All Access: 12 Senior Bowl Studs Rising Up NFL Draft Boards (Defense Edition)
All Access Football brings you the top standouts from the 2026 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Find out which defensive studs are turning heads!
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ON LOCATION (SENIOR BOWL): RAYSHAUN BENNY, DT, MICHIGAN
All Access Football correspondent Kate Adams catches up with Michigan defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny to discuss his Panini Senior Bowl experience.
ALL ACCESS: PANINI SENIOR BOWL REPORT — PART II
All Access Football exclusive coverage of the 2026 all-star circuit continues from Mobile, where Panini Senior Bowl Week is coming to a close. The competition has been solid in Mobile but we have seen an alarming amount of opt-outs this year, thinning out the top-level first round talent that we’ve been accustomed to.
The Panini Senior Bowl has long been viewed as the premier all-star game, so it was a bit surprising to see what was already a superb event, endure so many changes. An alteration to practices this year meant later start times and shortened sessions. The logic behind the decision was to allow NFL scouts to get their interviews done before practice, as opposed to afterwards, according to executive director Drew Fabianich. With 15 minutes of each team’s practice shaved off each day, it meant nearly two hours of less time to evaluate players throughout the practice week.
In addition, we saw much fewer overall reps during this year’s practices and one-on-one time was also down. From an access standpoint, the Senior Bowl seems to be trending in the direction of the NFL Draft, where mainstream media outlets such as NFL Network and ESPN are catered to, while hundreds of other media members are relegated to isolated parts of the stadium.
In fact, we heard of some media members who were denied credentials altogether. The days of media mingling with scouts and coaches seem to be over in Mobile. Despite the mass changes, the event still produced plenty of highlights and features numerous players who are expected to hear their name called within the first two days of the draft.
Below are one dozen defensive studs who stood out this week in Mobile and what it means for their draft stock going forward. Be sure to tune-in on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 9:00am eastern for the AAF Senior Bowl Synopsis Livestream Show.
SENIOR BOWL STUDS: 12 PLAYERS ON OFFENSE RISING UP NFL DRAFT BOARDS
NOTE: For more insight on the state of the all-star game circuit, be sure to subscribe to Inside The League Friday Wrap (FREE), which will be sent later this evening.
ALL ACCESS: CAMERON BALL, DT, ARKANSAS
Arkansas defensive tackle Cameron Ball speaks to All Access Football correspondent Kate Adams on what he brings to the next level and his path to the NFL Draft.
ON LOCATION (MOBILE): 77TH PANINI SENIOR BOWL
AAF INSIDER: 12 SENIOR BOWL STARS ON THE RISE (DEFENSE)
The following players have turned heads in Mobile and are moving up draft boards:
