MOBILE, Ala. — If the Broncos are looking for a playmaking safety, they would be wise to take a long look at Richie Grant, the top ballhawk of this week’s Senior Bowl practices.
The Central Florida safety followed up an interception of Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman on Wednesday with two more on Thursday during team periods — one of which came in the end zone when Newman tried to laser a low shot across the middle to Florida’s Kadarius Toney during a red-zone drill.
Grant wasn’t done, either. In the same period, he prevented Newman from hitting Georgia tight end Tre’ McKitty, whose penchant for one-handed catches made him the most undefendable tight end on the field this week. Grant timed his contact with Newman’s pass, breaking it up in a similar fashion to a pass defensed that he recorded going against Tennessee wide receiver Josh Palmer in one-on-one work Wednesday.
Grant’s work should not come as a surprise. In three seasons as a starter for the Knights, he displayed the same nose for big plays that he showed this week, intercepting 10 passes and forcing six fumbles since 2018.
His ability to diagnose quarterback intent, quick twitch and excellent timing with contact to prevent completions could make him an excellent fit for Vic Fangio’s defense, which rewards judicious aggression on the ball from its safeties.
… Alabama QB Mac Jones was generally steady and accurate Thursday until tweaking his ankle on a scramble during the team period. Prior to that, his day wasn’t all smiles and sunshine.. During the seven-on-seven red-zone period, he took off and ran at the end of one repetition — generally considered a no-no in that drill. During that period, he was also intercepted when he failed to get the ball over LSU linebacker JaCoby Stevens, the type of turnover that is inexcusable.
Missouri RB Larry Rountree (5-foot-11, 216 pounds) has shown good balance and one-cut ability throughout the week, but his ability to gain separation on his routes has also been impressive. Mizzou didn’t use him often as a pass-catcher; he never grabbed more than 15 passes in any of his seasons there. But he possesses some all-around skills that could make him a good mid-round value pick.
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Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey was a stalwart all week, likely cementing his status as a prospect who will fall off the board in the first 40 to 50 picks. But two small-school offensive linemen who could have the highest upside are Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz and Grambling’s 350-pound David Moore.
Moore was difficult to move in pass protection and was a powerful road grader on run plays. He has surprising balance and quick feet for a player of his size. If Moore can keep his power while dropping 10 to 15 pounds of ballast, he has the potential to be effective for the long term.
A few notes and sentence fragments about linebackers who caught my eye this week:
Ohio State’s Baron Browning: Has pass-rush ability, but also looked good dropping into coverage. Perhaps the best all-around linebacker at the Senior Bowl. Was filling holes and blowing up run plays, especially Thursday.
LSU’s Jabrill Cox: Making plays all over the place in coverage. The best pure coverage linebacker here. One of his plays yesterday saw him with the pass defensed that led to a Grant interception.
North Carolina’s Chazz Surratt: Did not practice Thursday because of injury, but it did not appear to be serious and he was on the sideline in a jersey during the session. 227 pounds and 4.5 speed. Has coverage ability, although raw.
