11 Senior Bowl Prospects who Could End up as Broncos in 2020 Draft

The NFL cliche goes 'the draft starts down in Mobile.' Every NFL team will have multiple representatives at the Senior Bowl.

This is a unique week where players, coaches, general managers, scouts, and even the media all descend on in Mobile, AL. There's no better time for teams to try and get to know these prospects on a personal level than an entire week devoted to that very cause.

This week has played a major role in helping form the Denver Broncos' roster over the years. In 2019, the Broncos drafted Senior Bowl standouts Dalton Risner and Drew Lock in the second round.

In 2018, when the Broncos were one of the two NFL coaching staffs at the Senior Bowl, they selected DaeSean Hamilton, Troy Fumagalli, and Isaac Yiadom. all three of whom competed on the Denver-coached North squad. I would expect this will be another year where at least one player from the Senior Bowl will find their way onto the Broncos’ roster.

Going through the Senior Bowl rosters, it's time to help you get to know the prospects that could interest the Broncos in the upcoming draft. Some of these prospects are expected to go early, while others will fall more into the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.

All of these prospects fit something the Broncos are lacking at the moment when looking ahead to the 2020 season. I’ll start with the prospects expected to be early picks in the draft, as these prospects might improve their stock enough to be the selection at pick 15 when April rolls around.

Javon Kinlaw, DL | South Carolina

Most Mile High draftniks talk about three positions being on the table for the Broncos in the first round; cornerback, wide receiver, and offensive tackle.

A position that should be getting more attention is that of the defensive line. The Broncos could be losing Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris, and Adam Gotsis this offseason. I would expect the team to at least add one player in free agency, but that still would leave at least one more spot needed to round out the defensive line.

Kinlaw has been one of the biggest climbers this season in terms of draft stock. He added some much-needed muscle last offseason and has shown incredible burst and play strength throughout the season. On top of that, the kid plays with a high motor. His size, length, power, and speed would be something that Vic Fangio could set up for great success on the interior.

The one big area of concern when it comes to Kinlaw is the question of how ready is he for the NFL. As an athlete, he has the potential to be a star in the NFL. He needs some technical refinement to reach that potential.

There are a lot of snaps where he wins initially but doesn’t have the finishing moves to make the full impact that he could. There are also instances where teams use his aggressive play style and lack of awareness to open up running lanes, letting him get too far up the field.

All of those things are correctable with coaching, so the question for the Broncos will be — do they believe Kinlaw is a guy that will take to coaching from D-Line czar Bill Kollar? If so, it would not shock me to see Kinlaw be the Broncos' first-round pick in April.

Kristian Fulton, CB | LSU

Fulton is regarded by most draftniks as a top-20 prospect in the coming draft. He has the height/weight/speed combination most are looking for in a true top cornerback. In 2018, he took the college football world by storm outperforming his teammate Greedy Williams (who went in round two of this past draft).

This year, Fulton has been overshadowed a bit by freshman standout Derek Stingley, but ot hasn’t hurt his draft stock one bit. I’ve even seen recently someone having Fulton ranked as the top secondary player in the entire draft.

I wouldn’t go that high in my evaluation of him, but he looks like a player with a high floor/ceiling at a position most teams in the league need talent. The Broncos fall into that category with possibly Chris Harris, Jr. taking his talents elsewhere in free agency and the remaining depth of the cornerback room replete with questions.

Looking at his actual play on the field, LSU asked Fulton to line up one-on-one and shut down half the field. The coaches trusted him to take on a wide variety of players from that of Henry Ruggs III of Alabama to Tee Higgins of Clemson. Fulton has the size and technique to hand fight well with bigger players like Higgins and the speed/quickness to hold his own against elite speed.

I have no doubt at the Senior Bowl Fulton will do well in the one-on-one drills that the coaches run every day of practice. Where he will need to show more, especially to teams like the Broncos, is his ability to function in zone coverage.

LSU ran some zone coverage, but for the most part, Fulton spent his time in press-man coverage. He will also need to show better ability to get off blocks and help out in the run game. He is a decent tackler, but it is easy to see he doesn’t always get involved in helping stop a runner unless he has no other choice.

