When you scan the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl roster, Arkansas doesn’t just show up; it shows up in layers. The Razorbacks send a quarterback, a running back, a versatile offensive lineman, a stout interior defender, and an off‑ball linebacker who finally found his stride, plus a long, competitive corner whose week might quietly swing how the entire group is remembered. That mix is exactly why this event exists: to let full, three‑down evaluations replace the quick glances and box‑score assumptions that build up over a season.
From an NFL lens, the pros start with traits and experience. Taylen Green walks into Mobile with the kind of frame that still turns heads in draft rooms — long, athletic, and with more arm than he sometimes gets credit for. He has already operated in a Power Five offense, handled SEC pressure looks, and shown he can generate explosive plays both on designed and improvisational plays. That combination of live arm and real rushing value gives offensive coordinators a clear baseline: at minimum, you can imagine him as a package player and a developmental backup who gives you flexibility on the practice field and in the red zone.
Behind him, Mike Washington Jr. looks like the sort of back who can quietly carve out a five‑ or six‑year career. He runs with balance and intent, falls forward, and rarely wastes steps before getting north and south. There is enough juice to bounce a run outside and enough contact courage to push a pile on third‑and‑short. For NFL running back coaches, there’s comfort in a player who can handle multiple assignments, protect the football, and not need the scheme perfectly blocked to get you to second‑and‑six instead of second‑and‑nine.
Up front, Fernando Carmona’s biggest selling point is that he doesn’t lock you into a single projection. He has played inside and outside, held his own against both nose‑shade power rushers and longer edges, and shown a feel for angles that covers up the fact he’s more smooth than spectacular. Offensive line coaches, by nature, lean toward dependable over dazzling. A swing‑lineman who can enter a game at right tackle in Week 3 and then give you guard snaps in Week 9 is often more valuable than a “tools” prospect who only fits in one spot.
On defense,Cam Ball and Xavian Sorey Jr bring that familiar SEC toughness. Ball gives you a real interior body, a guy used to seeing two helmets in his gap and leaving the stat sheet to others. He understands how to play square, stay on his feet, and muddy interior running lanes so linebackers can attack. Sorey, freed up behind that, blossomed into the kind of fly‑around linebacker every defensive staff wants at least one of. His tape finally caught up to his recruiting profile: cleaner reads, fewer false steps, and more plays finished in space.
On the back end, Julian Neal is the prototype of what position coaches now call a “Sunday body” at corner: over six feet, long arms, and enough speed to live in press without immediately bailing to panic bail‑technique. He has repped both outside and in match‑zone concepts, shown willing support in the run game, and carries himself with the confidence you expect from a boundary corner who has seen SEC wideouts on a weekly basis. For evaluators, that versatility means you can credibly stack him on special teams, as a fourth corner early, and grow him into real sub‑package work if the instincts and ball skills show up in one‑on‑ones.
But the cons are why Arkansas’ week in Mobile matters so much. Green’s tape, for all its upside, still shows stretches where the ball doesn’t come out on time. There are snaps where he stares down the first read, comes late to the second, and ends up relying on his legs to bail out a muddied picture. In the NFL, those half‑beats turn into hits, turnovers, and stalled drives. In the tight, televised practice windows of the Senior Bowl, processing speed and anticipation are impossible to hide.
Washington has the curse of being “good at everything, great at nothing.” He doesn’t bring elite long speed or rare power. If he doesn’t separate himself as a plus pass protector and a trustworthy third‑down option, he risks getting lumped into a deep class of backs who are all fighting for the same limited spots. Carmona, similarly, can be dinged for lacking a clear calling card. He isn’t a tone‑setting mauler nor a pure dancing bear in pass protection. Without dominant measurables, he has to compile clean, efficient reps all week to convince teams his floor is worth draft capital.
Ball’s projection runs into the modern league’s emphasis on interior pass rush. Coaches will see that he can hold the point, but they will be asking whether he offers enough as a pocket‑collapser to warrant an every‑down role. If he looks like a two‑down plugger only, he slides into that replaceable category that front offices hate to spend picks on. Sorey still has to prove coverage is a strength, not an occasional bonus. His athleticism shows up downhill; now the question is whether he can carry tight ends, pattern‑match in zone, and avoid being schemed off the field on third down.
For Neal, the issue is less about frame and more about finishing. Scouts will want to see him find the ball more consistently at the catch point, play through receivers’ hands, and turn pass breakups into actual takeaways rather than “almost” plays. In the league, long corners who don’t create turnovers can quickly get labeled as depth pieces, special‑teams‑only, or matchup‑specific bodies. If he stacks physical, competitive reps in one‑on‑ones and red‑zone work this week, he can flip that narrative from “traits corner” to “ascending cover man” in a hurry.
That’s the push‑pull for this Arkansas group. The program’s heavy presence in Mobile is a positive story in itself. But how these players — including a long, toolsy corner like Neal trying to prove he belongs in the same conversation as the headliners — answer those lingering questions between Tuesday and Thursday may be the difference between hearing their names on Friday night of the draft, or waiting for a phone call as undrafted free agents.
4 Star Sports Media is proud to partner with the Chris Hope Foundation for all written coverage of the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl.
This collaboration supports CHF’s ongoing mission to provide hope and assistance to families facing serious illness, while spotlighting the nation’s top college football talent in Mobile, Alabama. Together, we’re uniting purpose and passion—celebrating excellence both on and off the field throughout Senior Bowl week.
