Report: Broncos to Host East Carolina CB Ja'Quan McMillian on Pre-Draft Visit
Finding the next potential Chris Harris, Jr. to fill the Denver Broncos' current need at the slot cornerback position might prove to be an impossible task. The Broncos' front office is once again actively mining the collegiate ranks to unearth a late-round gem or even an undrafted longshot.
Broncos' GM George Paton had that quest in mind when reportedly invited East Carolina cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian in for a visit, per 247Sports' Stephen Igoe. Despite being somewhat undersized, standing at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, McMillian was still ranked by Pro Football Focus as the highest-graded cover cornerback in college football, but that still wasn’t deemed good enough to garner an invitation to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. 247Sports writes:
McMillian has already taken one Top 30 NFL visit to the Detroit Lions, and he’s also got trips set up with the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs before the NFL Draft. McMillian is currently a projected Day 3 pick or undrafted free agent.
Harris, Jr. once suffered the same indignity. The slight was surprising, considering McMillian gained a reputation as a prodigious ball-hawk during his three seasons spent playing at East Carolina, during which he picked off a total of a dozen passes. Turning that negative into a positive is now firmly in the hands of the 21-year-old, who isn’t afraid to tackle and added 22 pounds of muscle from when he initially first tipped the scales as a freshman.
New opportunities have arisen from several additional NFL invites to visit, including from the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, and the Broncos' major divisional rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Grabbing a chance to shine is all that matters to McMillian as he puts the Combine setback in his rearview mirror by focusing on his college pro day, at which, 28 NFL teams attended.
“I was definitely shocked,” McMillian admitted via 247sports. “But it happens for a reason. I had to keep going, keep pushing. I had the opportunity to come out here in front of a good amount of scouts. It was a bummer, but I can’t look back now. Still going to head forward.”
Successful corners tend to possess the inherent ability to forget their mistakes and personal setbacks, so it’s inevitable that pro scouts will have noted McMillian's resilience and strength of character. Digging for value is something Paton excelled at during his maiden draft as the Broncos' GM, when he landed OG Quinn Meinerz, LB Baron Browning, S Caden Sterns, and OLB Jonathon Cooper in the third round and beyond, so he is most certainly watching.
Playing inside seems the natural fit for McMillian in the NFL, and with veteran Bryce Callahan now increasingly likely to move on, it’s an even more obvious fit within the Broncos scheme, though Denver did sign K'Waun Williams. Alongside having a short memory, possessing a high level of confidence marks out a slot corner for NFL success, and McMillian appears to be no different as he heads into the draft process.
“I’ve talked to a lot of scouts and people who really like my tape and what I did earlier in my career,” McMillian said. “I feel really confident about this draft coming up. I’m just happy to have this opportunity.”
For now, the Broncos' slot corner position is projected to be manned by Williams with the recently-returned Essang Bassey as the depth. Don't sleep on McMillian as a potential puzzle piece.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