Fulton's lack of help in the run game is why he is pushed down my Broncos board. If I was only evaluating his ability in coverage, he would be the second cornerback taken. In the end, he might still end up in that spot, but Fangio’s system demands all secondary players to get involved in the run game and teams would definitely take advantage of a weak link on the roster.

UPDATE: Tom Pelissero reported on Monday that Kristian Fulton has decided to pass on competing in the Senior Bowl, due to a "significant family issue" and citing health concerns.

Damon Arnette, CB | Ohio State

When people speak of Ohio State's secondary, the first couple of names mentioned are not going to include Arnette. That doesn’t mean he hasn't shown incredible talent on the field. Arnette decided to return for his senior year to improve his draft stock.

Right now, most big boards have him ranked in that late second or early third-round range. A great week at the Senior Bowl and I would not be shocked if he ends up in the early part of round two.

Physically, Arnette meets the threshold of what most teams look for in height and weight. Speed-wise, some begin to knock his game as he falls into the category of being quick but not fast. His long speed is something teams will be keeping a close eye on as the offseason evaluation process begins.

Arnette's play fits a lot of what the Broncos are looking for, though. Ohio State asked him mostly to play a lot of press-man coverage, but in his few reps playing zone, he showed better than expected ability. He showed good ability to understand when to pick up a player coming in and out of his zone and didn't panic when the quarterback began to look his direction.

Arnette is not afraid to get involved in the run game and showed sound technique when coming up to make the play. He also showed incredible intelligence of what an offense is trying to run at him and is rarely caught out of position.

I was hoping Arnette would slip somewhere into the third round of the draft, but my guess is, if the Broncos really want him, the second round is where they'll have to go get him. He would be a huge addition to this secondary and give Denver a nice piece to build that cornerback room around.

UPDATE: For some reason, Damon Arnette's name was removed from the Senior Bowl roster we learned on Monday. We're expecting to learn early this week if/why he pulled out.

Eno Benjamin, RB | Arizona State

The hiring of Pat Shurmur has made the running back position value jump quite a bit. Philip Lindsay is an outstanding running back and will be heavily involved in the offense, but right now the Broncos don't have the complementary piece needed to make this unit function.

Shurmur heavily involves the running backs in the passing game and right now, the Broncos don't have a back who can be trusted in this role. I wouldn’t be shocked if they bring back Theo Riddick for this very reason, but the draft is chock-full of options if they want to spend money elsewhere.

One of those players is Benjamin. He's not going to be the fastest, shiftiest, or the strongest running in this draft. He does fit the inside/outside zone type runs that have shown up quite a bit under Shurmur the last few years, though.

Benjamin's greatest contribution will be as a pass-catcher. He had 42 receptions this past season and showed some ability to make people miss in space for big gains. More importantly, he showed some nuanced route-running and soft hands when the ball came his way.

There are more explosive options in this draft who could bring more bib-play ability, but if the Broncos want a consistent player that can come in on third-down situations, Benjamin could be the choice. I don’t see him being a work-horse type of back, but really, the Broncos are not needing that with Lindsay in the building.

The biggest area that Benjamin will need to prove himself at the Senior Bowl is as a pass blocker. He was not asked to do this often for Arizona State and struggled to be consistent when called upon.

If he can show improvement in this area, it could go a long way toward him becoming a nice mid-round pick in the upcoming draft. If he struggles at the Senior Bowl as a pass blocker, he might find himself becoming a late-round choice for a team.

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Brandon Aiyuk, WR | Arizona State

There might not be a bigger need on the Broncos' roster than wide receiver. Shurmur is known for his desire to spread a defense out and allow his receivers to win one-on-one battles with quick passes that get turned into big plays.

Other than Courtland Sutton, there isn't a receiver in Denver that fits that description well. Thankfully, the 2020 draft is replete with players that can do just that. Aiyuk is one of them.

Aiyuk's draft stock has soared this year. His explosive ability in the short and deep areas are exactly what the Broncos are missing. He has proven on quite a few occasions to take a quick slant that should have been a minimal gain for a touchdown. All he needs is a step or two and once he's in the open field, good luck to the defense.

