Auburn football: These 5 Tigers received Reese’s Senior Bowl invites

“The draft starts in Mobile,” according to the Reese’s Senior Bowl slogan, and this year five players from the Auburn football program have been invited to play in the prestigious game in South Alabama: Nehemiah Pritchett, Derick Hall, Eku Leota, Owen Pappoe, and DJ James.

Last year, the Tigers were represented in the senior bowl by cornerback Roger McCreary, who impressed in practices and ultimately was drafted in round two of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

This year’s senior bowl will take place on February 4, 2023, and is an opportunity for players to get extra training in and boost their draft stock ahead of the big event. Multiple coaches and scouts will be in attendance and involved in the game.

Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett first saw game action with the Auburn football team as a true freshman in 2019, and became a regular starter for the Tigers in 2021. To date, Pritchett has logged 84 total tackles, two interceptions, 22 passes deflected, and one touchdown.

Edges Derick Hall and Eku Leota were major assets to the Tigers this season, and Leota’s season-ending injury earlier this year dealt the team a big blow. However, Hall and the others have been able to hold down the fort well enough. In his four years on the Plains, Hall has recorded 140 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, one interception, and five forced fumbles.

Leota transferred to the Plains last season and had an instant impact on the Auburn defense, logging 40 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and one forced fumble in his abbreviated two years.

Owen Pappoe has been a consistent team leader for the Tigers, especially through his injury last season that kept him off the field for a long time. The linebacker has recorded 235 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, seven sacks, six passes deflected, three forced fumbles, and one interception in his four years on the Plains.

Finally, cornerback DJ James is another transfer that recently joined the ranks of Auburn football. In his first season in orange and blue, James has logged 24 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and seven pass breakups.

Five players from Auburn football being invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl is a big increase from the past two years where the Tigers have only been represented by one player, and all five have the opportunity to make waves and increase their draft stock come February.