The Pitt Panthers had three players named to the 2013 Senior Bowl Watch List on Thursday. Ray Graham, Jared Holley and Chris Jacobson were the three Panthers that made the list, with each displaying pro potential according to the organizers. Graham was the second-leading rusher in the nation last year before tearing his ACL against UConn in late October. Reports have already surfaced that Graham is unlikely to play in the Panthers' season opener against Youngstown State, but the injury history was not really a concern when it came to creating the watch list.
This is the first time the Senior Bowl has released a watch list under new Executive Director Phil Savage, a former pro personnel exec and GM in the NFL. Savage talked about the decision to release a watch list before the start of the season:
"The Senior Bowl is very pleased to announce our first-ever ‘official' Watch List," Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage said. "We want both college and pro football fans to enjoy tracking the players on our list as they begin their journey towards the Senior Bowl and the 2013 NFL Draft. We have included prospects from almost every level of the college game and look forward to monitoring their progress throughout the upcoming season."
Holley was also named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, and all three Panthers certainly have a shot to make the final roster.
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