2025 Senior Bowl Practice Notes and Official Measurements

Four of the MAC’s top draft prospects participated in Senior Bowl practices over the last three days.

The Mid-American Conference had a good showing in National Team practices this week in Mobile, Alabama, as the Senior Bowl’s game preparation sessions are now in the background.

This year, the conference’s invitation list was twice as large as 2023, with four prospects representing the MAC, including two from Toledo a year after Quinyon Mitchell’s breakout performance and first-round selection.

We take a look at the tape and measurables of all four prospects to see how they performed in front of the assembled crowd at Hancock Whitney Stadium:

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Darius Alexander, defensive lineman, Toledo

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Measurements

• Height: six-foot-three and one-half inches
• Weight: 304 lbs.
• Arms: 34 inches
• Hands: 10 and one-quarter inches
• Wingspan: 82 and one-fourth inches

Darius Alexander came into Mobile as a potential Day 2 prospect at the defensive tackle position and had an impressive set of practices. Alexander ran with the starters and never moved from his spot from Tuesday onwards, playing multiple positions on the defensive line and showing off great acceleration and heavy hands.

Thursday was especially a stand-out day for Alexander, as he excelled in the redzone drills from the EDGE position.

Alexander was credited with at least 1.5 sacks on back-to-back plays, flushing Canadian QB prospect Taylor Elgersma out of the pocket twice by pushing first-round prospect Josh Conerly Jr. (#55 in orange) aside with an excellent swim move on the first play and then manhandling fellow MAC prospect Harold Fannin Jr. on a run block attempt to get a hand on Elgersma and allow Utah’s Junior Tafuna to collect the sack.

Alexander was also explosive along the interior Thursday, utilizing his power move set to pick up the double team from Conerly Jr. (this time at right tackle) and West Virginia guard Wyatt Milum (a Day 2 prospect) below to allow the linebackers to attempt a tackle in space.

His performance was a confirmation of prior work, as Alexander had some eye-catching one-on-one reps on Wednesday.

Above, Alexander works against Miami OL Jalen Rivers (Day 2-3 projection.) Rivers jumps the rep, but Alexander manages to get good leverage, using his hands to unbalance Rivers and then gets skinny to swim around Rivers and collect the win.

On this rep, USC IOL Jonah Monheim (a Day 2 projection) attempts to knock back Alexander by hitting up into the shoulders to re-direct pressure, but Alexander has already made the decision to juke, bowing low to Monheim’s left, then taking advantage of his quick hands to get Monheim off-balance enough to move past him.

In the eyes of most prognosticators, Alexander has done enough this week to be moved up most big boards— though it will be hard to crack the first round with the sheer depth of defensive talent this year. Alexander will need to find more consistency at the top level, and needs to be coached up on the finer aspects of the pass rush, but he has the measurables, potential and experience to reach that ceiling in the right situation.

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Harold Fannin Jr., tight end/fullback, Bowling Green

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Measurements

• Height: six-foot-three and one-eighth inches
• Weight: 238 lbs.
• Arms: 33 and one-quarter inches
• Hands: nine and three-eighth inches
• Wingspan: 78 and three-quarters inches

All eyes were on Harold Fannin Jr., the record-breaking tight end prospect out of Bowling Green, as he has proven to be one of the most divisive pro prospects in quite some time.

There were concerns going into the Senior Bowl that Fannin would struggle against higher competition and that his size/speed numbers were not conductive to a transition at the pro level. At least on the first day, it seemed like that narrative would come into play.

Fannin looked stiff and uncomfortable in Tuesday’s sessions, standing rigid in routes and not finding that initial burst, allowing defenders to latch on quickly.

Wednesday was more encouraging once he did get up to speed, showing himself to be one of the better passcatchers in Mobile with rangy hands and a killer second gear.

Fannin had an especially impressive route against Virginia safety Jonas Sanker (a Day 3 projection) in one-on-ones on Wednesday, utilizing his size advantage to create separation off the line, then leaning in again before turning the opposite way and using his top end speed to secure the catch in-bounds.

Fannin’s major weakness in his projection to the NFL is run blocking, but he availed himself well over the week, especially on Wednesday, showing a willingness to create contact— a vital skill to have for a player who could be in talks as an H-back at the next level.

Above, Fannin motions from left to right, then immediately pursues a blocker in the gap, navigating oncoming pressure and eventually meeting Minnesota linebacker Corey Lindenberg (a Day 3 projection) at the point of attack to help secure a lead block for Miami [FL] running back Adrian Martinez.

Fannin especially stood out on Thursday in redzone drills, hauling in two impressive touchdowns to aid the cause for the offense.

Against UCLA linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo (a Day 2 projection) in individual drills, Fannin forces Oladejo to try and grab off the line due to a quick first step, and is eventually able to bend down, stop his route on a dime and rip out of Oladejo’s grasp, pushing him aside to make himself open in the endzone on a simple seam route.

Fannin showed similar skill against Jonas Sanker on Thursday as well, easily beating Sanker’s press attempt to get himself open in the corner of the endzone with a crazy one-handed (collegiate) catch.

