Tulane QB Michael Pratt says he has had a couple interviews with the Broncos at the Senior Bowl

The Tulane quarterback says he has met with the Denver Broncos a couple times at the Senior Bowl.

Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt met with the media on Wednesday at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl and told Denver Sports’s Andrew Mason that he has had a “couple of interviews” with the Broncos.

The conversation surrounding the Broncos usually consists of them trading up for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels or staying put and selecting J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., or Bo Nix. However, it appears we may need to include the Broncos selecting Tulane’s Michael Pratt on day two to the list of possible outcomes.

Now, I know someone is going to say, “everyone meets with everyone” at the Senior Bowl and you would be correct. However, the fact he said “couple times” is what makes this noteworthy.

Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy announced changes to the interview process and this outlines how the Broncos met a couple of times with Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt.

– Every Senior Bowl player will meet with every NFL team for a minimum of 10 minutes (Mon & Thurs).

– Similar to Combine format, every team will get 64 players upon request for an additional 15 minutes (Tues & Wed), meaning that teams will leave Mobile with 25 minutes of interview time with roughly half roster, which is significantly more time than at any all-star event to date.

– Quarterbacks will be removed from the 10-minute scheduled interviews (Mon & Thurs) in favor of new format where they will be on 40-minute rotations with pods made up of 5-6 teams (2 reps per club). Each QB pod will have game film & whiteboards available. Under this new setup, if teams also include QBs in their 15-minute requested interviews, they will get 55 minutes with QB prospects in Mobile.

Now, it is likely the Broncos did this with all or a few of the other quarterbacks, but for now, all we have to go off is Pratt admitting he had a couple of interviews with the Broncos.

So, does Michael Pratt fit in a Sean Payton offense? Yes, yes he does. He told Denver Sports Andrew Mason that he excels in his intermediate passing game, is consistent as a passer, and feels like he has the ability to run Sean Payton’s offense.

“I think that would be awesome. I think that’s something that I excel in. My intermediate pass game, being consistent, that kind of stuff. So, just from what I have seen from his style of offense, it’s something that I definitely feel I have the ability to run.”

Another thing to keep an eye on here is the coaching connection between Michael Pratt and Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Dan Roushar who coached with Sean Payton in New Orleans from 2013 to Payton’s last season with the team in 2021 took over as Tulane’s offensive line coach in 2023. So, Payton has a longtime coach who held various roles on his offensive coaching staff to lean on if he wants any inside information on Pratt.

We also need to factor in the New Orleans connection. Tulane is located in the heart of New Orleans and the college and Payton have a pretty strong relationship because of his time with the Saints. As we have seen since Payton was hired a year ago, he likes adding people from New Orleans or from the state of Louisana. He has added multiple Saints coaches to his staff, multiple Saints to his roster, and even hired LSU’s strength and conditioning coach Beau Lowry to be on his staff in Denver. It wouldn’t be totally shocking if he goes looking there for his quarterback this offseason.

The Broncos currently own the 12th overall selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft but do not pick again until the third round. So, if they wanted Pratt, they could trade back, get a second-rounder and more in return, and use a day-two selection to select him. This would allow the Broncos to use their first-round pick on another area of need, which they have many, and also keep them from mortgaging the future in a very expensive trade-up.

Now, is Pratt a realistic option for the Broncos? Who knows at this point? It’s February 1st and a lot can and will change in the coming weeks and months. For now, we have this to go off, and gives us another option to discuss as we wait and see what Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos do this offseason.