Senior Bowl runners, tight ends on Broncos radar

MOBILE, ALa. — The second day of Reese’s Senior Bowl practice took place Wednesday, and more than a few players the Denver Broncos might have interest in made plays.

PLAYERS AT SENIOR BOWL CONFIRM CONVERSATIONS WITH BRONCOS REPRESENTATIVES

Players were made available to the media on Wednesday afternoon after practice, and a few notable names confirmed they had talked to the Broncos at the Senior Bowl. Kansas running back Devin Neal, Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr., and. Minnesota inside linebacker Cody Lindenberg all noted that they had talked to the Broncos during the interview process at the Senior Bowl.

All are at positions that appear to be of need for the Broncos.

Neal is a runner who can carry a large workload. Even though Broncos head coach Sean Payton intends to utilize two backs, Neal is the type of player who can be counted on as a lead back. Neal has had a good week of practice, and he’s standing out in receiving and pass protection drills. This is exactly what NFL scouts wanted to see from him during the week.

Fannin is a tremendous athlete, and his movement sometimes seems wild on the football field. A man of his size and muscular frame should not be able to move as smoothly as he does. Fannin is a receiving weapon — although he did have a rough moment with a drop Tuesday — but his effort as a blocker in two days of practice shows that he is focusing on that part of his game.

Lindenberg has a nose for the ball that comes from studying the game closely. Even though there’s no live tackling in practice, Lindenberg does a good job of filling holes where running backs want to run through. In addition, Lindenberg is showing off his ability in coverage — including an interception Wednesday practice that could have been a pick-6 under game conditions.

JONATHON COOPER VIBES

It’s always fun when a player pops in practice like someone you’ve seen before during the Senior Bowl. Mississippi’s Jared Ivey is practicing a lot like Jonathon Cooper did when he was coming out of Ohio State in 2021.

Cooper, a seventh-round pick for the Broncos that year, turned heads when he participated in the Senior Bowl a few years ago. He did that by relentless effort and disruptive action during drills. Ivey is making plays by moving like his hair is on fire. While some treat these practices like an exhibition game, Ivey is giving full effort on every rep. During 1-on-1 drills — a.k.a. “The Pit” — Ivey has done a good job of getting by blockers with a dip and speed move. He has the ability to perform a rip move and a swim move as well.

He is not yet adept at stacking moves consistently, but that’s likely to come with pro coaching. Just like Cooper, Ivey shows plenty of strength and hustle on film – and in person. With proper refinement to his game, Ivey could give some team tremendous value (like Cooper did for the Broncos) if he falls in the draft.

EDGE OF THE DRAFT

The best evaluators can find talent in every round of the draft – and even afterwards! There is a ton of top-tier talent at the Senior Bowl, but some talented players may fall through the cracks in the evaluation process. If Barryn Sorrell (Texas) falls too far in the draft, the Broncos should select the edge rusher.

Even though the Broncos seem to be set at the position, teams can never have enough rushers on the roster. Sorrell has position versatility, like Denver’s Drew Sanders, and that’s going to add to his value. During his career at Texas, Sorrell kept growing his skill set each year. One can reasonably assume that his growth in the NFL will continue with pro coaching.

Sorrell has good closing burst to the quarterback, and that’s a skill that is evident during ‘The Pit’ at the Senior Bowl. On film, Sorrell is a sound tackler and he seems to always be around the ball at practice. He’s also known as a coachable player who could begin his pro career as a special teamer. However, there is upside there for Sorrell to be an impact player for his rushing ability in the NFL. That’s worth considering at some point on Day 3 of the NFL draft.

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