Senior Bowl players on offense to watch, could possibly help the Broncos

For 17 years, I have gone on what I call the “All-Star Road Trip” in the month of January. I begin at the Shrine Bowl, once again in Las Vegas, where I get to scout some of the mid-round and sleeper prospects in the upcoming draft. Then, I travel to the Senior Bowl – still in Mobile, AL – where I get to see the best senior prospects and some future stars up close and personal. During this travel time, I get to catch up with my friends in the scouting community and get the latest intel about what teams are going to do this offseason.

There’s nothing better than on-field scouting of a player. Being on the field level, or watching them from the sidelines, you can see physicality that you just don’t get on the TV or computer screen. I have full access to practice footage thanks to my friends around the league, but it is paramount for me to be there in person. The “All-Star Road Trip” has been a valuable part of the process I take every year putting together my draft rankings.

In 2023, I might be more excited about this draft class than ever before. Some of my favorite college players are headed to the NFL, and I will get to see some of them over the next month. I will get to talk to these players, and I’ll get to talk to scouts and general managers about these prospects as well.

On Tuesday, Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy – a great man and former NFL scout – went on NFL Network to announce the 2023 roster. Among these players, I see a lot of prospects the Denver Broncos should have interest in. However, I see a lot of players I’ve wanted to see and am overjoyed they will be at the Senior Bowl to showcase their talent for scouts in attendance.

Here are a few offensive players from the Senior Bowl roster reveal I’m excited about. These players could be of interest to the Broncos, but most importantly they’re some of my early favorites in this draft season. Before the week of practice, I’ll have a more specific article on who the Broncos should be looking for.

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Jaren Hall, QB, BYU

I am on board with BYU QB Jaren Hall as a mid-round pick. He’s currently seen as a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but with a good week of practice in Mobile Hall’s draft stock could rise. I’ve seen guys like Kirk Cousins (Michigan State) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) impress scouts at the Senior Bowl in year’s past. The player to do that this year could be Hall. He’s a shorter prospect, and his measurements will be watched closely at the Senior Bowl, but Hall has the athleticism needed of a modern pro quarterback. His injury history will need to be examined closely, so the medical checks at the Scouting Combine will affect his draft stock the most this offseason.

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Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas

I’m always looking for college backup running backs who can start and star at the pro level. Years ago, there was a young back named Priest Holmes who backed up superstar RB Ricky Williams. While Williams went on to be a first-round pick and a phenom (for a while) in the NFL, Holmes went undrafted and had to go to a second team (Chiefs) before he became a superstar Pro Bowl player. That same school, Texas, might have a similar situation this year with superstar Bijon Robinson and his backup Roschon Johnson. While Robinson will be perhaps the first running back taken off the board, Johnson has the looks of a Day 3 pick. At 223 pounds, Johnson was one of the fastest players on the Longhorns’ roster – clocking in over 22.0 MPH. This is elite speed, and it’s clear that Johnson is dangerous in space a runner or return man with only one fumble in four years of major college football.

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Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State

The timed speed for Luke Musgrave is blazing, and he could end up as one of the fastest tight ends in this draft class. Musgrave, the nephew of former Broncos OC Bill Musgrave, has plenty of speed to attack the deep middle seam in the NFL. He’s an athlete who needs to work on his blocking, and with a good performance in drills at the Senior Bowl Musgrave could make scouts more comfortable in that department. In addition to improvement as a blocker, I’d like to see Musgrave use better nuance to get open instead of just relying on his downfield speed. He’s an explosive player who can get off the line of scrimmage quickly, making it difficult for linebackers to keep up with him in space.

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