2026 Senior Bowl takeaways from Day 3 of practices in Mobile

Day 3 of the Senior Bowl featured more stellar performances from upcoming draft prospects. Everyone was settled in, with no pre-practice events to drag the day on for the players.

Once again, the defense appeared to be ahead of the offense as a whole. The difference showed up in both 1-on-1s and team drills. Part of it could be attributed to a weaker group of quarterbacks, but the trenches reflected the same.

There are no practice events on Friday, leaving only the game on Saturday to conclude Senior Bowl week. It's been a blast learning about these players and seeing little-known prospects make names for themselves.

Pitt LB Kyle Louis was around the ball all day

As far as I could tell, no one had a better Thursday practice than Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis. I saw him make 4 splash plays live, intercepting passes and showing his coverage skills against running backs in 1-on-1s. Louis is currently ranked No. 122 on the Consensus Big Board, but his performance this week is going to force teams to begin considering him as a Day 2 draft pick.

Here is every one-on-one coverage rep by Pittsburgh LB Kyle Louis: pic.twitter.com/QEcl5gWuFw— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 30, 2026

Florida DL Caleb Banks is a beast

Some guys stand out just because of their stature. Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks is one of those guys, standing 6-foot-6, 335 pounds. Sometimes, players aren't able to combine that with functional strength and skills. That's not the case with Banks.

The former Gator played with a mean streak the past few days. He was particularly on fire after a dominating rep against Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright, letting everyone know how pumped up he was after the play. Banks is currently the No. 29-ranked prospect on the Consensus Big Board.

Caleb Banks begged the coaches for one more rep against Jeremiah Wright.

Here’s why. pic.twitter.com/425DdYe1hk— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) January 29, 2026

The quarterbacks offered very little

This week was sometimes a tough watch because of the quarterback play. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was never going to elevate himself into the upper echelon of draft prospects, but he was inaccurate and had too much of a willingness to run. This was evident once again on Thursday.

Arkansas quarterback Taelen Green had many of the same struggles, but at least he has intriguing measureables that make you consider a position change in the league. He measured in at 6-foot-6 and 229 pounds and is blessed with insane athleticism. But his passing was all over the place this week.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could have used a strong week after a disappointing 2025 season, but he had his own consistency problems passing, although not to the degree that Pavia and Green had. Nussmeier will still hear his name called in April; he just didn't put many concerns to rest.

Other notes

• Thursday was the warmest day of the week. I almost complained about wearing a long sleeve but told myself that it's better than the sub-zero temperatures I experienced the past few weeks in Iowa.
• Missouri defensive lineman Chris McClellan flashed for me this week. He's going to be a Day 3 candidate in the draft, but he made several plays.
• Minnesota defensive lineman Deven Eastern had a clean win in 1-on-1s for the second day in a row. He could also be a Day 3 candidate.
• I just couldn't stop watching Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker. He just looks like an offensive lineman, and you can't hate a guy who loves Culver's.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: 2026 Senior Bowl takeaways from Day 3 of practices