Senior Bowl week has come and gone and it featured a host of excellent interior offensive linemen.
North Dakota State do-it-all lineman Grey Zabel stole the headlines but teammate and former Hurricanes star Jalen Rivers has quietly also had an excellent week in Mobile.
The former four-star prospect started multiple seasons for the Miami Hurricanes and earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2023.
Rivers has experience playing both guard and tackle entering in the NFL and that should make him a valuable selection on the 2nd day of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Texans Wire spoke with Rivers down in Mobile last week. He confirmed he met with Houston Texans but also spoke about his college experience and the upside he’ll bring to the NFL level.
Texans Wire: Talk to me about your thought process on what brought you to the Senior Bowl?
JALEN RIVERS: “So I feel like my work ethic and you know, the work that I put out throughout my whole college career led me to this point and leading to Jim Nagy offering the invitation. I guess he and his support staff all saw that, I was a great talent to be a part of this bowl game and I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
TW: By all accounts, you’re having a phenomenal week, though. Have you felt about it? How’s it been with your teammates on the field?
RIVERS: “It’s been a great opportunity and it’s been a great experience so far. A little bit of a challenge obviously. Learning new systems like this, meeting, you know, as offensive linemen, you want that continuity you want that camaraderie with all the guys on the line. So just getting to a point where you got to make that bond quickly and to play a bowl game this week in a matter of just one week. It’s been great.I wouldn’t trade it for anything and it’s been great getting to know all the guys and I feel like everybody didn’t know what to expect but now we’re loving the process and getting to know each other.”
Can’t mention the “winners” of day 1 without mentioning Miami OL Jalen Rivers.
Dancing bear with 35″ arms and he uses every inch to consistently control his man. Took reps at OT, OG and C today and played at a high level. A @BrandonThornNFL favorite. pic.twitter.com/YJk7ummlxu
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 29, 2025
TW: How did your experience at Miami prepare you for the NFL?
RIVERS: “I wouldn’t even take all the credit and only talk about me. I want to credit everybody who’s been around me, my coaches from all the levels, and throughout my different years in college. I had two head coaches who were two offensive line coaches. Everybody who’s been in my corner really helped me get to this point, but it’s me wanting to want to get better and who helped me get better were my coaches, my teammates and really the University of Miami. I’m glad that I got to be at this school, to go through that whole process and end up being here because of them.”
TW: What kind of player and teammate is your future NFL team getting?
RIVERS: “First I want to say you’re getting a guy that’s willing to work and would do anything in his power to get better. You’re getting a guy that’s going to want to be around the guys because you need that brotherhood, you need somebody to lean on and talk to. And, most importantly, you need your brothers to win. So I’m one of those guys that will come in willing to learn, to be selfless and to do anything the team requires of me to get to the point of winning and creating that bond.
TW: Where do you see yourself playing on the offensive line in the NFL?
RIVERS: “I would say I love to play tackle. I came into college starting at guard and I feel like it’s hard to really choose just one. Whatever role they’re asking me of me, but you know, everybody said you had to pick one spot and it’s hard to. I feel like I’m a guard that can play tackle. So whatever they need, it’s been great having those experiences.”
There are very few prospects that I have watched that make pass protection look as easy as Jalen Rivers (LG/LT 64) makes it lookpic.twitter.com/KEe8nQFchx
— Draft Guy Jared (@DraftGuyJared) February 2, 2025
TW: Have you met with the Houston Texans this week?
RIVERS: Yeah, I have.
TW: How did that meeting go?
RIVERS: “It went great. I think that day it was quick, but it was great. I think we talked 10 minutes maybe, but it was good. I loved the scouts that I talked to, it was a great experience. We talked about upbringing, background, all that.”
TW: How would it feel to play with Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, quarterback C.J. Stroud and all the Houston players?
RIVERS: “I the guys you name, who wouldn’t want to play next to them or who wouldn’t want to protect C.J. Stroud? He’s a great quarterback going into his third year and that would be great.”