Vance Joseph believes coaching Senior Bowl gives Broncos ‘clear advantage’ to evaluate prospects

Good morning, Broncos Country.

First things first, friends: the Senior Bowl is underway. If you haven’t been keeping tabs on all of our content for this week’s festivities, be sure to bookmark this page to see all of our content and analysis from what is happening in Mobile. Additionally, be sure to give Jeff Essary a follow on Twitter (@JeffreyEssary). He is representing Mile High Report well at the Senior Bowl and has a plethora of information to share — you won’t want to miss what he has to say!

The first day of practices was an eventful day for all players, coaches and scouts. It was the first opportunity of the week for prospects to showcase their ability in front of talent gurus and decision makers from across the league. Perhaps one of the biggest silver-lining’s in a dreadful 2017 campaign for the Broncos is that it gave them the incredible opportunity to get and up close and personal look at some of the best talent the 2018 NFL Draft has to offer. According to head coach Vance Joseph, it’s a ‘clear advantage’ to be able to have this type of access to players and will be extremely helpful for the franchise to evaluate players precisely, and hit on picks that can help the team out immediately next season.

“I think it’s a clear advantage to have a chance to coach this game, to watch those kids in meetings, to watch them in practice and to watch them in install meetings to see how they react to information,” stated Joseph. “To coach this game is really, really valuable for our football team to have a chance to really sit and learn about the player. To me, it’s a clear advantage to be here,” he went on to add.

The Broncos are sitting pretty in this year’s draft with nine selections. The icing on the cake is that their first five picks are in the Top 125 overall. There’s no doubt that with a productive week down in Mobile, they will have a great shot at getting the information necessary to find players who fit what the team wants to do on and off the field, which is something Joseph discussed as well.

“You rarely miss when you coach this game. Again, having access to the players at a different level of just football, allows you to pick the right players,” said Joseph. “Jacksonville coached this game I think three years in a row with Gus [Bradley]. That team played pretty good on Sunday. I think it’s worth it. It’s a clear advantage coaching this game so you can have intimate access to these players. That’s important.”

Joseph’s absolutely right. This is a rare opportunity for Denver that should help out with their ability to hit on their draft picks. Last season, only a few players out of their entire 2017 draft class were able to perform on the field and make an impact. So here is to hoping that this golden ticket to coach the Senior Bowl will allow them to find great players who can help turn things around and become future foundations of a franchise that is in desperate need of a talent infusion.

As always, thank you for reading and here is today’s offering of Horse Tracks.

Horse Tracks

Vance Joseph 'fine' with QB Baker Mayfield's height - NFL.com
Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is coaching the North squad during the Senior Bowl. Joseph spoke about questions surrounding Oklahoma QB and 2018 draft prospect Baker Mayfield.

Broncos eager to get look at Baker Mayfield, both on and off field
ESPN's Jeff Legwold discusses the Broncos' eagerness to get a close up look at Mayfield as a prospect on the field, as well as a person off the field.

Broncos RB C.J. Anderson to speak at Harvard about NFL journey, plans for new foundation
C.J. Anderson will speak at Harvard's Graduate School of Education on Thursday about his journey to the pros and his recently launched foundation that will provide academic and athletic mentorship to youth in his hometown of Vallejo, Calif.

Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospects for 2018 NFL Draft - NFL.com
Offensive players occupy the first two spots in Daniel Jeremiah's initial ranking of the 2018 draft's top 50 prospects, with Saquon Barkley leading the list. The top-rated QB? He's listed at No. 6.

Baker Mayfield looking to shake Johnny Manziel comparisons - NFL.com
Former Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield will be looking to shake comparisons to Johnny Manziel during his week at the Reese's Senior Bowl.

Josh Allen: To 'be the guy' in Cleveland 'would be special' - NFL.com
Josh Allen made it clear at Senior Bowl Media Day on Tuesday that, if selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns, he would relish being the savior for the woebegone franchise.

Derek Carr to Gruden: Let's fix my problems, win titles - NFL.com
Derek Carr is ready for Jon Gruden's coaching. The quarterback told NBC Sports Bay Area this week that he wants Gruden to "fix problems that I have" and "win championships."

Jerick McKinnon ready 'to be the guy' moving forward - NFL.com
The Minnesota Vikings could be losing a spark-plug running back this offseason. Jerick McKinnon spoke like a player on Monday ready to find a bigger role with a new team in 2018.