Broncos Senior Bowl Notebook: Day 3 | A Trio of Risers Emerges
MOBILE, Ala. - The practices sessions for the 2021 Senior Bowl are officially in the books for both the National and American Teams. Fridays are typically a brief, light walk-through in preparation for Saturday's game, so the bulk of the workweek is over for the prospects — apart from interviews with individual NFL teams.
All week I've highlighted prospects that fit the Denver Broncos and Thursday served as the culmination of the most consistent performances all week. With the Senior Bowl being the only true in-person pre-draft event this year allowing scouts, coaches, and analysts access to evaluate players, here are three prospects that dominated all week and should be viewed as risers heading into the draft.
Most Complete DB | Benjamin St-Juste | Minnesota
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Originally from Quebec, Canada, there was a lot of excitement from the scouting community that St-Juste accepted a last-minute invitation to the Senior Bowl. The 6-foot, 200-pound cornerback began his college career in Ann Arbor with the Michigan Wolverines where he appeared in three games in 2017.
However, a serious hamstring injury that he sustained in 2018, caused St-Juste to retire from football. But after his recovery, he entered the NCAA transfer portal where he was contacted by Minnesota who brought him in for a visit. Coaches inquired about his love for the game, injuries, and whether he could still play college football and ultimately decided to suit him up.
In 15 games for the Golden Gophers, St-Juste had a remarkable comeback logging 59 tackles (47 solo), and 11 passes defended. During all three days of practice, St-Juste not only balled out but he received loads of praise from the Miami Dolphins coaching staff on the National Team.
During one-on-one drills, St-Juste challenged receivers on the perimeter and proved to be extremely physical and aggressive. He’s a big-bodied corner with a low stance pre-snap, allowing him to backpedal smoothly and swivel his hips.
During every practice, St-Juste demonstrated remarkable instincts, and closing ability resulting in multiple pass break-ups that frustrated a host of receivers and quarterbacks. Although he had one of the strongest DB performances of the week, medical concerns will most likely make him a late-round selection in the upcoming draft.
St-Juste was a player with something to prove headed into the week, and he should leave Mobile feeling confident and comfortable with his performance.
The RT Denver Desperately Needs | Jake Curhan | California
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At 6-foot-6 and 323 pounds, Curhan will immediately capture your eye. This behemoth of a man started 40 games at right tackle for the Golden Bears where he earned a reputation as one of the most consistent players with 39 consecutive starts and earning PAC-12 All-Academic Honors.
As I’ve continued to dive deep into his film, there’s no question that Curhan's best collegiate performance was last season's win over Oregon. Much like his performance in the Conference rivalry, he continued right where he left off in Mobile.
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While some scouts have been critical of Curhan’s lack of athleticism, he looked like the best right tackle of the entire 2021 class. Not only did he demonstrate agility and above-average mobility, but he also exhibited complete elements of his game in pass protection and the run game. He’s a traditional road-grader with impressive footwork.
Curhan's powerful punch knocks defenders off-balance, in addition to his quick recovery with hand replacement. During multiple team periods and pit drills, he was pancaking defensive linemen, and more impressively, climbed to the next level to swallow up linebackers.
In pass protection, Curhan's low squat assists his recovery with both kick and post steps. In fact, I was so impressed with his footwork that during the first two days of practice, I notated that he could play on the interior at guard. And that’s exactly what the coaches thought as well, rotating Curhan at left and right guard and back to right tackle on Thursday.
Not only did Curhan impress and show improvement with his game at right tackle but was coachable and welcomed the challenge to prove that he could be versatile in the NFL. While it’s too early to project where he’ll be selected in the draft, Curhan is not only an intriguing prospect but could perhaps fill the void at right tackle that’s plagued the Broncos for what feels like a lifetime.
Most Impressive Receiver | TE John Bates | Boise State
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The most unlikely Bates could be the most valuable receiver at the 2021 Senior Bowl as a tight end. At 6-foot-6 and 259 pounds, the Oregon native demonstrated that he’s an impressive athlete with loads of talent.
As a track star in high school, Bates competed in hurdles, the long jump, the triple jump, and the javelin. As he competed in the Mountain West Conference, the redshirt senior’s numbers might not jump off the page: 23 games with 47 receptions for 579 yards, and two touchdowns, averaging 12.3 yards per reception.
But Bates' athleticism and abilities landed him on the John Mackey Award Watch List twice, in addition to All-Mountain West honorable mention honors.
Bates had scouts and analysts audibly ‘oohing’ and ‘awing’ in every single practice with his impressive catches, and route-running ability. With shades of Tampa Bay's Cameron Brate and Philadelphia's Zach Ertz to his game, Bates was a dynamic red-zone monster the entire week.
RELATED: Broncos Senior Bowl Notebook: Day 2
Bates routinely bailed out his QBs on poor throws, lifting the offense out of what should have been incompletions or interceptions. He uses his explosive tree-trunks of legs to jump into the air and pull down contested and 50/50 balls in mid-air.
The former long jumper also used his length and reach to hurl himself into the end zone, scoring multiple touchdowns in team drills. With excellent hands, and the willingness to fight through a contact there’s little doubt that Bates will absolutely have an opportunity to prove his worth in the NFL.
Again, it's exceedingly early to project which round prospects will be selected but if you had to pin me down with a draft projection, I’d argue that Bates’ performance elevated him to the middle rounds of the draft.
Happy Trails, Mobile, I’ll See You Next Year
With the current climate of the pandemic, and this being the first Senior Bowl I've covered, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’ve previously covered the Shrine Bowl in Tampa, various college pro days, and of course Broncos practice, training camp, and games, but this was a brand-new event, in a brand-new stadium, in an unprecedented NFL landscape.
Before my nerves got too antsy, Mobile welcomed me with open arms, smiles, and classic Southern hospitality. Folks down here are very charming, and proud of their rich football heritage and embedded connection to the Senior Bowl and NFL draft.
In addition to the Southern charm, I ate like a king in Mobile with some of the world’s best BBQ and banana pudding that made me grin and giggle. Most importantly, I was finally able to scratch my football itch and absorb prospects competing in the greatest game in the history of this planet — the same game we grew up with as children, teenagers, and now adults.
The same game that we plan our day around and share laughs with family and friends. Football will forever be king, not only in the South but especially in Broncos Country. The NFL draft started in Mobile.
Follow Luke on Twitter @LukePattersonLP and @MileHighHuddle.
