Finding Broncos: 10 Shrine Bowl Takeaways

The 2023 Shrine Bowl was a defensive battle where the West team walked out with the Victory over the East, 12-3. There were some prospects that stood out that will catch the eyes of NFL teams, but they were mainly on the defensive side of the ball.

With the state of the Denver Broncos' roster, and the low number of draft picks the team currently holds, many of these prospects should be within striking range. While there wasn't a great chance to elevate everyone in the game, the week of practices is of higher importance.

The actual Shrine Bowl game is a chance for players to prove that all the learning through the week can be implemented in a game-like setting, even with all the restrictions on what the teams can do. What did we learn from the Shrine Bowl, and what could it mean for the Broncos?

Let's dive in.

Quarterbacks Struggle to Get Going

The top quarterback prospect at the game was Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and he made a couple of big-time throws, but in the end, he completed 7-of-17 passes. He showed off his mobility, but the majority of the concerns about his game were still there.

Aidan O'Connell was the next top quarterback, who completed 6-of-16 passes. Both quarterbacks were all over the place with their reads and placement. Tanner Morgan, Tim DeMorant, Tommy DeVito, and Chase Brice rounded the quarterback room.

These QBs combined to complete 24 total passes between the six players, while attempting 56 total throws, with three interceptions and a few more dropped interceptions. Thompson-Robinson and O'Connell have a chance to be drafted in the later rounds, but no one took advantage of the Shrine Week to stand out.

It didn't help that all quarterbacks dealt with offensive line issues.

O-Line Unsurprisingly Struggled

There were some intriguing prospects for late-round/undrafted developmental projects, but it was rough. Of course, it is typically a little more difficult for the offensive line because it deals with comfort and chemistry with those next to them in the trenches. But, even without that, they still have a job to do.

The former Penn State center Juice Scruggs had a good week of practice, but didn't translate it to the game. Unfortunately, neither did center Arkansas' Ricky Stromberg.

Multiple small-school offensive linemen had a chance to show off, but they fell short. Pace's Jacky Chen had three notable reps, one of them was a positive run block, but then he whiffed on a couple of pass protection plays before being pulled. Minnesota-Duluth's Brent Laing, Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Mark Evans III, and William & Mary's Colby Sorsdal had a few notable reps for negative reasons.

A Couple RBs Stole the Show

There were a few running backs who had some big runs. Utah's Tavion Thomas had a big scamper up the middle for 29 yards, and Fresno State's Jordan Mims had a 30-yard run for the East team. However, outside of those runs, they were mostly lackluster.

On the West roster, Charles McClelland picked up 37 yards, with 15 on a single run. But, in the end, the running back who stole the show was Arizona State's Xazavian Valladay, who seemed to pick up at least five years every time he touched the ball. He made defenders miss in the backfield and quickly got upfield.

Valladay finished with the most carries and yards taking 13 carries for 76 yards and a long of 15 yards. He was consistent and reliable, and as someone who was viewed mainly as a priority-free agent, he helped himself. He is the type of running back that the Broncos could use to help complement Javonte Williams.

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Missed Defensive Opportunities

Obviously, it was a defensive game with a score of 12-3. That doesn't mean everything was perfect. Kahlef Hailassie made a great play to jump a route after baiting the quarterback, only to drop what would have been a pick-6.

Hailassie wasn't the only defender to drop an interception, as about four other passes resulted in a dropped interception. Other missed opportunities led to big plays, from missed tackles or a failure to finish a pass rush.

Some of them, like LSU's Jarrick Bernard-Converse, had their missed opportunity and made up for it. For example, on the aforementioned run by Jordan Mims, Bernard-Converse whiffed on a tackle, only to break up a pass on a key down later in the game.

Missed opportunities happen, but how the player rebounds can help the perception. Not only that, there was one interception on Minnesota's Tanner Morgan, who got flushed out of the pocket and tried to make a play that got reversed due to a defensive penalty.

Pass Rushers Had a Night

With the offensive line struggling, that led to positive results for the pass rushers, and multiple players stood out. Eastern Michigan's Jose Ramirez got multiple pressures and sacks, with one being a strip sack.

Ramirez outpaced Ole Miss offensive lineman Mason Brooks around the corner to force the strip sack. But that wasn't all Ramirez did, as he flew to the ball from behind on a run and set the edge well when in front of the run.

Rice defender Ikenna Enechukwu also got his fair share of pressures on the quarterback. He was moved around the defensive line and saw success from multiple alignments.

