Broncos Generate Buzz with Heavy Presence at South Carolina Pro Day

The Denver Broncos were on site for South Carolina's pro day, running drills. What did we learn?

Nov 25, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks tight end Joshua Simon (6) runs the ball against the Clemson Tigers in the first half at Williams-Brice Stadium. / David Yeazell-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos coaching and scouting staff are traveling around the country in preparation for the NFL draft. College pro days are underway, and it is one of the final opportunities for teams to get some insight into these prospects.

Teams get to put the prospects through different workouts and measure it vs. the NFL Scouting Combine, giving the prospects a second chance if they were invited to Indianapolis. 

At the South Carolina pro day, the Broncos had their coaches run the position drills for the tight ends and running backs, giving them a chance to work closely with three intriguing prospects. The Broncos got a look at tight end Joshua Simon and running back Raheim Sanders at the Combine, but running back Juju McDowell finally got his chance to stand out at the Gamecocks' pro day. 

Let's examine the buzz coming out of South Carolina's pro day and what it means, which, again, had a heavy Broncos presence.

Joshua Simon | TE

Draft Range: Round 3 to Round 5

Simon had a great showing at the Combine in his testing and field work. He decided to stand on his testing at the Combine, and his workouts built upon what he showed there.

Even with Evan Engram in the fold, the Broncos can look for another tight end to work on developing to replace the veteran when his two-year contract expires. Simon is a similar mold to Engram as a big slot who doesn’t have the mass for a prototypical in-line tight end. 

While he did stand on his testing, Simon weighed 247 pounds for the pro day, up from the 239 he weighed for the Combine. 

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Raheim Sanders | RB

Draft Range: Round 5 to Undrafted

Sanders only did the athletic testing he didn’t do at the Combine while measuring out the same with his weight. He put up 17 reps on the bench press, a 10-foot broad jump, a 4.46-second short shuttle, and a 7.39 3-cone. His intense workout showed why he has the nickname “rocket” with how much burst he displayed. 

2022 was the last season when Sanders broke 1,000 yards rushing when he was with Arkansas. Last season, his only season with South Carolina, he had the opportunity to show more as a receiver, catching 27 passes for 316 yards. As the Broncos look to add to their running back room, he's a late-round option that could provide some explosive play-making potential. 

Juju McDowell | RB

Draft Range: Undrafted

McDowell is an undersized running back at 5-foot-7 and 189 pounds. He has 621 total rushing yards and 366 total receiving yards in four seasons at South Carolina. McDowell was the Gamecocks' primary kick returner last season. 

It wasn’t a great day for McDowell with his athletic testing, hitting 4.51 on his 40-yard dash time, and his splits not being any better. He did put up 27 reps on the bench press, however.

McDowell's workout wasn’t that great, and his path to an NFL roster would be as a returner. With Marvin Mims Jr. in Denver and McDowell's lack of offensive ability, he may not be the guy the Broncos were looking at. 

The Takeaway

With the Broncos running the drills for these two groups, they garnered extra insight into these prospects. How well did they listen to instructions? Did they take well to the coaching?

A team can’t fully answer those questions without running the drills. With the Broncos still needing to add to both the tight end and running back room, Simon and Sanders could be two names to watch as the draft rapidly approaches. 

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