The Reese’s Senior Bowl plays a huge part in the NFL Draft process and allows for college seniors to show their skills to scouts one more time before the NFL Scouting Combine. For one player with Baltimore ties, this Senior Bowl will be a little more special.
Former Missouri running back Tyler Badie was born in New Orleans, but due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Badie and his family were forced to evacuate New Orleans and relocate to Randallstown, Md. He attended Friends School of Baltimore as a three-sport athlete.
Badie then moved to Memphis, where he attended Briarcrest Christian High School. He originally committed to the University of Memphis, but he decommitted and signed with Missouri, where he played all four years.
As a senior in 2021, the 5-foot-8, 199-pound Badie ran for 1,604 yards and 14 touchdowns, bringing his four-year total to 2,740 yards and 23 touchdowns. He added 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air during his four years as well.
Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy is thrilled to have Badie in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, which will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2:30 EST after a week of practice.
“Tyler really took advantage of his opportunity this year being the full-time starter [at Missouri] with Larry Roundtree gone,” Nagy said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 28. “… This was the Tyler Badie year. He had five 200-yard games. I saw something where the last two SEC running backs to [have four] were Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette in 2015.”
If Badie hears his name during the 2022 NFL Draft in April, he would become the first player to be drafted after attending Friends, a private school on Charles Street in North Baltimore. The Quakers no longer have a football team.
NFL Mock Draft Database expects Badie to go in the fourth round.
“He’s kind of low to the ground, he’s built how you want a running back built,” Nagy said. “In terms of burst, this guy can get away from people in a hurry, so in the screen game, things like that, get him out in space, he can be dynamic. We’re excited to get him, back-to-back years with Missouri running backs and hopefully he has as good week down here as Larry had a year ago.”
It’s unclear how aggressive the Ravens will be in the draft looking for running back help, but the Ravens do figure to be in the market for offensive linemen to help protect Lamar Jackson and allow for the run game to thrive. One possible target with the No. 14 overall pick is Northern Iowa left tackle Trevor Penning.
The 6-foot-7, 330-pound Penning will be participating in the Senior Bowl. Nagy is extremely high on Penning’s NFL potential.
“I think he could go higher than [No. 14]. I think [the Ravens] might have to trade up for him,” Nagy said. “He’s a dominant FCS-level player. We have a couple years of background with him. We had his bookend, Spencer Brown, in the game last year who went to Buffalo in the third round.”
Penning was the only offensive lineman named as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in the country, and he was the first player to be invited to the Senior Bowl. He earned plenty of FCS and Missouri Valley Football Conference honors for his work in 2021.
Though he comes from a lower level of competition, Penning was able to go up against NFL talent in practice. New York Giants outside linebacker Elerson Smith played his college ball at Northern Iowa prior to being drafted in 2021, so Penning had a chance to block him in practice.
Penning is from Clear Lake, Iowa. Baltimore might be far away from home, but Nagy thinks he is a player the Ravens should seriously consider drafting.
“You put on small-school tape, you want to see a dominant player, and that’s Trevor,” Nagy said. “He’s an absolute bully. It’s like the varsity kid that gets pulled down to the freshman game to play, so this will be a big week. I think the only box he has to check is can he do it against other future NFL people.”
For more from Nagy, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mizzou Athletics