Shrine Bowl standouts include players that are at positions the Broncos need

FRISCO, Texas — The East-West Shrine Bowl lacked Shedeur Sanders — at least on the field. The CU Buffs quarterback opted to sit out on-field work, but he will take part in other activities, including meetings with teams.

But there were plenty of other players to capture attention of scouts and personnel executives piecing together their draft strategies.

NO SHEDEUR, NO PROBLEM

When the West practice began on Saturday, it was announced that Sanders was not going to participate in practice or the game. It was a disappointment for those in attendance because Sanders is potentially the no.1 overall pick in the draft, and he’s incredibly talented as a passer.

NFL scouts are not going to ding Sanders for this decision. Sanders is not participating in practice or the game, but he’s in attendance and engaged. During practice on Saturday, Sanders was seen talking to the Tennessee Titans after he already met with them on Friday night. In additions, Sanders took time to engage with his teammates. After certain plays and certain drills, you could see Sanders getting the tablet out to show a teammate the film of a play that just happened.

Sanders was engaging with his teammates, and they were responding to his leadership. Also, Sanders did talk to the media scrum on Saturday after practice – when some wondered if that would even happen. He didn’t get hard-hitting questions, but he was thoughtful with his answers and checked the box when it came to the charisma you need a franchise quarterback to have with the media.

All of his fellow CU teammates took part.

Building Blocks at the Shrine Bowl

The Broncos need to find a tight end (or two) this offseason. There are a few options in free agency for the team, and they may choose to trade for a veteran tight end to help the room. However, the 2025 NFL Draft may be the best bet for them to add talent – and in fact, selecting two tight ends might be the best plan.

While likely a Day 2 or Day 3 pick in the draft, perhaps Iowa tight end Luke Lachey would be an option for the Broncos. There’s a chance the Broncos could be in position for a Tyler Warren (Penn State) or Harold Fannin Jr (Bowling Green) with a first- or second-round pick. After selecting a top-tier tight end early, Lachey would make sense if he’s still on the board early in the fourth round.

On Saturday, Lachey put on a show for scouts and media in attendance. He’s a huge target, measuring in at 6-feet, 6-inches, 247 pounds, and Lachey knows how to use his frame to box out smaller defenders. However, he’s not just a big man who can play bully ball with smaller safeties or linebackers.

While not known for his speed, Lachey moves efficiently and took a deep middle seam to the house for a touchdown where he outran the secondary tasked with stopping the offense. It’s one play at a Shrine Bowl practice, but it shows that more may be there when it comes to the versatility of Lachey.

Seek and Destroy

Tight end and running back should be at the top of priority list for the Broncos, but not far behind those two positions should be inside linebacker. Perhaps the Broncos wait until Rounds 3 through 5 for help at that position. If that’s the case, then Memphis linebacker Chandler Martin would be a fine addition.

Martin was the leading tackler for the Tigers over the last two seasons, collecting 111 tackles and 7 sacks in 2024. He plays like a heat-seeking missile on film, and it was good to see that Martin backed that up with a practice performance that turned heads on Saturday. He was everywhere – on almost every play regardless of it was a run or a pass. That nose for the football is elite, and Martin arrives at the ball-carrier with bad intentions.

Inside linebackers for the Broncos need to cover, something that Martin isn’t necessarily known for. On Saturday at Shrine Bowl practice, Martin was tackling runners regularly – even though there’s no tackling to the ground. However, it was a play in coverage that made him a star of the day. Martin read the play, broke on the ball, and ended up picking off a pass intended for a tight end that he took to the house.

That pick-six got his teammates fired up, and it also got scouts feverishly jotting down notes. Martin could be a mid-round answer for a position the Broncos haven’t had settled since the day of Danny Trevathan.

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