Broncos meet with intriguing SEC trio at Senior Bowl day one

The Denver Broncos met with an intriguing trio of SEC players after day one of practices at the 2020 Senior Bowl, according to Walter Football.

According to WalterFootball.com, the Denver Broncos have at least met with an intriguing trio of SEC players available in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Broncos are represented at the 2020 Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL by John Elway, Matt Russell, and likely a number of scouts. Teams likely get the chance for quick meetings with many players throughout the week in Mobile, but it’s still worth looking into the guys that are actually seen talking to the Broncos.

You never know if it’s going to be an indicator of serious interest or not, but it certainly allows us to get a close look at guys who could become Broncos before it actually happens.

Among those the Broncos reportedly met with was Georgia Bulldogs kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, the man they affectionately call ‘Hot Rod’ in Athens.

I’m sure the Broncos are going to be looking at all kinds of specialists throughout the pre-draft process, but Blankenship may be the best specialist at the Senior Bowl after making 82.5 of his kicks in college, including 6-of-8 from 50 yards over the last three seasons.

Blankenship also never missed an extra point in four seasons for the Bulldogs.

Why would the Broncos be looking at kickers? Well, they could save $3 million in cap space by cutting Brandon McManus, who has been solid since getting his new contract but perhaps not quite as good as he was that season.

McManus has been particularly erratic from beyond 50 yards on his kicks in recent years. He has made 12-of-26 (less than 50 percent) of his attempts from 50 or beyond over the last four seasons, including 6-of-14 the past two years.

As the fifth-highest paid kicker in the NFL, it stands to reason that the Broncos would want more out of McManus, who also has a long of just 53 over the last three seasons.

The other two SEC players the Broncos reportedly met with after day one of practices at the Senior Bowl were Texas A&M wide receiver Quartney Davis and LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan.

Davis is a player I could see the Broncos looking at somewhere in the top 100 picks. He’s the type of playmaker this team would love to have at the wide receiver position and someone who excels after the catch and stretching the field with vertical speed.

Sullivan is an intriguing idea for this team. He shockingly only had 12 catches this past season on LSU’s star-studded offense, which featured Thaddeus Moss as the main pass-catching tight end.

Sullivan was more productive his first two years with the Tigers, but he’s a 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end prospect who can split and play some receiver with strong hands and over a seven-foot wingspan. Maybe the Broncos would look at him in the later rounds as a possible depth piece and complimentary receiver option at the tight end spot.

I’m for it.