10 potential Broncos whose stock rose at the 2021 Senior Bowl
The Denver Broncos were only represented at the 2021 Senior Bowl by their scouts, but the weeklong event proved to be a great success for a variety of prospects on both sides of the ball.
The Broncos have some clear needs heading into the 2021 offseason, but the 2021 NFL Draft class is pretty loaded at wide receiver, offensive line, linebacker, and in the defensive backfield.
Which players at the Senior Bowl in 2021 raised their draft stock enough for the Broncos to prioritize them on their final draft board? There are so many players on both sides of the ball, but we will narrow the list down to 10.
Potential Broncos whose stock rose at the 2021 Senior Bowl
1. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
You have to start with the quarterback position, right?
Alabama’s Mac Jones was one of the biggest winners of the week regardless of position. Watching him operate a practice coached by an NFL team (he was with the Panthers’ coaching staff in Mobile) was like watching an NFL quarterback operate a practice, at least when it was his turn for reps.
That should come as no surprise considering that Jones is coming from an Alabama program that is run like a professional club and he was clearly trained in the Nick Saban/Belichickian arts when it came to handling the media.
Most importantly, Jones showed his skills at the quarterback position and caused a lot of people to question — what is actually wrong with this guy?
Jones doesn’t have elite speed and athleticism like Lamar Jackson. He doesn’t have an absolute rocket for an arm like Josh Allen.
At this point, those are really the only knocks I can find in his game. Jones has tremendous mechanics overall with adequate arm strength and velocity, tremendous accuracy, good timing on his throws, a clear understanding of where all his receivers are in the progression, ability to read coverages and execute based on those reads, and despite not being other-worldly as an athlete Jones is excellent at maneuvering in and around the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield.
He showed such improvement from his 2019 tape taking over for the injured Tua Tagovailoa and was a legitimate Heisman contender in 2020.
Although you could argue that Jones had an excellent supporting cast at Alabama heavily contributing to his success, it appears to be clear that he was not just riding on their coattails. This guy has game, and there is talk now that he won’t last past the top 10 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Specifically, a number of people feel like Jones impressed the Carolina Panthers’ coaching staff enough to the point that they could take him with the 8th overall pick.
Could he be an option for the Denver Broncos at pick number 9 overall?
That might not be out of the question. He gave a lot of teams a lot to think about.