Senior Bowl Day 1 Winners and Losers: Jaxson Dart hype gets cold water

Day one in Mobile, Alabama for the 2025 Senior Bowl is officially in the books as we dive into the prospects that won today and some that took a hit in their 2025 NFL Draft stock.

Their official Senior Bowl measurements (height, weight, and length) from the event will be listed.

Senior Bowl practices continue on Wednesday and Thursday this week. More live coverage of the practices will be available on NFL Network/ESPNU/ESPN App at 10:30 a.m. ET and then at 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network/ESPN2/ESPN App. (The game will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network.)

Winners

Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon: 5'9" - 156 Pounds - 8 1/2" Hands - 73" Wing

Despite his size, he showcased his skill set on day one. His footwork and burst off his plant foot allowed him to consistently defeat press coverage. Johnson was fluid with no wasted motion coming out of his breaks and creating immediate separation across the middle and near the boundary.

Notable Rep:

Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota: 6'5" - 339 Pounds - 9 3/8" Hands - 81" Wing

Aireontae Ersery dominated inside the trenches today, including an impressive rep against another standout in Mike Green. Very good initial quickness off the snap, displaying patience and strong hands with good hand placement. This also enhanced his anchor in his pass sets.

Notable Rep:

Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall: 6'3" - 251 Pounds - 8 5/8" Hands - 77" Wing

Mike Green demonstrated all the qualities you want in an NFL pass rusher: speed, quickness, power, and bend. Strong intial punch with an impressive pass rush repertoire. Green displayed the ability to set the edge against the run as well.

Notable Rep:

Greg Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State: 6'5" - 316 Pounds - 9 3/8" Hands - 77" Wing

Zabel was arguably one of the best standouts on day one inside the trenches. He received different looks across the offensive line today (Tackle, Guard, and Center) and excelled. He had good initial quickness into his pass sets, along with good hand placement and lateral agility to mirror and control.

Notable Rep:

Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky: 5'8" - 178 Pounds - 8 7/8" Hands - 73" Wing

Stout didn't have many conversations about the NFL draft leading up to the Senior Bowl, but he demonstrated his potential to be a reliable nickel corner at the next level. He effectively tracked his receivers with good footwork, hip fluidity, and burst to stay inside the hip pockets and prevent separation.

Notable Rep:

Losers:

Taylor Elgersma, QB, Laurier: 6'4" - 216 Pounds - 9 1/2" Hands - 77" Wing

Elgersma was focused on adapting to the transition from Canadian to American football. As expected, it was an unimpressive day of struggle for the quarterback. Near the boundary, he had a couple of passes sail out of bounds to wide-open receivers. He displayed adequate ball placement at times, but his internal clock seemed off, leading to an inability to progress through his reads effectively.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green: 6'3" - 238 Pounds - 9 3/8" Hands - 78" Wing

As most know, I'm a huge believer in Fannin Jr. He struggled on day one, looking stiff in the hips, lacking fluidity, and having difficulty in his route running. He wasn't able to create any separation throghout the day.

Garrett Dellinger, IOL, LSU: 6'4" - 325 Pounds - 10" Hands - 79" Wing

Dellinger was one of several LSU offensive linemen who struggled on day one at the senior bowl. He displayed marginal initial quickness, balance, and anchor, losing ground and allowing defenders into the backfield.

Emery Jones, OT, LSU: 6'4" - 312 Pounds - 10 3/4" Hands - 80" Wing

As mentioned above, Jones could not anchor against bull and speed-to-power rushers during one-on-ones. His lateral agility was concerning in pass protection, making him a liability in his vertical sets.

Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss: 6'1" - 226 Pounds - 9 1/2" Hands - 80" Wing

Dart came in with a lot of draft hype and conversations about his rising stock, but after today, they should slow down. Personally, I never believed or saw the hype in Dart from his game film, particularly today. He lacked NFL-caliber processing and ball placement today, and it showed on his college film.