 4. Not only was he the most productive edge rusher in college football last season, but he fills a need and is a perfect scheme fit in Saleh’s defense. Plus, when Saleh was with the New York Jets, they selected two defensive ends, Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson, in the first round.

Saleh likes to line defensive ends up standing over tackles, which isn’t for everyone. When Trey Hendrickson was a free agent, he didn’t want to go to New York because he’d rather play on a four-man front and didn’t want to stand over tackles. Well, Bailey does that extremely well. He’s much better standing up than he is from a three-point stance. Pauline says he would be shocked if the Titans pass up on Bailey at No. 4.

Ty Simpson’s Interesting Comments

There’s been a lot of talk about Ty Simpson entering the 2026 NFL Draft recently. It was reported, and later confirmed by him, that teams were offering him north of $6 million to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Instead, Simpson entered the draft, where he’ll likely be a second-round pick.

That’s old news, though. This week, Simpson made a comment saying he didn’t enter the transfer portal because he wanted to preserve his legacy at Alabama. What legacy is he talking about? Losing to Florida State in Week 1? Getting stomped by Georgia in the SEC Championship? Losing by 35 to Indiana in the second round of the playoffs? There’s no legacy there.

Jordyn Tyson’s Connection to the Giants

Jordyn Tyson is one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. If it weren’t for his injury history, he would be the bona fide WR1, but after missing a large part of this season, he allowed guys like Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon to enter the conversation.

There are a ton of teams at the top of the draft that need a receiver, including the New York Giants, who Tyson has a unique connection to. The Giants’ star running back, Cam Skattebo, played at Arizona State with Tyson, and he spoke very highly of Tyson during ASU’s celebrity softball event.

“I’m gonna try to get all my guys in the NFL,” Skattebo told reporters. “They all have to come to the Giants. Hopefully, they’ll get something worked out. There’s a chance they get him,” Skatt said. “I’m not in charge, so I can’t really tell you. I don’t really have any power. They’re gonna do what they do. And, hopefully, they make the right decisions.”

Will they take Skattebo’s preference into account when making their pick? Pauline says there’s no chance. The Giants are going to pick the guy they think fits best with their team, and if that’s Tyson, so be it, but they won’t take their running back’s preference into account.

Emanuel McNeal-Warren Pulls Out of Senior Bowl

Emanuel McNeal-Warren pulled his name out of the Senior Bowl this week. Some view him as a potential first-round pick, but Pauline doesn’t believe that’ll happen. He hasn’t been a big fan of his during the draft process, and he didn’t do himself any favors pulling out of the Senior Bowl.

Some of McNeal-Warren’s teammates were at the Shrine Bowl, and Pauline was told directly that McNeal-Warren pulled out because he was concerned about his speed and was worried of being exposed at the Senior Bowl. Take Taylor Mays, for example. He was a projected first-round pick in 2010, but fell to the late second after a really bad showing at the Senior Bowl. He was never much of a factor in the league, and his main contributions came on defense.

“I was told outright he pulled out of the Senior Bowl because he’s concerned about his speed, and he thinks he’s going to get exposed at the Senior Bowl,” explained Pauline. “I know a lot of people are going to say it’s a bunch of hogwash. That came straight from the Toledo people.”

McNeal-Warren has a combine invite, so Pauline is very interested to see what he runs in the 40-yard dash (and if he even runs) in Indianapolis. Until then, all scouts can do is question if his speed will translate to the NFL level.

Garrett Nussmeier’s Red Flags

Garrett Nussmeier won MVP of the Senior Bowl, but despite that, Pauline has him as a loser from the week. He played really well in the game, but there were some red flags that popped up during practices.

First, Nussmeier’s hands are only 8.75 inches, which is a major red flag. If you remember Kenny Pickett, who was notorious for his 8.5-inch hands, fans thought he’d be fine at the NFL level because he was so great in college, but look at him now. He’s a career backup who can’t even throw for 100 yards when called upon to start.

Another red flag was that Nussmeier was sailing the ball during practice. He doesn’t have the biggest arm, so he has to put his whole body into a lot of throws, and it causes him to miss long a lot of the time, which is a big issue. You’d rather your quarterback miss short so the ball falls harmlessly to the ground. If he misses long, that gives other defensive backs the opportunity to pick it off.

After Nussmeier’s performance in the game, some people are dubbing him the QB2 in this draft class, but Pauline doesn’t think he should be. Pauline says he wouldn’t use a top-75 pick on him, and thinks he’ll be a career backup.

Cole Payton’s Rise

One quarterback who did himself a lot of favors at the Senior Bowl was North Dakota State QB Cole Payton. NDSU prospects are always interesting. Yes, they’re an FCS team, but they pump out NFL talent pretty much every year. This year, Payton promises to be an interesting prospect.

Payton showed out at the Senior Bowl. He was a one-year starter, so there’s not a ton of tape on him, but he has a cannon for an arm, he’s big and he’s athletic. There’s a lot to like about him, and after his performance at the Senior Bowl, he’s going to be rapidly rising up everyone’s draft boards.

“He showed all those things at the Senior Bowl,” Pauline said. “He could make all the passes, could drive the ball downfield with speed, get the ball through tight spots. When he had to run the ball, he looked very athletic. He looked like a more‑than‑competent runner at the quarterback position and he showed accuracy as well as timing.”

Pauline believes Payton has a ton of upside, and his performance this past week could vault him into day two of the NFL Draft. That would be a pretty big leap, but his tape this year, coupled with that performance against some of the top talent in the nation, could sway a team to take a chance on him.

Mailbag Questions

The first mailbag question Pauline got was about the Minnesota Vikings and whether or not they should select a quarterback in the draft this year. He doesn’t think so, but he does believe going out and signing a veteran could be beneficial. They have too much invested in J.J. McCarthy to throw in the towel this year, so look for them to add a defensive player in the first round.

Pauline was then asked if the Dallas Cowboys would entertain trading down from No. 20, to which he relied it depends on if they can land a cornerback with their first pick. If they select a Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy, they definitely could move down to get future picks. But they need to upgrade their secondary, so if they don’t go CB at No. 12, they’ll likely do so at No. 2o. However, he doesn’t think it would be a bad idea to move down to add some picks in the second and third round if they get the CB of their choosing early.

Pauline was also asked if the Las Vegas Raiders would be better off trading down from the No. 1 pick, but that got a resounding no. Fernando Mendoza is the only true starting quarterback in this draft, and the Raiders obviously have a huge need at the position. Plus, part of the allure for Klint Kubiak is getting Mendoza with that first overall pick. He believes it would be a bad move for Vegas to trade out.

To wrap things up, Pauline was asked about the possibility of the Giants targeting a receiver and a cornerback in the draft, and he believes they’ll go after both. Just maybe not with their first-round pick. He really likes the idea of drafting someone like Chris Bell, a receiver out of Louisville, in the second round. He likely would’ve been a first-rounder if he didn’t tear a ligament in his knee late in the season, but he’s targeting a June return date, so he should be ready for the start of the season.

As always, make sure you’re tuning into the DraftCast with Tony Pauline each week to get more expert insight into the upcoming NFL Draft.