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Reese's Senior Bowl week is counted among the NFL's most important offseason events.

From Sunday through Thursday of that week, Mobile, Alabama, becomes the NFL's unofficial headquarters. Nearly all of the league's coaches, scouts and front office personnel descend upon the Port City.

It's not only the top all-star contest with the best overall collection of collegiate talent; information is exchanged, and a few hires inevitably occur.

The game is played on Saturday, but most league personnel have already left by that point, as the contest is considered the least important part of the week's festivities. (This year, the South Team captured a victory over the North Team, and MVP honors went to Cal quarterback Davis Webb.)

Instead, organizations concentrate on getting accurate measurements for all the contestants, rely on evening meetings to get their first feeling of these young individuals and see how the players perform and/or improve throughout the practice week.

The performances impact how certain talents are perceived. Inevitably, a handful of future first-round selections play in the game.

In the previous five Senior Bowls, 29 individuals went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. The league is littered with other participants—such as quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Derek Carr—who were drafted outside of the first round and still developed into stars.



Bleacher Report slotted four of this year's Senior Bowl performers in the first round of its latest mock draft. Despite a low point total, the game still provided a strong glimpse into the NFL's future.