Every time Aztecs running back Rashaad Penny steps on the football field he makes eye-popping plays. People wrote off the explosiveness of 2017’s all-purpose yardage champ saying he did it against lesser competition in the Mountain West Conference, even though he ran roughshod over Pac-12 opponents Arizona State and Stanford.



The people who peddled that narrative can’t make the excuse anymore.



At the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, a showcase of the best senior football players in the country that included Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, Penny was the game’s leading rusher AND third-leading receiver to lead his South team to a 45-16 win over the North squad.



Penny carried the ball nine times for 64 yards, a tidy 7.1 yards per rush, and showed his versatility and deceptive speed on a 73-yard touchdown catch. After the game multiple NFL Draft experts had Penny, who was named the game’s co-Most Outstanding Player with LSU wide receiver D.J. Chark, on their short lists of the guys who helped themselves the most during Senior Bowl week.



The consensus on the consensus All-American is at the moment he’s at least a second round pick. With a good showing at the NFL Combine in February there is the chance he could move himself into the first round.



Penny’s SDSU teammate, defensive back Kameron Kelly, was also in the game and had a pair of tackles.