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USA Today

The Senior Bowl provides amazing opportunity for prospects to showcase their skills against the top talent in the country ahead of the NFL Draft. And every year, a handful of players rise up boards while others plummet due to what transpires on the field during practices and the game held in Mobile, Alabama. 

Who has the most to gain this week? What about the most to lose? There are players from an amazing mix of colleges, which always makes the Senior Bowl fascinating.

Most To Gain

Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA

Woolen (ranked 131st in CBS Sports' top 200 draft prospects) measured in at nearly 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds with dangly arms over 33 inches. Hailing from UTSA, he has to prove he can hang with the big boys from Power 5 conferences. On film, Woolen isn't very twitchy to follow wideouts on intricate routes. 

Still, he's exceptionally explosive and can disrupt throws with his colossal length. Frankly, I think he's a safety at the next level, but with a strong showing in coverage, the large, freaky athlete could ascend to Day 2 of the draft. 

Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina

A year ago, Howell (51st) was on the short list of possible No. 1 overall selections. That distinction came after he completed 68.1% of his throws with 30 touchdowns to just seven interceptions in his true sophomore season. 

Then Howell lost four skill-position players to the draft, and his production dipped. We should've seen it coming. The talent is there, however. He's a shorter but stocky runner with a surprisingly big arm. He's not a No. 1 overall pick candidate anymore, but if the young yet experienced passer can steady his play at the Senior Bowl, it'll go a long way toward him sneaking into the back end of the first round. 

Gregory Junior, CB, Ouachita Baptist

I gotta say, Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy and his crew of scouts do a phenomenal job locating NFL talent at all collegiate levels. Phil Savage did the same before him. 

Ouachita Baptist is the latest Division II school to be highlighted at the Senior Bowl due to a star from the school getting the prestigious invite. When a small-school prospect steps on the field in Mobile, all eyes are drawn to his practice reps. Does he look out of place? Can he stay with wideouts down the field? Is he knocking away passes? The feisty, sudden cornerback can cement himself as a 2022 draft pick with sticky coverage -- and without many reps in which he looks lost -- at the Senior bowl.

Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State

Ruckert (78th) was the No. 2 tight end recruit in the country in the class of 2018. And his flashes during his time in Columbus aligned with such a lofty recruiting ranking: difficult grabs down the seam, devastating in-line blocks, moments of deceptive wiggle with the ball in his hands. 

However, due to the abundance of skill-position talent at Ohio State, Ruckert was hardly a focal point of the pass game. At the Senior Bowl, he can assert himself as a tight end who can shoulder a larger workload as a receiver. If he does that, he could be the first tight end off the board.

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Most To Lose

Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

Pickett (21st) had a monstrous 2021 season, an out-of-nowhere explosion of 42 touchdown passes at 67.1% completion with just seven interceptions. He's already cemented inside the first round of the draft.

And unfortunately, all everyone wants to talk about regarding Pickett this week is his hand size. He didn't get his hands measured in Mobile, and there's speculation he's going to measure-in with hands well under the 9-inch threshold most teams have at the position. 

I'm fine with prospects competing at the Senior Bowl, but Pickett's situation feels like there's much more for him to lose than gain in Mobile this week. 

Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

Wyatt (49th) is the best interior defensive lineman in this class. He is a pass-rushing specialist who also excels against the run, and he turned in a super-productive 2021 season on the national champion. 

Wyatt's first step is outstanding, he knows how to use his hands, and he is plenty strong at the point of attack. In a weaker interior defensive line class, it's a bit of a surprise Wyatt decided to attend this Senior Bowl. 

Darian Kinnard, OL, Kentucky

Kinnard (47th) is an enormous, wide-bodied tackle who excelled in Kentucky's run-heavy offense over the past three seasons. On film, he looked vulnerable as a pass protector, and the best, most translatable drill at the Senior Bowl is the one-on-one matchup between blockers and defensive linemen. 

You're on an island in pass protection. Kinnard will be a polarizing prospect, but if he shows clear-cut weakness in pass pro, he could sink into Day 2 -- or even Day 3 -- of the draft after flirting with Round 1 for most of the football season.