The rising Maryland defensive back could add

much needed depth and versatility to the franchise’s secondary."With the departure of several defensive backs over the past few years Courtland Sutton Jersey , the Denver Broncos made upgrading the back end of their defense a priority in free agency. John Elway didn’t disappoint, adding two of the best players available with respect to Bryce Callahan and Kareem Jackson. Even with those moves, long-term question marks in the secondary still remain. Incumbent starters at safety Will Parks and Justin Simmons are free agents at the end of next season. While the Broncos have a few intriguing options behind them, finding another safety in this year’s draft should be considered a priority. That’s why I believe the Broncos should take a look at University of Maryland product Darnell Savage Jr., who has been utilized in multiple roles in the Terrapins’ secondary and proved to be one of college football’s most energetic and high-powered defenders over the past few seasons.After spending most of his true freshman season in a reserve role, he quickly earned a starting role as a sophomore and never looked back. In his three years as a starter, he amassed 182 tackles, 9 of them for loss, 1 sack and eight interceptions. Whether it was at either safety spot or at nickel corner, his versatility was an extreme benefit to the Terrapins’ defense. If you desire a prospect who has incredible athleticism, versatility Royce Freeman Jersey , and a non-stop motor — Savage is someone you should be very interested in. Let’s take a deeper look at him as a prospect and where he should land during the 2019 NFL Draft.Darnell Savage Jr. — Safety — MarylandHeight: 5’11” Weight: 198 lbs.Bench Press: 11 reps | Arm Length: 31” | Hands: 9 1/8”40 Yard Dash: 4.36 | 3 Cone Drill: 7.03 | 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.14Film Room and HighlightsHart’s Scouting ReportPositives: Supremely athletic and versatile defensive back capable of playing a variety of roles for any team’s secondary. Experience playing in zone and in off-man coverage at both safety positions and nickel corner. Is the epitome of a playmaker — defending 13 passes, amassing 8 interceptions and scoring two touchdowns defensively in his career with the Terrapins. Possess premier instincts, football intelligence and ball-hawking skills are evident on tape. Fluid hips, great short area quickness and closing burst allow him to be ‘sticky’ in coverage. Willing defender in run support whose motor is always revving at 100 percent. Three-year starter who is praised by his coaches and fellow teammates for his work ethic and quality play on the field. Negatives: Size is less than desirable which may be an inhibiting factor against larger receiving targets at the pro level. Heat-seeking missile mentality as a defender causes him to take some poor angles leading to missed tackles. Can occasionally get caught peeking in coverage causing him to get beat on intermediate and deep routes.Overall: Top 50 prospect. Savage sticks out on tape due to his ferocious style of play and top-tier athleticism, though his ‘hair on fire’ mentality can lead to detrimental play outcomes. Nevertheless, his ability to play multiple roles boost his overall value for teams looking for chess piece options in their secondary units. If he can become more disciplined as a player, he has the ability to become a stalwart defender on the back end in the National Football League.Does Darnell Savage Jr. make sense for the Broncos?The Broncos upgraded their secondary this free agency period, but as mentioned earlier, starting safeties Parks and Simmons are both free agents at the end of this season. With that in mind, it would be wise for the franchise to seek a versatile prospect like Savage Jr. in this year’s draft. It may not be one of the team’s top three needs come the end of April, but it’s certainly a long-term question mark.Head Coach Vic Fangio stated earlier in the offseason that tackling was a non-negotiable trait with his players — which is an area that the highly-touted Maryland product needs to work on. Despite that Brandon McManus Jersey , Savage offers the Broncos tremendous flexibility in the defensive backfield and would provide them with another dynamic option who can bolster their secondary immediately and for the long-term. If available at the Broncos’ second-round selection, his high-ceiling and versatility may be too good to pass up, despite other pressing needs. I’m not one of those fans who can remember single plays in a particular game of a distant season - or often even a recent one - with any detail that is deserving of the play itself.Obviously I remember those iconic plays that every Broncos fan remembers because they were in such monumental games or at monumental moments, they could not be forgotten. Plays like:I’m more of a big picture person. I remember dominant players, or great comebacks, games won by a last-second touchdown or interception, games lost by heart-breaking misses, players whose careers made an impact in Denver in any way.So when I was asked to recall my “favorite Steve Atwater moment” on a recent podcast (and the Okoye hit was off-limits and Tim already took Super Bowl 32’s dominant performance), I was at a loss. Besides those two obvious “moments,” how do you choose one of Atwater’s hits? Just one of his 1,074 tackles (24th all-time among tackle leaders) Todd Davis Jersey , 24 interceptions or five sacks as a favorite moment?And so that’s the thing. You can’t. The greatest part of Atwater’s game wasn’t that he had a litany of highlight reel moments. His entire career is the highlight reel. The fact that Atwater didn’t have just one great season of big hits but instead had a decade of them - with five seasons of off-the-charts number of tackles - tells you the kind of never-say-die mentality he had on the field. His rookie season boasted 129 tackles, earning him Defensive Rookie of the Year. The following campaign, Atwater put up his highest total with 173 tackles, followed by 151, 150 and 141 the next three years, sitting out just two games in those five seasons.The bottom line - Steve Atwater was a relentless defender, never giving up in any game on any play. Always playing through the whistle; always trying to get his guy down.And proof of what that meant to the game of football comes in a story Andrew Mason has told on Adam and Ian’s podcast of Tony Dungy. When the Bucs coach had a young John Lynch struggling in his game, he pulled the safety into the film room and showed him clips of who else? Steve Atwater.Because Atwater played with the technique and tenacity that Hall-of-Fame players do.*editor’s note - If you want to hear what I did say because I couldn’t come up with one favorite Atwater moment - and instead told a funny story about how nervous I was answering a film analysis question from THE GREAT STEVE ATWATER on his Orange and Blue radio program - check it out on the 18:30 mark)