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Six Senior Bowl standouts from practice day one

Jan 28, 2026 | 9:04 AM
Malachi Fields

Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images

By Ross Jackson

Following the first day of Senior Bowl practices, the New Orleans Saints should continue to feel optimistic about the depth in this year’s NFL Draft class. The prospects in Mobile, Ala. have proven that New Orleans will have several avenues to addressing some of their biggest needs, should they persist after free agency. 

Here are six of the many Senior Bowl standouts and Saints fits from Tuesday’s practice. 

West Michigan EDGE Nadame Tucker

Tucker put on a show during his National Team practice. From one-on-one wins to pressures generated during team drills, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound edge rusher has checked a lot of early boxes in his first practice. 

He’d be a strong blend of speed, power and quickness to add to the Saints’ defensive end room. 

Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields

This big-bodied wide receiver has quickly lived up to expectations. He showed a great propensity for working the short and intermediate areas of the field in team drills but also made a great catch attack downfield with late hands to reel in a well-placed pass. 

Fields is built like a traditional X-receiver, but has some suddenness and fluidity to his motion that would allow him to be a versatile threat in selected situations. 

John Carroll WR Tyren Montgomery

One of the biggest questions Montgomery was going to have to answer during the Senior Bowl is whether or not he could hang with higher levels of competition. So far, that’s not been an issue for the 5-foot-11, 190-pound playmaker. 

Montgomery went up against SEC talent and highly-rated talent during the first day and found wins almost every time. With great speed and playmaking ability, Montgomery is a small-school prospect to watch with a versatile skillset that could fit well in New Orleans. 

Texas Tech DL Lee Hunter

The interior defensive line could continue to add fresh legs this offseason and Hunter is a part of a fantastic Red Raiders defense worthy of attention.  

At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, the defensive tackle may quickly be looked at as a nose tackle, but while on the field Tuesday, he proved he can move around and be just as effective elsewhere. Hunter proved he can bring both a run stopping and pass rushing presence to a defensive line. 

Georgia State OL Keylan Rutledge

While the defensive line performances were strong all day, Rutledge was one of the few offensive linemen to stand out. His physical and violent play style are hard to miss and his athleticism jumps off the field. He’s a tenacious player with a relentless motor and impressive movement ability. He’s moving himself from a late day two pick to the end of round one conversation. 

Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton

Singleton’s versatility and ability to contribute in multiple ways was on full display. He’s a patient and explosive runner with better-than-average hands and route-running ability out of the backfield with a long list of wins in pass protection. He is in contention to be the second running back off of the board in 2026, and the Saints should be among the teams interested. 

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