Broncos Send Coaching Presence to Texas' DL-Heavy Pro Day

The Denver Broncos have been traveling the country to find their next rookie draft class. The Broncos have had coaches present at multiple pro days, including Boise State, South Carolina, and Nebraska.

The latest pro day was at the University of Texas, where Denver's defensive line coach Jamar Cain was reportedly on site. Three defensive linemen and one edge defender attended the Texas pro day for the 2025 NFL draft.

The Longhorns' offering is headlined by Alfred Collins, a prototypical monster nose tackle. He's projected as a second-round pick and is the best run defender in this draft and the best to enter the NFL in the past few drafts.

Does Collins offer much as a pass rusher? Probably not, but there are some signs of life there.

The Broncos have been interested in a big nose tackle type for the past few years, including T’Vondre Sweat. Sweat offered more as a pass rusher than Collins, but Collins is a better run defender.

Prototypical big-body nose tackles have slid in the draft into the third round in previous drafts, so we could see Collins slide even though he's a projected second-rounder.

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Barryn Sorrell is the next man up and the group's edge defender. He had a good Combine workout, including the athletic testing, and a strong showing at the Senior Bowl. Coach Cain was a pass-rush specialist for the Broncos in 2023, so he can still provide extra insight into Sorrell in that department. Sorrell is also a capable run defender.

Bill Norton is another big-body nose tackle, listed at 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds. If he hears his name called at all, he's projected as a late-round pick.

With the Broncos looking for a guy like this, Norton could be an option with one of their three sixth-round picks or after the draft. He does have a lack of experience issue, playing under 800 snaps on defense in six collegiate seasons.

Vernon Broughton is the last Longhorn of interest, relative to Cain's specialty, and he is the 3-4 defensive end mold, which the Broncos could be looking for to establish some security for the future. Broughton has plenty of power in his game and does well pushing the pocket and defending the run. He would add competition to the depth of the Broncos' D-line as a fourth or fifth-round pick, with some potential to be a fourth or fifth-rounder.

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