Senior Bowl matchmaker: AFC contenders strengthen the trenches in hopes of toppling Chiefs; 49ers add receiver

As the week of Senior Bowl practices continues in Mobile, Alabama — just two hours northeast of New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl LIX — it’s again time to pair the top prospects at the annual all-star event with NFL teams in the first few rounds of this year’s draft. 

While it’s impossible to know what the pro clubs want, identifying specific size and skill-set trends — or clear-cut needs — can provide an idea as to what could happen with these five top prospects at this year’s Senior Bowl. 

Perfect NFL fit: San Francisco 49ers

Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals was born to play for the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers. He’s not quite as dynamic of an athlete as Deebo Samuel, but his play is almost indistinguishable from that of the 49ers superstar. Royals is a boulder of a specimen with deceptive wiggle, and most crucially, a powerful lower half and immaculate contact balance.

And, at a hair under 6-foot and 210 pounds, he’s almost identically sized to that of Samuel when he entered the league in 2019 out of South Carolina (he was 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine that year.)

With a cap hit just under $16 million, we all expect Samuel to be on the San Francisco roster to begin the 2025 season. But would we be shocked if he wasn’t? Not necessarily. And even if he is, Royals would be the ideal understudy to Samuel for a year before assuming his YAC-centric role in 2026. The past two seasons at Utah State, Royals generated a missed tackle forced rate of 26.4%. Samuel’s figure was 27% in his four years at South Carolina. 

Perfect NFL fit: Buffalo Bills

With blocking-eating defensive tackle DaQuan Jones already 33 years old with a cap hit that jumps to north of $9 million in 2025, no one would criticize the Bills if they prioritize the nose-tackle position early in the draft. Enter Kentucky defensive lineman Deone Walker, a behemoth human who demonstrated upfield talent in 2023 at Kentucky.

We all knew Walker was enormous. I don’t know if anyone outside of the Kentucky program knew he was going measure in at just over 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds like he did in Mobile. And he has an 84 1/2-inch wingspan, the largest of any prospect at the Senior Bowl.

From Star Lotulelei to Jones, the Bills have a history of rostering an engulfing defender next to Ed Oliver up front. In 2023, before Calais Campbell signed in Atlanta, he visited with the Bills. While Walker is much heavier, he’s close to as tall as Campbell and provided Campbell-esque flashes for long periods in the SEC over the past two seasons. Near the end of the first round, Walker would be a boon for Buffalo as the organization presumably looks to strengthen its defense ahead of the 2025 campaign. 

Perfect NFL fit: Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have needed a serious edge-rushing presence since John Abraham left Atlanta after the 2012 season. There was that obscure, one-off season from Vic Beasley during which he led the NFL with 15.5 sacks. Other than that, the Falcons’ desperation at the edge-rusher position has lasted more than a decade. 

Ole Miss edge rusher Princely Umanmielen would provide Atlanta an NFL-ready specimen — who measured in at nearly 6-foot-5 and 264 pounds — with multiple productive campaigns in the SEC on his resume. His burst and bend combination, along with an ascending pass-rush move arsenal, suggests further development is in his future. 

Umanmielen would’ve probably heard his name called on Day 2 in 2024 if he declared. Instead he transferred from Florida to Ole Miss and actually upped his pressure rate from 18.5% to 19% on more pass-rushing opportunities. Umanmielen would be a tremendous, much-needed get for the Falcons in Round 1. 

Perfect NFL fit: Cincinnati Bengals

B.J. Hill has led the Bengals defensive tackles in pressures in each of the past three seasons, and his totals have gone from 45 to 42 to 32. He’s been such a core piece of Cincinnati’s defensive line. At this stage of the Joe Burrow era, the Bengals have to aim higher at the position and inject a more naturally gifted player to the interior of the front to complement Trey Hendrickson on the outside. 

That’s precisely what Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen can be in Cincinnati. This is a former highly sought after recruit who often looked like the most athletic player on the field, even in the SEC, which is quite the feat. After two average seasons at Texas A&M, Nolen looked the part of a mid Round 1 selection at Ole Miss, registering 35 pressures on 362 pass-rushing reps this past fall. He’s also tenacious against the run, with an enormous tackling radius and a non-stop motor. Nolen routinely defeats blocks on his way to the ball-carrier too. At only 21 years old, he comes with immense upside yet already boasts an NFL-ready game. 

Perfect NFL fit: Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens love the return they’ve gotten on the fourth-round investment on mammoth blocker Daniel Faalele, who’s smoothly transitioned inside to guard and was an underrated cog in Baltimore paving the way for 1,900-plus yards from Derrick Henry in the regular season. 

This isn’t simply a great fit because Aireontae Ersery hails from the University of Minnesota, however that program does typically land and develop “oversized” blockers and emphasizes the ground game. At nearly 6-foot-6 and 339 pounds, Ersery is another colossal blocker, and like with Faalele, the Ravens could pick him early knowing there’s positional versatility baked in as insurance if he can’t survive against super-explosive, bendy rushers off the edge in the NFL. 

Plus, longtime left tackle Ronnie Stanley is a free agent. Allowing big-ticket free agents sign elsewhere has been a core philosophy in Baltimore. At 31 years old, it’s very conceivable the Ravens let him walk. Enter the wide and powerful Ersery.