10 Senior Bowl Defensive Standouts Broncos Should Be Watching

The 2026 Senior Bowl practices are in the books. More value is placed on the practices than on the actual game.

Over the years, the Denver Broncos have drafted many players from the Senior Bowl, with defensive tackle Sai’vion Jones last year, along with undrafted linebacker Karene Reid, and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine from 2024, and that doesn’t count three other draft picks that were at the event last year that don’t play defense.

After watching the three practices this week, 10 defenders stood out, five for the American roster and five for the National roster. These prospects could appeal to the Broncos with the current state of their roster.

Let's get into it.

National Roster

Lee Hunter | NT | Texas Tech

Hunter is a massive human being, and he was a dominating force in practice, outside of maybe five reps. There are many elements that need to be cleaned up from a technical standpoint, but his power, especially for his size, is exceptional.

T.J. Parker | Edge | Clemson

Parker entered the week with the pedigree of a first-round prospect who never lived up to it, but he showed why he had that projection during the week. He was good each day of practice, but he started hot, then cooled off, though he wasn't suddenly poor; he was just less dominant.

Max Llewellyn | Edge | Iowa

Every day, Llewellyn improved, culminating in an outstanding performance on the final day of practice. On Thursday, Llewellyn was going up against his former Iowa teammate, Gennings Dunker, and was causing consistent disruption in team drills. Llewellyn may not have starter attributes, but he can be a rotational piece.

Kyle Louis | LB | Pittsburgh

Linebackers get the short end of the stick with practices due to contact limitations and the structure of the practices. Still, Louis stood out in coverage by consistently disrupting the pass, and he did well working downhill and reading blocking schemes to get himself into position to make a play.

Bud Clark | S | TCU

Clark flies around the field and is a playmaker from the safety position. He was all over the field on the third day of practice, and he was able to show his range in coverage. There are questions about his ability to hold up at the NFL level, but he could boost the Broncos' turnover differential.

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American Roster

Derrick Moore | Edge | Michigan

American defensive end Derrick Moore (8) of Michigan works in a drill during American Senior Bowl practice. — Jan 29, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; American defensive end Derrick Moore (8) of Michigan works in a drill during American Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

There is no bigger winner on the defensive side of the ball than Moore, who started hot and never cooled off. He is big and physical, with surprisingly good agility to get around tackles if he can't get through them, which is his first goal.

Gracen Halten | IDL | Oklahoma

Halten was flying under the radar entering the Senior Bowl practices, but he was outstanding all three days, especially in team drills, and shouldn’t be a sleeper any longer. He did well in one-on-one drills, but it was the team drills that saw him stand out and consistently make plays in the backfield.

Caleb Banks | IDL | Florida

The Senior Bowl was a great opportunity for Banks, who missed most of the season due to injury. He stood out, and the coaches were having fun moving him around as he played a couple of reps as a 7-technique end all the way down to inside as a 0-technique, and he made plays from each spot.

Quintayvious Hutchins | Edge | Boston College

Hutchins is a smaller edge who weighed in at 229 pounds, but he is lightning-quick with outstanding explosion as a pass rusher. His run defense will be won off the snap because the power isn’t there, nor is the anchor to hold up at the point of attack, but his quickness could lead to a promising career as a pass-rush specialist.

Owen Heinecke | LB | Oklahoma

Heinecke showed his football IQ during team drills by quickly reading and diagnosing plays and putting himself in position to make a big defensive impact. There are serious size concerns about his 6-foot-1 height and 224-pound frame, but that could be overcome with his intelligence and instincts, both of which he has in spades.

#Sooners LB Owen Heinecke blew up a lot of run plays this week. pic.twitter.com/4GJyPQFXeY
— Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) January 30, 2026