The most interesting pass rusher is a former MMA fighter in Pitt's Habbakuk Baldanado. You can see the MMA background when watching him on tape, and during the week, there was a focus on improving his technique. However, all the physical traits are there, and how he translated the week of coaching to the game shows he can be developed.

Stephen F. Austin's B.J. Thompson, Fresno State's Caleb Murray, West Virginia's Dante Stills, Wagner's Titus Leo, and Louisiana's Andre Jones also showed plenty of potential as pass rushers in the game.

Big Boys on D Controlled the Trenches

Not only did Stills flash his ability as a pass rusher, but he also worked against the run. Some of the previously mentioned edge rushers did show some issues there, but Stills, Ramirez, Thompson, and Baldanado had their flashes against the run.

Brenton Cox Jr really stood out with his run defense. Multiple times he set the edge and shed his block to make a play on the ball carrier. However, who really stole the show with their run defense was the defensive line.

There was a lot of hype around PJ Mustipher entering the game with the week he had, but it didn't translate to the game. However, some around him, like Toledo's Desjuan Johnson, managed to flash on the defensive interior. He stood up blocks well against the run and managed to penetrate to disrupt multiple runs.

The interior defensive lineman who stole the show was Western Kentucky's Brodric Martin. He came in at 6-foot-4, 337 pounds, with 34-inch arms. From the start of the week, with measurements, he was going to have a lot of the talent evaluator's attention.

Martin broke through his block to secure the strip sack from Ramirez, but he was practically immovable against the run and showed a solid ability to penetrate. On one run, Martin tossed his blocker to blow up a run for a huge tackle for a loss, and that was one of a few reps that stood out. With the way the NFL is shifting, Martin has the size, length, and solid burst to interest multiple teams, and the Broncos could be one as they look to bolster their defensive line.

Defenders Flew Around

One thing was evident in the game, a lot of the defenders for both teams fly when out there on the field. Hailassie, as previously mentioned, dropped an interception, but his ability to quickly close and jump the route was still great.

Ball State's Nic Jones looks like a modern nickel corner. On top of being able to fly around on the field with good speed and plenty of quickness in his change of direction, Jones doesn't let his smaller size be an issue. Instead, he offers a competitive and physical play style that can also translate to special teams.

Louisville's Kei'Trel Clark didn't get much of a chance to show all he could do, as he didn't seem to be targeted once in the game. However, he had a massive week of practice, and his reputation seemingly preceded him. Even so, he was still flying around and getting involved in the run game, after a catch, and on special teams.

Safety Trey Dean III had one of the interceptions in the game, but he was quick to trigger downhill against the run, leading to multiple big plays in that area. Houston's Art Green didn't get an interception, but he seemed involved in almost every tackle in the game when he was on the field.

The defensive backs had a great game as a whole unit, and nearly everyone made multiple noteworthy plays. They weren't the only defenders flying around, though, as the linebackers got involved. North Carolina State's Drake Thomas showed his ability to sort through the trash and get to the ball carrier, which he did on multiple occasions. There is also a lot to work with as a blitzer from his tape, but rules with the game kept him from showing that off.

Michigan State's Ben VanSumeren, Tennessee's Jeremy Banks, Vanderbilt's Anfernee Orji, Florida's Amari Burney, Utah's Mohamoud Diabate, and Duke's Shaka Heyward also made multiple noteworthy plays on defense and special teams.

Special Teams had its Opportunities

Michael Turk is an interesting story as a punter, as he has the Combine record for a number of bench press reps. However, he got a waiver to return to college and now has a chance to beat his record. He got plenty of work in the game and showed off a big leg, but also solid accuracy with his punt placement.

Turk punted five times, averaging 49.2 yards, dropping two inside the 20-yard line and a third falling in the endzone for a touchback.

The offensive player of the game ended up being Michigan kicker Jake Moody, who made two 35, 30, and 51-yard field goals.

Multiple defenders showed their ability to be special teams players on coverage units, but Texas' D'Shawn Jamison showed his ability as a returner. On two punt returns, he picked up 30 yards that came on one return. He quickly got the ball and went, showing good vision to get through gaps in the coverage unit.

Players Walked Away Healthy

One of the best things to see out of these games is everyone walking out on the other side. That is what happened. These players were leaving it all out on the field to keep their dreams of getting drafted alive. They walk out healthy instead of having that dream wrecked with a serious injury.

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