Former LSU Tigers playmaker impressing scouts and raising his NFL Draft stock at the Senior Bowl
Barion Brown’s single season with LSU didn’t go as planned, but he’s still blowing by competition at the Senior Bowl
The LSU Tigers always send some phenomenal playmakers to the NFL Draft every single year and 2026 is no exception. This past season didn’t go well for the Tigers, but that’s not stopping quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, Barion Brown (WR), and Aaron Anderson (WR) from impressing in the NFL Draft process already.
All three of them are at the Senior Bowl — the premier college football all-star game — this week, showcasing their skills in front of all 32 NFL teams and media in Mobile, Alabama. It’s good to see Nussmeier healthy again. Anderson has been separating well. However, the most impressive LSU playmaker throughout the Senior Bowl practices has been wide receiver Barion Brown.
Barion Brown showing off his speed, burning defenders at Senior Bowl
When Brown joined the LSU Tigers, transferring over from Kentucky, he was immediately supposed to become the team’s gamebreaking talent. Unfortunately the entire 2025 college football season didn’t go well for LSU — Garrett Nussmeier hurt, Brian Kelly fired, offensive line rebuilding — so Brown never got to shine to his fullest abilities. He did, however, become the team’s WR1 right away, garnering 23 more targets than any other receiver on the team, leading LSU in receptions (53) and yards (532).
Brown flashed elite potential throughout his college career at both Kentucky and LSU as a wide receiver, but continually was held back by the offenses and surroundings he was in. He always blew everyone away as an unreal kickoff and punt return weapon, running back an SEC record six touchdowns on special teams (plus two more touchdowns that got called back due to penalties far away from the return action). However, Brown needed an opportunity like the Senior Bowl to prove to NFL decision makers that he was far more than just a return specialist. So far, so good.
Brown had a decent first day of practice on Tuesday, showcasing his speed consistently as the verified fastest player at the Senior Bowl via GPS tracking, but his second day was dominant. First, he destroyed a couple cornerbacks on deeper routes (putting Malik Muhammad on on the ground in my post above). Then he went on to prove that he could make contested catches in both 1-on-1 reps and the team sessions too (as you can see in post below).
It’s no surprise, really, that Brown would thrive in the Senior Bowl kind of atmosphere. His speed is just so evident on every play, and the numbers back that up. Per Zebra Technologies sports tracking (Senior Bowl’s GPS/athletic tracking partner), Brown has posted the highest top speed (20.35 mph), the sixth best deceleration numbers, and has logged 20 more “explosive efforts” than any of the other 130 players at the Senior Bowl practices. He’s just a non-stop speedy, twitched-up playmaker.
Brown has definitely caught the eye of many scouts and media on-site down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, and his NFL Draft season is off to a fast start. If he finishes strong with yet another strong day on Thursday, LSU and NFL Draft fans should expect to see Brown rise in multi-round mock drafts over the coming weeks. Brown will most certainly destroy the NFL Combine in a few short weeks as well.
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