Who to watch in today's Senior Bowl -- with a Steelers' perspective

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Senior Bowl practices are completed. I also have completed my 15-hour sojourn back to Pittsburgh so I, like you, can watch today's Senior Bowl on television, where we were intended to watch such things.

I'll have my eye on a number of players in this game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. today. Full disclosure, I was watching the offensive and defensive linemen along with the quarterbacks the most closely -- if you couldn't tell by my coverage all week -- because that, I believe is where the Steelers will be most focused in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Obviously, the quarterbacks will be highly scrutinized, as well.

And in case you missed it yesterday, Pitt's Kenny Pickett and Liberty's Malik Willis were voted the best quarterbacks on their respective squads. This was voted on by their teammates, not the media. So, despite all the scrutiny, their teammates thought Pickett and Willis were the best players at the position this week.

Again, that's not what any media member or evaluator felt about it. That was a vote of the guys they worked against all week.

Can they carry that over to the game? Both will start for their respective squads, so we'll get to see Pickett and Willis go head-to-head.

A few of my other favorites from the week also were honored by their teammates Friday. Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning was voted the top offensive lineman on the National team, while Boston College guard/center  Zion Johnson was voted the top practice player of the week for the National squad. Connecticut nose tackle Trevor Jones was voted the National defensive tackle of the week.

I've written about all of them this week.

Here are some other players I'll be keeping an eye on today:

Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis -- This guy can fly. He caught everything thrown his way this week, as well. He runs crisp routes, getting in and out of his breaks quickly. The downside? He's just a shade over 5-foot-7 and weighed in at 173 pounds. At that size, he'll be a slot in the NFL. But he's a slot that can fly.

Jalen Torbert, WR, South Alabama -- Nobody was more comfortable in their surroundings this week than Torbert. He was practicing at his home facility. Torbert is 6-foot-3, but he can run. He's a small-school prospect to keep an eye one.

Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State -- A smooth, 6-foot-4 outside receiver. Watson caught the ball well this week. He was touted as being really fast coming into this week and because he's such a long strider, he doesn't look as fast as he actually is. Think Martavis Bryant here. He has that kind of smoothness.

Braxton Jones, OT, Utah -- I didn't mention Jones much during the week, but he's got length that is intriguing. Jones has extremely long arms -- 36 inches -- and he uses that reach to get to defenders before they can get into his body. He's a Day 2 draft player to keep an eye on.

Darian Kinnard, G, Kentucky -- Kinnard played offensive tackle at Kentucky and was voted the best blocker in the SEC last season. But he probably doesn't have the speed to play on the edge in the NFL. That said, he's a massive man at guard, where he lined up some this week. I'd like to see him at guard in some game action today.

Jamaree Saylor, G, Georgia -- He's really solid. Saylor looks like a second-round prospect who will turn into a 10-year starter.

Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana -- The Steelers grabbed Kevin Dotson out of Louisiana a couple of years ago. Could they get his former teammate this year? Perhaps. Mitchell weighed in at 299 pounds, so he'll need to keep adding some weight to his nearly 6-foot-6 frame, but that is likely easily done once he gets into an NFL program. He's very athletic.

Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma -- Even though he was overshadowed by the excellent work of Jones this week, Winfrey stood out. He consistently flashed throughout the week. But can he play the nose at 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, or would he be a 3-4 end for the Steelers. I think it's the latter.

Otito Ogbonnia, DT, UCLA -- Ogbonnia got a mention in my reports from earlier this week. Love his motor. He does get washed out in the run game at times, but he hustles. I think some high-level coaching could help him. His want-to is high.

John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas -- Ridgeway came in a little shorter than advertised at a shade under 6-foot-5. But that's not a bad thing since he has a lot of nose tackle traits. He's got shorter arms, but he can take on blockers and handle double teams.

Zachary Carter, DT, Florida -- Carter is a high-effort player, but at 287 pounds is a little light. That shows up at times. He needs to continue to get bigger and has the frame to do so. But he's got tools.

Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia -- The top defensive tackle coming into this game, he didn't do anything to lose that ranking. And he'll get some first-round consideration. Despite weighing in at 307 pounds at just a shade under 6-foot-3, Wyatt doesn't look heavy at all. He's a well-proportioned athlete with explosion.

Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama -- Like Wyatt, Mathis doesn't look like he is anywhere near his listed weight of 313 pounds. Like Wyatt, he's got a linebacker's build. But he consistently flashes. And you know he's been trained well.

Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming -- Muma's ability to drop into zone coverages is good. He consistently shows up with his ability to close. And at 6-foot-4, he makes it difficult to drop the ball in over his head, too. A really solid player.

Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State -- He has good speed, size and ability. All he doesn't have is the big-school name to go with it. Anderson is intriguing. I thought he might be a fifth-round guy coming into this. I don't know if he makes it out of Day 2 of the draft after this week.

Damone Clark, LB, LSU -- Like Muma and Andersen, Clark is over 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds. But he can run and bring the wood when he hits someone. Clark seems to have a nice feel in the run game. He's a thumper with some coverage abilities.