Arizona State loved putting Aiyuk back in the return game for this very reason. On deep passes, he has shown nuanced route-running to help set up a defender to beat him deep while also showing good tracking ability to come down with the football. He doesn’t have elite hands or ability to win the 50/50 type throws, but he isn’t terrible at those things either.

The biggest questions Aiyuk will need to answer at the Senior Bowl will be some sloppy route-running (especially on comeback routes) and ball security concerns. If the Broncos miss out on the top receivers in the first round, though, it would not shock me to see Aiyuk end up the selection in the second round.

Devin Duvernay, WR | Texas

Duvernay falls into that same category of explosive athlete that can take a quick pass to the house or win over the top with track speed going down the field. He is built very differently from other athletic wide receivers, though, in that he looks more like a running back with massive lower-half strength and ability to run over anyone who gets in his way to the end zone.

Duvernay is not afraid of contact both with the ball in his hands and when trying to win a jump-ball situation. He is one that will make sure the first player misses and that it will take multiple defenders to bring him down as he fights for every yard.

This will be as big of a week for him at the Senior Bowl as anyone on the field. He is a very raw prospect, especially at the wide receiver position. As a route runner, he has very little nuance and wants to go at top speed leading to some rounded cuts and difficulty with body position when the pass is not perfect.

Duvernay will also have some questions of whether he will mostly be designated to the slot position like he played for Texas or can he show some ability to play on the outside and win against press coverage. If he can show some things he was not asked to do much of at Texas, he could get one of the bigger bumps in draft stock this offseason.

Denzel Mims, WR | Baylor

As explosive as Aiyuk and Duvernay are on the field, they still are on a tier lower than that of Mims. Safeties 15 yards off the line of scrimmage start their backpedal to his side of the field as soon as the ball is snapped. Cornerbacks bail out of their backpedal about the same time, leaving easy opportunities on comeback routes for Mims.

There are maybe only one or two other college wideouts that can boast being a bigger threat deep than that of Mims. He ended up with 38 catches that went for 20 or more yards in 2018. What has me intrigued with his game is the fact that he showed in 2019 he is not just a deep threat wide receiver.

Baylor added a bit more to his plate as a route runner and he answered the bell. Teams had to start fearing his work over the middle of the field with some quick ins and slant routes, while also trying to get him involved in the screen game.

This week at the Senior Bowl, Mims could jump into that conversation for being a top-10 wide receiver in this class. He must show teams that can handle press-man coverage as the Big-12 is not known for programs challenging receivers in this way. His free release off the line of scrimmage is not something he will see often in the NFL.

Mims will also need to show an ability to take to coaching as he is still learning the little details of what it means to be a receiver. Every season with Baylor, he has shown small jumps in football acumen, but for a team to commit a day-two pick to his skill set, he will need to prove he is more than just a speedster playing football.

Hakeem Adeniji, OT | Kansas

There are a lot of people who want the Broncos to go early and often at O-line come April. I’m afraid there is a good chance that might not be the case. Garett Bolles showed some promise to close out the season and the Broncos have invested a lot of money into Ja’Wuan James.

Denver will add someone to the tackle group as depth was obviously a concern, but they might be looking in the mid-round area for a developmental piece more so than a day-one starter. This is where a guy like Adeniji could come into the picture.

He has starting experience at both the right and left tackle position while playing for Kansas and has shown a desire to improve his game. He is technically sound, especially with his footwork and knee bend. Rarely do you see him panic on the field even when he gets beat, as he has shown an ability to reset himself and try to get back into position.

Interviews are going to be the biggest aspect of Adeniji's Senior Bowl week. His primary area of concern is his play strength and that is not going to have improved dramatically from the end of the season to the start of practices in Mobile.

Adeniji needs a year in the weight room before being called upon to be a starter. If he were to be asked to start as a rookie, my bet is that he would do fine, but he has the potential to be a quality starter with some added strength. The Broncos could be thinking more about 2021 when it comes to tackles and Adeniji would be a nice piece to add and one I do think Mike Munchak would love to develop.

