CHARLOTTE — As the Reese's Senior Bowl wound to a close in Mobile last week, excitement for the upcoming draft began to set in across the NFL landscape. With over 100 of college football's top prospects on the practice and game field throughout the week, coaches, general managers, and scouts got an up close look at the guys who could become the next piece in their search for a championship.

The Carolina Panthers had a full contingent on hand, searching for the player who could end up being their pick at No. 8 overall, or one of the eight picks in the first five rounds. With that in mind, here are five players who stood out at the Senior Bowl as ones to watch for the Panthers.

Mike Green, Edge, Marshall

Senior Bowl legacies are made in the one-on-one drills. While a lot of eyes go towards the receivers versus defensive back drills, there's a lot of action in the big men reps. That's where Mike Green really started to make a name for himself in Mobile last week. After putting an offensive lineman on his back with relative ease, Green became one to watch.

He continued to flash in drills, and even during reps he didn't necessarily win, he also made sure to not get beat.

The Marshall product is still young with a lot of tread on the tires, but is coming off an eye-popping 2024 season, with 81 tackles—the most for any defensive lineman in college football—and 17 sacks, which led all of FBS defenders. At 6-4, 248 pounds, with a proven ability to get into the backfield, Green is an intriguing option on the edge. After a solid start in Mobile, he's someone to keep an eye on as the draft process continues.

Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

It was impossible to miss Walter Nolen this week. Even at 6-3, 293 pounds, he seemed to tower over those around him. That frame at defensive tackle can be menacing, and Nolen was just that on the field last week.

Nolen is only a junior, coming off a season in which he had 48 tackles and 6.5 sacks from the interior position.

There are still strides he needs to make and technique to clean up, but watching Nolen among his contemporaries in Mobile made it clear he can be a man among boys and an investment for teams needing depth.

Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M

It seems like every draft season for the past 10 years or so, there has been a pass rusher who might not have produced the most eye-popping production numbers in college, but gets to the draft process and proves he's someone teams should be watching much closer. After the first full week of the draft season, that player is Shemar Stewart.

The Texas A&M edge had just 31 tackles in 2024, and 1.5 sacks (with 4.5 sacks over three years). Some of that, he told reporters in Mobile last week, was how teams were playing him, some of it was how his own team ran their schemes, and some of that was because he was asked to drop into coverage.

No matter the reason, it was impossible to ignore Stewart. He demanded attention, whether he was using his unique combination of speed, power, and quick hands in pass-rush drills, casting shadows on his teammates near the sideline with his 6-6, 290 pound frame, or holding court at media night, drawing the largest scrum of the evening and keeping reporters entertained for a full 45 minutes.

According to Pro Football Focus, Stewart only had one negative play out of 10 reps in one-on-one drills. Stewart's Pro Day and Combine performance could see his stock quickly rise, and a lot of that has to do with the impact he made at the Senior Bowl.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State

Higgins is tall and lanky, and he used that to his advantage in one-on-one drills in Mobile. Whether he was losing defensive backs at the line, or just straight up out running them, Higgins found a way to win reps. And when you're setting yourself apart from the rest of the class, winning those reps can make all the difference in the world.

According to Pro Football Focus, Higgins pulled in all three catchable balls during one-on-one drills, and had six receptions on seven targets in team drills. He finished off the week with a touchdown in the all-star game.

Jack Bech, WR, TCU

The MVP of the week, and Saturday's game, Jack Bech was a magnet for the ball. He pulled in six of seven balls during one-on-one drills, including two contested catches. During team drills, Bech caught four of five throws his way, including two contested catches again. He was the only receiver all week to catch more than one contested throw.

Bech then capped the week with a 68-yard contested catch off a flea-flicker in Saturday's game, as well as the game-winning touchdown catch as time expired.

This all came while Bech was dealing with unspeakable tragedy. His brother, Tiger, was lost in the terror attack in New Orleans last month. All players wore a decal on their helmet to honor Tiger, a former receiver and returner at Princeton, during Senior Bowl week.