Broncos Should Have an Eye on These Defensive Shrine Bowl Standouts

The Shrine Bowl practices featured some standouts who should be on the Broncos' radar.

Oct 18, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Maalik Murphy (6) attempts to run the ball to the end zone but is tacked by Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr. (6) during the first half of the game at Wallace Wade Stadium. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

As the Denver Broncos look to overcome their loss in the AFC championship game, the focus shifts to the offseason and the NFL draft. The Broncos have had their scouts working hard for months already, including the Shrine Bowl, even as the team prepared to take on the Patriots. 

Over the years, the Shrine Bowl has grown, including adding more talent to the game. This year, that is especially true on the defensive side of the ball, and it showed in the practices. As we transition to the draft, let's look at the defensive standouts from Shrine Bowl practices that should absolutely be on Denver's radar. 

East Roster

If practices are anything to go by, the East defense should dominate the game. They were doing great things during practice with good consistency, and limiting the standouts to only five was difficult. 

Wesley Williams | OLB | Duke

Aug 28, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Elon Phoenix quarterback Landen Clark (11) is hit by Duke Blue Devils defensive end Wesley Williams (97) on his pass during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Pass-rushing and run defense didn’t matter for Williams, who stood out with almost every single rep he took. With only a couple of losses over three days in one-on-one drills and only a couple in team drills, he may have helped himself the most this past weekend. 

Darrell Jackson Jr. | NT | Florida State

Jackson is a big guy who carries his weight well, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 328 pounds, with 35-inch arms, per Shrine Bowl measurements. He was a force to handle, even against double teams, and also showed some upside as a pass rusher. 

Landon Robinson | IDL | Navy

Jackson is massive, while Robinson is undersized at 5-foot-11 and a little over 290 pounds, but his athleticism was so easy to see during the practices. He was tough to block because of his quickness and agility, which disrupted team drills. 

Harold Perkins | LB | LSU

Perkins is a highly touted linebacker prospect, and he was one of the highest projected players in terms of draft slot at the Shrine Bowl. He has all the traits for a modern linebacker, and he made himself some money with how well he did. 

Gary Smith III | NT | UCLA

Smith is another big nose tackle, but he is more of a pure run defender and struggled as a pass rusher. The few successes he had as a pass rusher in practice came against interior offensive linemen who struggled the most, but his run defense was probably the best throughout practice. 

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West Roster

The west defense had a few standouts but was much of the same as the offense, with some ugly showings and hardly anyone showing needed improvement one day after the next. I will say, they had some smaller slot corners that stood out, but with Denver’s nickel outlook, I decided to exclude them. 

Dontay Corleone | NT | Cincinnati

Sep 6, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Dontay Corleone (2) stands on the field against the Bowling Green Falcons in the first half at Nippert Stadium. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Corleone is a run-stopping nose tackle who can eat up space and create lanes for the linebackers. There isn’t anything there as a pass rusher, as the practices suggest, but as a two-down run defender, he could be worth a shot. 

Eric Gentry | LB | USC

Gentry has an intriguing build for the NFL at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds with good length. He stood out with his coverage ability, but he will need to work on the frame to be more reliable as a tackler and run defender. 

Malachi Lawrence | OLB | UCF

The speed around the edge stood out consistently with Lawrence, but he was hit-or-miss as a run defender. With the prototype Denver has filled its edge room with, Lawrence is another one of that type. 

Aidan Hubbard | OLB | Northwestern

Hubbard isn’t overly explosive, but he appeared to be a solid enough athlete who won with strength and technique more than pure athleticism. He has the traits to be a well-rounded defender. 

Kolbey Taylor | CB | Vanderbilt

With my exclusion of the nickels, there weren't many corners that stood out, but the practices don’t favor the position. So, in terms of boundary corners, Taylor was the cleanest and had some multiple passes broken up.