The National team didn’t tiptoe into Senior Bowl week. It walked into Hancock Whitney Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, set its jaw, and put together the kind of opening practice that makes scouts lean forward in their seats. With three days of work on the docket and more on each player’s plate as the week progresses, Day One felt less like a feeling-out session and more like a statement that this group plans to stack good days in Mobile.
At the center of that story for us at 4 Star Sports Media are our 4 Star Specials – quarterback Diego Pavia, defensive lineman Bryson Eason, and cornerback Charles Demmings – each of whom delivered exactly the kind of opening salvo evaluators wanted to see. Around them, a handful of National teammates, led by North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton, Tennessee corner Colton Hood, and Penn State running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, filled out a strong first resume for the roster.
4 Star Specials Set The Tone
Diego Pavia walked onto the field carrying two things: a tape full of competitiveness and creativity, and a fresh measurement sheet that reminded everyone he’s well under the prototypical 6‑foot mark. You could almost feel the curiosity in the stands early – would the undersized dual‑threat play small, or would he play like he always has: big in big moments?
Early individual periods brought a few timing hiccups as he synced up with new receivers, but when the second team period rolled around, Pavia flipped the switch. He orchestrated the huddle with calm, got into concepts quicker, and then uncorked what will stand as the throw of the day: an on‑time, layered ball into a tight intermediate window that sliced between the second and third levels. It was the kind of throw that doesn’t need a slow-motion replay – you hear the reaction from the scout section before you finish tracking the ball.
What stood out most wasn’t just the highlight, but the corrections that led up to it. Pavia clearly processed his earlier misfires, sped up his feet, and trusted his eyes, a direct response to the questions evaluators have raised about his ability to work through progressions and win from the pocket at his size. After practice, he sounded less like a player chasing his own draft stock and more like a veteran voice in the room, talking about helping teammates through the process and being part of their journeys to the NFL. For a guy whose competitive fire is already well-documented, that leadership piece is exactly what quarterback coaches want to hear.
In the trenches, Tennessee’s Bryson Eason wasted zero time introducing himself. On his very first 1‑on‑1 rep, he uncorked a nasty club move that stunned the offensive lineman, knocked him off his spot, and drove straight through the midline into what would have been a quarterback’s lap. You could feel a collective “okay then” ripple down the sideline. That wasn’t polish; that was violence – the controlled kind that gets defensive line coaches grinning into their notepads.
That one rep set the tone for the rest of Eason’s afternoon. In team work, he consistently generated knock‑back at the point of attack, resetting the line of scrimmage and squeezing the pocket even when he didn’t log a clean “win.” The scouting report coming in painted him as a thick, SEC-tested interior run defender who could hold up against double teams more than as a flashy penetrator. Day One didn’t reject that description so much as expand it. If he keeps showing that kind of club-and-drive power as a rusher over the week, you’re going to start hearing his name move from “just a rotational nose” to “early‑down tone‑setter with some pocket-collapse potential.”
Further out on the island, Stephen F. Austin’s Charles Demmings – a classic small‑school sleeper coming into the week – looked like anything but an afterthought. Matching up against Power 5 wideouts, he played with the kind of composure you simply can’t fake. His press technique was patient; he trusted his feet rather than lunging, mirrored through the stem, and then finished reps by playing through the hands at the catch point the way his ball‑production at SFA suggested he could.
For Demmings, Day One was all about answering the question that hovers over every FCS defensive back in Mobile: Do you belong on this field? His response was clear. He didn’t survive the session – he competed in it. When you pair that with a college résumé that already includes strong coverage grades and disruptive ball skills, you can see why more than one scout along the rail threw the word “sleeper” around as practice broke. If he keeps stringing together days like this, “sleeper” won’t fit much longer.
Who Else Made Noise
The quarterback room had more than one storyline. North Dakota State’s Cole Payton showed up looking like he’d been running this offense for more than a few hours. He drove the ball with real zip, never shying away from tight windows, yet showed he could take something off and layer throws when routes demanded touch instead of pure velocity. In a setting where hesitation is loud, Payton looked decisive. Several media and scouting voices on X singled him out for how quickly he seemed to digest the install and translate it to live reps, and that’s the kind of detail that sticks with evaluators after they’ve left the stadium.
On the perimeter, Tennessee’s Colton Hood backed up the pre‑week buzz with a competitive, technically sound session. He stayed patient in press, trusted his footwork to stay connected to routes, and competed through the catch point without over-grabbing – exactly the blend of traits DB coaches want to see before the pads really come on. In a deep defensive back group, you don’t need to win every rep on Day One, but you do need to show that the stage isn’t too big. Hood cleared that bar.
The Penn State backfield tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen gave the National offense a defined personality whenever they rotated in. Singleton flashed the long speed and suddenness that made him such a dangerous big‑play threat in college, especially on outside zone and perimeter touches where he could press the edge and erase angles. Allen brought the counterpunch: patient eyes, square pads between the tackles, and the kind of contact balance that turns two yards into four and keeps the offense on schedule. In a non‑tackling environment, you still felt their presence; they looked like pros going through a Tuesday script, not tourists.
The Question Going Forward
Day One is just that – one day. But if you’re building the story of this National team’s week, the opening chapter reads well. Pavia answered early questions with poise and a signature throw. Eason planted a flag in the middle of the line of scrimmage with violent hands. Demmings looked every bit the part of a small‑school corner ready to crash the big‑stage conversation. Around them, Payton, Hood, Singleton, Allen, and others turned what could have been a rusty introduction into a sharp, competitive session.
The question of the week is simple and unforgiving: can they stack it? In Mobile, plenty of players have had one good day. The ones who change their draft lives are the ones who walk back through those gates on Wednesday and Thursday and do it again – cleaner, faster, and under heavier installs. Day One for the National team was a great effort by the entire roster. Now we find out who can turn a strong start into a full‑week résumé.
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.
