The Reese’s Senior Bowl is the premier showcase game for college football players looking to improve their NFL draft stock in front of scouts from around the league.
Linebacker Daiyan Henley shined in the 2023 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, as the Cougs lone representative. Ahead of the 2023–24 football season WSU has a respectable six players on the preseason watch list. Here is more on each of the senior Cougars:
Ron Stone Jr. – Edge
One of two premier sixth-year edge rushers on WSU’s defense, Stone started all 13 games last season, registering 34 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, two sacks and three pass deflections. He was also second in the Pac-12 with 11 quarterback hits.
He had a career year in 2021, recording a career-high five sacks and 64 total tackles. He was also named a preseason All-Pac-12 second-team selection this offseason.
Stone is undoubtedly one of the team’s most coach-like figures and could build an NFL-worthy resume with a bounce-back season and an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
Brennan Jackson – Edge
Jackson is the Coug’s other sixth-year standout edge defender. Jackson has been around the program for a long time but broke out last season, recording three pass deflections and a career-high six sacks, good for fifth in the Pac-12.
He was also named a preseason All-Pac-12 second-team selection this offseason and was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, an award for the nation’s top defensive player.
The accolades stand out and so does his athletic profile, as Jackson stands 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 264 pounds. Jackson is not only one of the top Cougar defensive players to watch for, but also one of the Pac-12’s.
Sam Lockett III – Defensive Back
Last season was the second Division-I stint for Lockett and his first in a Power Five Conference. The junior college transfer broke onto the scene in 2022, recording 51 tackles, three pass deflections and three interceptions, which was tied for fourth most in the Pac-12.
Lockett is part of a seemingly loaded WSU secondary and has quickly become one of the top up-and-coming defensive backs in the Pac-12. Despite the potential that Lockett plays at least part of the upcoming season with a club on his right hand, he has the potential to become yet another Cougar to sneak under the radar into the NFL.
Chau Smith-Wade – Defensive Back
One of the top outside cornerbacks in the conference, Smith-Wade has all the tools to become an NFL DB. At 6 feet, 4 inches tall, he has the size of an NFL DB and has the production to go along with it.
Last season, he recorded 43 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and eight pass deflections. He also had the fourth-best coverage grade and defensive grade in the Pac-12 last year.
In a conference full of potentially the best crop of quarterbacks in 2023, Smith-Wade has a chance to showcase his talent against the best of the best this season.
Nakia Watson – Running Back
Watson is another Coug coming off a career year. Last season Watson recorded a personal best 144 carries for 769 yards and nine touchdowns. After not recording a single catch the two seasons prior to last, he snagged 30 last year for 295 yards and four touchdowns, ultimately racking up 1,064 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns.
The former Wisconsin transfer was third in the Pac-12 last year with ten 20+ yard runs and was named a preseason All-Pac-12 honorable mention this offseason. Watson was also named to the Doak Walker Award watch list for the nation’s top running back and the Earl Campbell Award watch list for the nation’s top offensive player.
With new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, Watson is set for his best season yet, so it’s no surprise to see him on the watchlist.
Cam Ward – Quarterback
Since transferring to WSU from FCS Incarnate Word, Ward has shown flashes of being not just an NFL talent, but a first-round talent. Consistency, however, is something Ward still needs to showcase more of.
That being said, the hype going into this season is real. Ward dominated the team’s most recent fall scrimmage and was also named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watch list, an award given to the top upperclassman quarterback in the nation.
More than just that, he was also named to the Manning Award watch list for the nation’s top overall QB and joined Watson on the Earl Campbell Award watch list. The recognition does not end there, however, as Ward was also named to the Maxwell Award watch list for the nation’s top college football player.
Coming off a season where he threw for 3,231 yards, 23 touchdowns and ran for five more, Ward is looking not only to make significant individual strides, but also increase his squad’s win percentage as their signal call.
All six of these Cougs are well-known on the Palouse, but are starting to get the national recognition they deserve as well.