Fannin is firmly a Top 5 tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft, and after an initially rocky start, played his way into staying there. He’s small by conventional “Y” tight end standards, so teams which want to run 12 base personnel might stay away, but Fannin has undeniable receiving value as a move tight end if you’re looking for a vertical threat. Think in the vein of an Isaiah Likely: a fellow “small school” prospect out of Coastal Carolina who carved himself a niche in Baltimore in 2024. Any concerns about playing against higher competition can be assuaged as well, with his performances against Texas A&M and Penn State from this season standing as some of his best tape.

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Maxen Hook, safety, Toledo

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Measurements

• Height: five-foot-11 and seven-eighth inches
• Weight: 193 lbs.
• Arms: 32 and one-quarter inches
• Hands: nine and one-eighth inches
• Wingspan: 75 and one-quarter inches

Maxen Hook walked into Mobile as a fringe draft prospect invited to the dance a year removed from a major injury which informed his decision to go back to UT.

That decision seems to have paid off, as Hook was one of the week’s biggest risers. Hook had a hand in several turnover opportunities in practice situations, while keeping his receiving assignments in front of him and showing excellent run game tendencies.

Hook’s one-on-one tape on Wednesday was up-and-down, showing good pursuit against Miami [FL] tight end Elijah Arroyo (another of the Senior Bowl’s big risers) to force a contested catch situation, while also being beaten soundly by Pittsburgh tight end Greg Bartholomew— but he did enough in game situations to excuse the occasional coverage lapse. (In fact, Hook sat out of Thursday’s practices completely, an indication he had done enough to make his case to pro scouts.)

Below, Hook plays in the hybrid linebacker role, backpedaling in zone while keeping his shoulders straight and centered to the ball, noting the receiver to his right. Upon seeing Elgursma’s throw, Hook immediately breaks to make a play on the ball, notching the PBU on the play. It is such instincts which make Hook an attractive prospect late in the draft.

Another example of this is in the run game, where he is able to angle his pursuit of Michigan halfback Donovan Edwards in a way where the defense could more easily recover the fumble, setting himself up to try and get away with it.

His film isn’t the only thing which jumped out to draft evaluators. Hook was recorded at 5.81 yards per second in “max acceleration” during Senior Bowl practices, and is estimated to sit at a low 4.5 40-yard dash. For a prospect whose game is already constructed around elite football instinct, it bodes well for his future projections.

Hook has certainly done enough in Mobile to go from a priority free agent into the firm Day 3 conversation. Scouts have been aware of Hook for awhile, with the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah suggesting Hook impressed the industry in last season’s draft cycle when visiting Mitchell, which could well help his case. Currently, he projects as an special teams contributor and backup safety at the next level who could form up to be a rotational box/hybrid safety.

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Bilhal Kone, cornerback, Western Michigan

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Measurements

• Height: six-foot-one and one-eighth inches
• Weight: 186 lbs.
• Arms: 31 and one-quarter inches
• Hands: nine inches
• Wingspan: 74 and one-quarter inches

Bilhal Kone was a surprise add to the Senior Bowl roster, as he was never an all-MAC prospect in his two seasons of service at WMU, but a quick look at the measurables suggest a pro-ready prospect who can develop under the right coaching staff.

Kone impressed the coaches enough to earn a starting spot at corner from Tuesday onwards and showed flashes of brilliance in contested catch situations— something Kone revels in as a player.

For instance, on this rep against Virgina WR Da’Quan Felton (a Day 3 prospect) on Tuesday, Kone shows the agility to flip his hips and stick to Felton’s side, accelerating after Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel tosses the ball towards Felton to step in front of the pass right before the catch point an notch an emphatic pass break-up.

Kone’s bump-and-run style keeps him in play on the outside, as his patience and quick feet are able to help him “win” situations when he guesses correctly on the route. Here against Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams on Wednesday, Kone essentially fills the gaps, staying fluid as the route develops, eventually forcing an incompletion by boxing out Williams at the apex of the ball.

That’s what much of the week looked like for Kone, as National Team QBs had to look elsewhere for success in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills against his side of the field— though Illinois receiver Pat Bryant did get Kone to trip on at the release point for a TD and Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins managed to bait Kone into a hold. But hey, nobody’s perfect.

Kone’s production at WMU (13 PBUs, two interceptions in two seasons), combined with his size and speed (19.87 MPH, fifth-fastest overall recorded at the Senior Bowl) gives scouts a lot to consider when looking at late-round developmental prospects.

A few years ago, Nic Jones of Ball State managed to follow a similar path at the cornerback position with a great performance at the East-West Shrine Game and now sits on the Kansas City roster. If Kone can continue showing off his physical style of play on Saturday and have a good showing at the NFL Combine, he could propel himself into the upper edges of the Day 2 conversation.

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The 2025 Senior Bowl is set to kick off on Saturday, February 1st at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time from Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama University in Mobile. NFL Network will carry the broadcast.