The 2025 Senior Bowl will provide an opportunity for NFL draft prospects to prove themselves on the largest pre-draft stage. Michigan running back Donovan Edwards plans on taking full advantage. Edwards recently spoke exclusively with the Senior Bowl and Draft Network to discuss his motivation for accepting his invitation to compete in Mobile, Alabama.
Edwards also discussed what he's striving to prove to NFL general managers and scouts in attendance at the Senior Bowl, playing running back at Michigan, how he’d write his own scouting report, and more. Let's get to know Edwards better ahead of his journey to the Senior Bowl.
JM: Where were you when you found out about your Senior Bowl invite and what was your initial reaction?
Donovan Edwards: We were at practice. Coach [Sherrone] Moore called on me and the rest of the Michigan guys heading to the Senior Bowl. He wanted us to share in our successes. He handed us our invites in front of the whole team and everybody gave us a round of applause.
We got our Reese’s Senior Bowl invite packages. I was ecstatic. Jim Nagy had previously given us a presentation at Schembechler Hall on the Senior Bowl. I’ve looked forward to getting my invite ever since that day. It was a great feeling. The Senior Bowl is the best bowl game.
JM: That sounds like a special moment. What motivated you to accept the Senior Bowl’s offer?
Donovan Edwards: I’m excited to showcase my talents against the best of the best in the nation. There’s going to be a lot of great players with spectacular abilities in attendance. I want to compete against those guys. I’m ready to put some great stuff on film. I know us running backs are going to share knowledge and have a great week.
We’re even going to be giving tips to the linebackers on what us running backs are looking for in pass protection and in coverage. We’re going to make each other better in Mobile. We’re going to share that knowledge.
JM: What are you hoping to prove to NFL general managers, coaching staffs, and scouts in attendance in Mobile?
Donovan Edwards: I have more to prove to myself. I’m going to have a lot of fun in Mobile. I want to highlight my leadership abilities. I’m ready to compete at the highest level with the best of the best. That’s what it’s all about.
JM: How would Donovan Edwards describe his running style? For example, is he a north-south power runner? Self-scout yourself for us.
Donovan Edwards: I’m a patient runner first and foremost. I have the unique ability to show terrific patience while the holes are opening up. Once that happens, I hit those creases with a sense of urgency. I’m a physical runner when I need to be. It’s honestly not my first option though. I lower my shoulder pads when I have to.
I’m definitely a one-cut guy. I’m still working to improve my wiggle. I would say I’m a downhill runner.
JM: You leave Michigan with more than 3,000 all-purpose yards. You’re a National Championship winner. Talk to me about achieving all that, yet still entering the Senior Bowl feeling like you have something to prove, despite all the accolades you’ve racked up.
Donovan Edwards: You know what, that’s absolutely how I feel. This past season, it wasn’t the year I anticipated having for myself. I battled through a lingering injury during my junior season. I was coming off surgery. The past two years haven’t gone the way I wanted them to. Everything happens for a reason. God has asked me to be patient. I’m placing my trust in him.
I’m treating this process like high school all over again. I remember the times when I wanted to be a 5-star recruit, and I had to earn that right. I became one because I worked for it. I’m going to continue giving my all every single day.
At that time, I had to prove it on Friday nights. It’s basically that all over again.
JM: We love your mentality. Are you looking forward to swapping jerseys with anybody in particular at the next level?
Donovan Edwards: All of my old teammates at Michigan. J.J. McCarthy was one of my roommates. I’m definitely going to do that with him. Blake Corum of course. My offensive linemen Trevor Keegan, Zak Zinter, Karsen Barnhart. Jaylen Harrell comes to mind. Basically all of my teammates, but especially J.J. McCarthy, because we have so much in common. But I love everybody I came into the program with.
JM: What’s on Donovan Edwards’s pre-game playlist?
Donovan Edwards: You know what, I listen to some chill, laid-back music. I can’t listen to all that rowdy music. I need to relax before I play a game. It’s not about getting hype for me. There’s usually some gospel music playing 20 minutes before the game when I’m doing my pre-game workout on the field.
I listen to a lot of old-school R&B. David Ruffin, The Temptations, Alicia Keys. It’s always R&B music.
JM: This has been an outstanding conversation. At the end of the week, what does a successful Senior Bowl look like for Donovan Edwards?
Donovan Edwards: It means I went out there and won my reps. I want to prove I’m one of the best running backs in this class. Winning every single rep is what a successful Senior Bowl looks like for me.
