The Senior Bowl is right around the corner, and it’s a critical stepping-stone towards the 2023 draft as the foremost look at collegiate all-star players. This is one of the most important early scouting and interview opportunities for NFL teams like the New Orleans Saints who have consistently selected from the pool of players represented in Mobile, Ala. This year, they’ll get an even closer look with four assistant coaches named to the Senior Bowl coaching staff.
In the past, the Senior Bowl would choose their coaches by selecting an entire NFL staff. This year, they’ve changed their approach by selecting from talent nominated by NFL clubs. Here’s a little more detail from the Senior Bowl press release:
“Under a new arrangement to promote professional development, NFL Football Operations has implemented a “coach up” format where coordinators and assistant coaches are placed into elevated or different roles from the ones they currently hold with their respective clubs. Head coaches and general managers from all non-playoff teams had the opportunity to nominate assistant coaches and those candidates were then selected by a group comprised of league office executives, representatives from the General Managers Advisory Committee, and Senior Bowl leadership.”
While not all coaching staff placements have been made public, the highlight for New Orleans will be passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry. Curry will serve as the National Team offensive coordinator in Mobile. The Saints have highlighted Curry’s trajectory multiple times and look to be setting him up on a path to offensive coordinator with their club or elsewhere. Curry’s coaching profile has continued to draw attention as he’s ascended the ranks in New Orleans.
Along with the additional three Saints coaches who will be named at a later time, Curry will help the Saints get an up close and personal look at some premiere talent in this year’s NFL draft class. Quarterbacks like BYU’s Jaren Hall, Fresno State’s Jake Haener and Max Duggan of TCU should be firmly in their sights. As should running backs like Tulane hometown product Tyjae Spears. But what is really exciting here is to see Curry’s profile continue to build. At the Senior Bowl they say “the draft starts in Mobile” and so too may the next step for Curry.