UNC Football: Nine Tar Heels on the Senior Bowl Watch List

Nine UNC football players have been named to the Reese's Senior Bowl watch list.

The Senior Bowl is an end-of-season all-star game that allows players who have exhausted their college eligibility (through graduation or declaring for the NFL Draft) to get NFL coaching before playing in front of scouts from every team.

This year's game will be on February 1, 2025, in Mobile, Alabama, at the University of South Alabama's Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network.

Four defensive players--cornerback Marcus Allen, linebacker Power Echols, defensive end Desmond Evans, and edge rusher Kaimon Rucker--and five offensive players--running back Omarion Hampton, quarterback Max Johnson, wide receiver JJ Jones, guard Willie Lampkin, and tight end Bryson Nesbit--are the Tar Heels currently on the watch list.

Getting an invitation to the Senior Bowl is a big deal. If you're not an automatic first-round selection, showing up in the Senior Bowl practices and games is a great way to get your name on draft boards for all 32 NFL teams. In total, 43% of the 2024 NFL Draft participated in the Senior Bowl.

This could be a very enticing opportunity for some current Tar Heels who have aspirations of playing on Sundays in the near future.