Nick Harris, C | Washington

The very first game I watched of Harris, it only took about four plays to be enamored with his incredible athleticism. I actually said out loud to an empty room 'how in the world does a big man move like that?'

I thought it was a big tight end getting to the second level of the defense. The man can move which surprises some linebackers when he shows up to make the block. On top of being athletic, he is also one of the more technically sound interior players in this draft.

The man knows how to hand fight and win with leverage, though it does help that he is only 6-foot-1. If the Broncos decide to move on from Connor McGovern or move him over to right guard, Harris should be very high on the team's radar. He would be a day-one starter at center and a player that would not look overwhelmed at the beginning of his career.

Harris will have some questions about his play strength as he is not the strongest player on the field by any means. There are plays that bigger/stronger interior defensive linemen have shown some ability to push him back into the lap of the quarterback, but those reps are rare on film.

Harris' lack of play strength is greatly benefitted by his short stature and great technique in knowing how to be the low man in the battle. There is a large group of interior O-line prospects all grouped together. I’ve seen about four or five take the top spot with different outlets. This week, Harris will be given that extra opportunity to really impress teams around the league and prove he should be the top interior player in this upcoming draft.

Matt Hennessy, C | Temple

My bold prediction for the Broncos' coming offseason is that their starting center for the 2020 season is at the Senior Bowl. There are a lot of names that I could put here that would be a good fit and day-one contributor. If the Broncos do re-sign McGovern, it'll be to play right guard.

This is not a shot at what he showed as a center this year, just more about how strong this center class is going to be. Hennessy is another I am guessing the Broncos will be looking hard at this week.

He has graded out as one of the best pass-blocking centers in all of college football for a couple of seasons now. If you want a player that has the length, size, intelligence, and technical play at the center position, Hennessy is your guy.

He will not wow you with pancake blocks or elite athleticism on the field. His ceiling is a bit limited compared to some other interior offensive linemen in this draft, but again, he wins with intelligence and technique. At the center position, those are two very high-quality traits to have as strength and athleticism are not always at the top of the list of needs.

Most likely, Hennessy will end up a late day-two or early day-three kind of prospect and if the Broncos can nab him to start on day one, that's a huge victory when it comes to maximizing draft capital. This week, the best thing he can show on the field is a command of the line of scrimmage like he has done at Temple and prove to teams that his football intelligence is worth the risk of knowing he will not be the most athletically gifted player drafted in April.

Josh Jones, OT | Houston

If the Broncos do decide to go tackle in the first round, this is the name to keep an eye on. The top tackles are expected to go early in this draft as almost every team needs another quality tackle added to their roster.

Jones could find himself as the next tackle on a lot of teams' boards as he was one of the most efficient blockers in all of college football. He gets knocked a bit for the level of competition he faced, but then again, he dominated against players he should dominate.

This past season, Jones allowed only four pressures and only one that was either a sack or hit on the quarterback. He has done all of that while looking like a very raw prospect for the position. His ceiling is that of top tackle in this draft clas. His floor is also a huge bust if he cannot clean up the technical aspects of his game.

The biggest area this week that teams will be looking for is how well Jones takes to coaching. Again, when the block of clay has the makings of a masterpiece, there will be a lot of intrigue surrounding it.

Is Jones willing to be molded? If so, and if the Broncos are willing to show some patience knowing he probably won’t be a day-one starter, he could be a huge pick moving forward. The Broncos could also be scared off, though, having seen the very same conversation happen over the last few years with Bolles and so far the return has been minimal.

The Takeaway

The talent that will be gathering at the Senior Bowl could be the best crop of prospects the Mobile has ever had. It would not surprise me to see the Broncos lean heavily on what happens this week.

Denver has a penchant for players Senior Bowl participants and have more recently shown that the team likes players with experience and leadership. The path to the draft truly starts in Mobile and I for one cannot wait to start watching the practices to see which names really emerge and see their draft stock begin to soar or plummet.

Follow Carl on Twitter @CarlDumlerMHH and @MileHighHuddle.