Shrine Bowl Notebook: Day 2 | 3 Prospects for Broncos Jump Out
Las Vegas, NV. — For the second day in a row, prospects from the East-West Shrine Bowl had an opportunity to prove that they’ve improved since Day 1 in front of NFL coaches and scouts. Sunday was the final day of practice for both East and West teams at an impressive UNLV Fertitta Center.
On Monday, practices will resume at Allegiant Stadium through Tuesday with the game scheduled to be played on Thursday.
My favorite part of practice on Sunday was scouting and evaluating prospects that demonstrated consistency and most notably, improvement in consecutive days. A handful of Denver Broncos scouts were once again in attendance with sights set on the next crop of draft selections for second-year GM George Paton and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
With beautiful weather in the 60s in Sin City, Day 2 was a great opportunity for prospects to turn some heads. Here are three players that could end up on the Broncos' radar based on their most recent performances at Shrine practice.
Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | Maryland
Background: At 6-foot-2, 242 pounds, Okonkwo was heavily recruited as a three-star recruit and was ranked as the eighth-best tight end by ESPN coming out of high school. The Georgia native received offers from Navy, Georgia Tech, and Wisconsin before choosing to play for Maryland.
As a freshman, Okonkwo played in 12 games with four starts and was utilized as a rusher on three runs for 72 yards and three touchdowns in addition to catching six passes for 69 yards and one score. During his sophomore season, he was utilized as both a tight end and wide receiver, catching 19 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown while averaging 10.6 yards per catch.
Okonkwo sat out his junior 2020 season due to medical reasons but returned for his senior year in 2021. He started all 13 games at tight end for the Terps and had the team’s second-most receptions with 52 catches for 447 yards and five scores. He earned 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors and earned his degree in kinesiology.
Traits: One of the most noticeable things about Okonkwo’s game is his football acumen. He’s clearly talented and has extensive knowledge of the route tree, specifically finding open spaces between linebackers and defensive backs.
In both one-on-one drills and seven-on-seven, Okonkwo showed off his great hands and exceptional awareness. He’s a thick-bodied tight end that can snatch up 50/50 balls and will undoubtedly be highly coveted on the draft board of many teams this spring.
While the Broncos have two solid tight ends in Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam, it’s very likely that third-stringer Eric Saubert could be playing elsewhere in 2022. While Saubert was one of the only bright spots on special teams, the Broncos need to continue developing players and can create dynamic depth at the tight end position.
Dareke Young | WR | Lenoir-Rhyne
Background: Young comes from Division II football at Lenoir-Rhyne but is absolutely an NFL prospect at the receiver position. A native of North Carolina, Young earned Academic All-Conference honors in high school before opting to play for the Bears in his home state.
As a freshman, Young played in eight games and caught two balls for 18 yards while playing special teams. But in his sophomore season, he was much more utilized for his athleticism playing in 14 games with seven receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Young also rushed the ball 38 times for 318 yards and four scores. During his junior season for the Bears, he was the team leader with 25 receptions for 515 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 20.6 yards per catch, in addition to rushing 49 times for 335 yards and four scores.
The dynamic playmaker recorded 12 touchdowns in 74 touches before returning for his senior season where he only played in two games due to a knee injury but drew scouts to the Bears’ games because of his freakish athletic talent.
Traits: At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Young utilizes his powerful frame while also having light feet. He’s a willing blocker and consistently set the edge in team periods and did whatever coaches told him to do.
I really like his physicality at the point of attack with DBs and he proved to be fearless in big crowds of defenders. Young has an extremely high motor, was always hustling, and was eager to get as many reps as possible — whether in positional drills or seven-on-sevens.
Young’s game reminds me a lot of Broncos wideout Tim Patrick in the fact that he’s a blue-collar player that is unselfish and quiet. From rushing the ball in college to being a consistent playmaker, Young remained loyal to his Division II school after receiving Division I offers as an upperclassman. This type of player screams Paton in terms of quality and talent as a developmental receiver.
Jack Sanborn | LB | Wisconsin
Background: The 6-foot-2, 239-pound linebacker was originally a three-star ESPN recruit in high school coming out of his home state of Illinois. As a freshman in 2018, he earned his first letter for playing in 11 games and logged seven tackles, four solo stuffs, and one forced fumble with one pass deflection.
As a sophomore, Sanborn started all 14 games at inside linebacker and led the Badgers with 80 total tackles, nine tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and recovered one fumble. For back-to-back seasons, Sanborn led his team in tackles as he totaled 52 tackles in seven games with four tackles for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pick.
His play got him on the watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award, and Butkus Award as one of college football's best linebackers.
Traits: Sanborn plays with lights-out physicality against the run and gave offensive linemen fits the last two days. He has an ability to play underneath linemen’s pad level and use leverage to shed blocks and pursue the ball-carrier.
Sanborn also demonstrated exceptional communication and was an obvious leader of his position group and defensive unit both on and off the field. He always had his head on a swivel and has decent coverage ability in both man and zone schemes as he demonstrated both on Day 2 against opposing tight ends.
League sources that I’ve spoken to forecast Sanborn as a mid-round pick with his stock on the rise. He has also drawn comparisons to New York Giants LB Blake Martinez and Pittsburgh Steelers LB Joe Schobert.
Coaches worked Sanborn out at both inside and outside linebacker positions, showing significant versatility for the Badger. Because both Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson are unrestricted free agents in 2022, a mid-round selection of Sanborn could immediately bolster the Broncos' linebacker corps.
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