What Devin Lloyd Missing Senior Bowl Could Mean For His NFL Draft Stock
Feb 3, 2022, 11:06 AM
Devin Lloyd #0 of the Utah Utes celebrates sacking Brendon Lewis #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes during their game November 26, 2021 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City , Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd is all but assured to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and maybe a top-10 selection. So why isn’t he playing in the Senior Bowl?
While his draft stock is fairly firm it is puzzling to see that he is not participating in the Senior Bowl. There have been no reports of the reason he is not playing, meaning it is possible that its injury related.
The Senior Bowl is a place where all likely drafted players get coached up by NFL coaches and are in the presence of personnel from all 32 teams to get a closer look.
Perhaps he is fine with where his draft stock currently sits or maybe there is a lingering injury and he wants to be ready for the NFL combine, but all of that is just speculation.
The NFL Draft is a unique beast and him not being at the Senior Bowl might be a red flag to some teams, especially if the reason is a mystery. Odds are when Lloyd gets interviewed by NFL teams the answer will come out.
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KSL Unrivaled’ Scott Mitchell weighed in on the news.
Devin Lloyd’s Senior Bowl Decision
“This was so disappointing for me to have him not be there or not participating, and there’s no explanation as to why,” Mitchell said. “You spend an entire week with NFL coaches in the meeting room. So they get to see how you are as a person, how you think, your preparation habits, just how you study the whole thing, how you are in practice.
“I would imagine the practices are awesome at the Senior Bowl, but having that close-up interaction with these players is priceless. Everyone in the NFL is at the Senior Bowl with coaches, GM, Scouts, everybody. This is the NFL’s bowl and an awesome opportunity.”
Devin Lloyd: PFF’s LB2 in the 2022 NFL Draft 🔥pic.twitter.com/k0Ag4Acy2d
— PFF (@PFF) December 4, 2021
Perhaps a week of practices could have shown the teams that he is a solid top-10 pick. It just takes one team to fall in love with a player, and this past week of just being seen how Lloyd is a competitor on the field in a practice setting could have boosted or solidified where he will be drafted.
The Senior Bowl was just one more chance for him to impress on the field and against more equal talent, but maybe Lloyd is just fine with where his draft status currently stands.
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