Senior Bowl Awards

MOBILE, Ala. -- It was an interesting week of practices at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., as some NFL Draft prospects stepped up while others were exposed. The South beat the North, 27-16, in the game and that was something else to consider as we hand out the hardware.

RELATED: Wednesday practice report | Tuesday practice report

QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State

This goes to the player who raised his stock the most during the week and there were plenty of players who helped themselves through the practices and the game. The top guy has to be North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, who answered a lot of questions about his readiness and ability by arguably being the best QB throughout the entire week. With so much zip on his passes and everything going for him, Wentz could be one of the first QBs taken in the draft, if not the first one altogether.

Honorable mention: Baylor WR Jay Lee had a tremendous week and definitely helped his draft stock. He has great size, outstanding hands and no cornerback could slow him down during practice. Others who had strong weeks include Ohio State TE Nick Vannett, Ohio State WR Braxton Miller, OL Josh Garnett of Stanford, Indiana OL Jason Spriggs, Illinois DL Jihad Ward, Temple’s Matt Ioannidis and CB Tavon Young, Boise State S Darian Thompson, Arkansas QB Brandon Allen, Kansas State OL Cody Whitehair, Arizona State OL Christian Westerman, Arkansas OL Sebastian Tretola, Clemson DL D.J. Reader, Louisville DL Sheldon Rankins, Alabama LB Reggie Ragland, Duke S Jeremy Cash and others.

QB Jacob Coker, Alabama | QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford

This award is not one that you want; it's for the player whose stock dropped the most during the Senior Bowl week. This is a tough call for sure and it's always hard to talk about one or two players who didn't impress in a week of action, but every year there are a few guys who are simply disappointing. Two quarterbacks who fit this bill were Alabama’s Jake Coker and Kevin Hogan out of Stanford. Whether it was accuracy, timing, the speed of the game or overall precision, both of these guys definitely struggled throughout the week.

Honorable mention: Others who had a tough time were Virginia Tech linebacker Dadi Nicolas, who looked lost at times during the week of practice; Georgia OL John Theus who struggled with speed rushers at times; and linebackers Blake Martinez (Stanford) and Jared Norris (Utah), who struggled with speedy running backs or inside receivers who could simply run by them during drills.

WR Braxton Miller, Ohio State

This award goes to the most dynamic and exciting player during the week, the guy who gets everyone's attention when he has the ball. And when wide receiver Braxton Miller runs his routes and then gets the ball in his hands he’s one of the most exciting players in this draft. The former Ohio State standout has converted from QB to receiver and looks great, is so fast and exciting down the field and definitely helped himself with a strong week at the Senior Bowl.

Honorable mention: Minnesota’s K.J. Maye has a lot of electricity to his game and he’s tough to handle in one-on-one situations. During practice, he was tough for cornerbacks to deal with as he went through his routes. Others that stood out were running backs Aaron Green of TCU and Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington.

DE Shawn Oakman, Baylor

This award is given to the best-looking prospect on the hoof and there is absolutely no question that Baylor DE Shawn Oakman was the guy for this award. Oakman measured in at over 6-foot-7 and he really wowed scouts at the weigh in because he looks so good. With long arms, Oakman knocked passes down and used his length to his advantage. He has to bring it every play and he should dominate more because of his size but nobody looked better than him.

Honorable mention: Stanford’s Kyle Murphy and Indiana Jason Spriggs are two massive offensive tackles who are physical, move well and can take over at their position. Penn State’s Carl Nassib is a long, physical beast of a man at defensive end who dominated all week. Offensive guard Sebastian Tretola out of Arkansas stood out because of his size and athleticism. BYU defensive end Bronson Kaufusi measured in at 6-foot-6 ½ and 281 pounds – that about says it all.

DE Noah Spence, Easter Kentucky

This one goes to the biggest hitter, which is essentially the guy who laid the lumber in the game or by accident in practice ,and Eastern Kentucky DE Noah Spence earned this award. The former Ohio State player plays with reckless abandon, tremendous athleticism and then loves to make that bone-rattling tackle whether it’s on a running back or as he’s chasing the QB down.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma DE Charles Tapper flies all over the field and loves to make the hit. So do Jihad Ward and especially Nassib, who comes off the edge and could not be blocked by any offensive lineman on the field. Reggie Ragland, whether at inside or outside linebacker, is a playmaker who likes to pop people. And coming downhill to make big tackles and shots from safety was Darian Thompson, who used his length and athleticism to go after players.

DL Matt Ioannidis, Temple

What's the difference between Hard Hat and Lunch Pail? The Hard Hat Award is for the biggest hitter while the Lunch Pail Award is for the guy who does the dirty work that doesn't get into the box score or noticed by many. This award can go to a lot of players but we’re going with Temple’s Ioannidis, who has quickly become a hot name heading into the NFL Combine. He dominated during the week of practice, is gritty, tough and hard-nosed and could be shooting up draft boards.

Honorable mention: There were plenty of other interior offensive and defensive linemen who battled hard all week including Cody Whitehair, Michigan center Graham Glasgow, Sebastian Tretola and Michigan State’s Jack Allen, among others on offense. Defensively, Alabama DT Jarran Reed, Sheldon Rankins, D.J. Reader, Notre Dame DT Sheldon Day, Penn State DT Austin Johnson and Ohio State DT Adolphus Washington were most productive on defense.

WR Jay Lee, Baylor

This award sounds like it's for a defender who hits, but it's really for a receiver with the best hands during the week and this award undoubtedly goes to Baylor’s Lee, who dominated from the first practice all the way throughout and not only with his speed and athleticism. Even when corners were hanging all over Lee he came down with the catch. He made a great one-handed catch in practice and should shoot up draft boards after his Senior Bowl week performance.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard made a lot of difficult catches, Georgia’s Malcolm Mitchell did a nice job bringing in some bad passes and UCLA’s Jordan Payton was one of the most consistent receivers showing off great hands and nice route running. UMass receiver Tajae Sharpe didn’t have an exceptional week but he made some nice catches.

QB Brandon Allen, Arkansas

This is essentially for the best quarterback who performs when the lights come on and there is actually a live pass-rush coming at him, and this year it is Arkansas’ Brandon Allen, who had a tremendous week of practice and then finished 7 of 10 for 106 yards in the game. It’s no surprise to pick Allen since he came up big time and again for the Razorbacks this season and even though his size is an issue, Allen has great ability.

Honorable mention: Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel struggled at times during the week of practice, but he finished 8 of 9 passing for a game-high 108 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort. Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott is also a tremendous gamer who was the game’s overall MVP after completing 7 of 10 passes for 61 yards and a score in the win.

QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State

This award goes to the quarterback with the best arm who showed the ability to make all the passes with zip on the football, and there’s no question this award goes to Wentz. The ball popped off his hand quickly, he spun it well and put it right on the numbers of his receivers. A lot of questions were answered during the Senior Bowl week and Wentz helped himself a lot.

Honorable mention: Allen has a compact delivery, he gets the ball out quickly with no wasted motion, and he can fire it to receivers all over the field. Like has been stated, Allen will have concerns over his height but he can move in the pocket, throw on the run and prolong plays to let receivers get open.