The Broncos got to celebrate either way.

They were happy to get Utah edge Jonah Elliss at No. 76 overall on Friday night, but they were excited about the prospect of trading back and gathering picks had he not been available.

In fact, general manager George Paton thought the moment might have warranted celebrating considering head coach Sean Payton’s history of moving forward rather than in reverse during the draft.

“We were actually considering trading back and it would have been Sean’s first time maybe ever moving back,” Paton quipped. “We had a cake ready.”

Added Payton, “I was taking like 30 deep breaths.”

The Broncos had several players they liked on the board but opted for Elliss. They clearly think highly of him.

Saturday, though, is likely to involve wheeling and dealing. Denver has six picks — Nos. 121, 136, 145, 147, 207 and 256 — and the club figures to be busy right from the jump at 10 a.m.

“There’s a number of good players tomorrow and we have six picks,” Paton said. “We have flexibility. If there’s a player up at the top of the board we have the flexibility to go get him. And we can always move back. So the main thing is flexibility.

“Tomorrow is going to be fun.”

Here are some players the Broncos could target, organized by position.

WR Troy Franklin, Oregon: Put up massive numbers with Nix, including 81 catches for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. He’s slight at 6-foot-2 and 176 pounds, but the big-play ability is undeniable.

WR Javon Baker, UCF: Baker is a smooth operator who stood out at the Senior Bowl and had 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns on a whopping 21.9 yards per catch in 2023.

WR Cornelius Johnson, Michigan: Receivers not named Roman Wilson didn’t put up huge numbers in UM’s offense, but steady production three straight years doesn’t lie.

RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee: A walking explosive play. Averaged 7.4 yards per carry for the Vols in 2023. He ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at 5-11 and 210 pounds, posted a 38-inch vertical and an 11-2 broad jump.

RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin: One of the youngest players in the draft, Allen rushed for 3,494 yards (5.6 per carry) and 35 touchdowns in three collegiate seasons at 6-1 and 235.

RB Ray Davis, Kentucky: Lightning in space and brings enough thump to run between the tackles. Davis had one big season at UK, rushing for 1,129 yards and 14 TDs and adding seven receiving scores.

RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville: Big back who can fly (4.33 in the 40 at the combine) and spent several years at Wisconsin alongside now-Broncos defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard.

TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas: It’s surprising Sanders is still on the board after he averaged 15.2 yards per catch as a junior. Doesn’t run particularly fast — 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the combine — but is dangerous in the receiving game at 6-4 and 250.

TE Tanner McLachlan, Arizona: One of several mid-round tight end prospects with intriguing upside, McLachlan had 528 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.

TE Erick All, Iowa: Has battled injuries in his career but when healthy he’s an all-around player. Had 299 yards and three TDs last year before a knee injury cut his season to seven games.

OTs Christian Jones (Texas), Javon Foster (Missouri) and Walter Rouse (Oklahoma): There are several veteran tackles available and it will be interesting to see if the Broncos like one of them enough to pick one — maybe as early as the fourth round — as a developmental player. This trio would fit the bill.

OL Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin: Super athletic interior lineman who played just about every position in college.

OL Hunter Nourzad, Penn State: Started 20 games at Cornell and then two years at Penn State and is another versatile player who can play multiple spots.

Edge Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State: Played just up the road in Fort Collins and all he did was produce. Kamara had 13 sacks in 2023 and 29.5 for his career and is somewhat surprisingly still available on Day 3.

DL Gabe Hall, Baylor: Big frame at 6-6 and 291. If the Broncos are thinking of further fortifying their front-line group on Day 3, he’d be an option.

DL Leonard Taylor, Miami: At 6-3 and 303, had his best year in 2022 (10.5 TFLs)

LB Cedric Gray, North Carolina: Athletic linebacker who can man the middle of the field. He racked up 266 tackles the past two years and had double-digit TFLs both seasons.

LB Jordan Magee, Temple: A Broncos visitor who’s also racked up tackles playing in the middle of the field for the Owls.

CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State: At 6-1 and 190, Tampa was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023. Started for the Cyclones for two years and had eight TFLs in addition to the coverage work.

CB Jarvis Brownlee, Louisville:  Not the fasted guy in the class, but Brownlee is feisty at 5-11 and had a great week at the Senior Bowl earlier this year.

CB Khyree Jackson, Oregon: Spent two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Oregon in 2023. He shined in his lone season with the Ducks, recording 34 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and seven passes defended in 12 starts.

CB Qwan’Tez Stiggers, CFL: A Broncos pre-draft visitor with a unique story. He never played college ball but is draft-eligible after a breakout performance in Canada. Intriguing late pick for somebody.

S Jaden Hicks, Washington State: Can do everything and is imposing at 6-2 and 215. He filled up the stat sheet in 2023, his third and final season, logging 79 tackles (six for loss), 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pair of picks while also blocking a kick.

S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech: Short at 5-10 and 197 pounds, but this guy can play. He ran 4.41 in the 40-yard dash and racked up 33 passes defensed and 10 interceptions over the past three seasons.

S Dominique Hampton, Washington: Rangy player at 6-2 and 213 pounds. Hampton excelled at UW and racked up 109 tackles and two interceptions in 2023.

P Tory Taylor, Iowa: The lone specialist we’re putting on the list. Taylor is a potential weapon as a punter. The latest in a line of Australians to come through the college ranks, Taylor would be an interesting addition for a staff that clearly prioritizes special teams.

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By SUSIE RANTZ

Associated Press

Barbra Banda contributed on all three goals as the Orlando Pride remained undefeated with a 3-2 win over the host Washington Spirit on Friday night in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Banda scored, assisted and drew a penalty as the Pride (3-0-3) handed the Spirit (4-2-0) their first home loss this season.

“[The final whistle was] more relief than anything,” Pride coach Seb Hines said. “If we dissect the game, although we took the lead, I thought we started slow. We didn’t really start [like] ourselves. We were very lethargic, I thought Washington started on the front foot, putting us under real pressure.”

Banda, acquired for a team-record transfer fee of $740,000, set up her team’s first goal in the 22nd minute. She beat her defender to the end line and crossed to Angelina, who ran into the box and volleyed her shot into the left corner.

The Pride have scored in 10 consecutive matches dating to last season to tie a franchise record.

Washington’s Ouleymata Sarr chipped past goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse in the 41st minute to tie it at 1.

Banda scored her first NWSL goal early in the second half, heading in Julie Doyle’s flicked pass from a corner kick.

Banda drew a penalty in the 57th minute and Summer Yates got Aubrey Kingsbury to dive left and finished into the opposite corner to make it 3-1.

Ashley Hatch’s shot from distance slipped through Moorhouse’s hands in the 65th minute for the final.

“We didn’t really get any rhythm in the game but it’s a great ball from Barbra to Ang and it’s a great finish,” Hines said. “Then I think the disappointing part from our side is that we gifted them two goals today. In this league, you can’t give teams goals because they’ll punish you. So it’s a good reminder that we have to keep our standards high, stick to who we are and stick to our identity.”

The Pride went to 10 players in the 91st minute and for all 11 minutes of second-half stoppage time after Brianna Martinez was shown her second yellow card.

“I’m super proud of the players, to not only see the game out at 3-2, but with 10 players,” Hines said, “it shows another side to our game. So I’m super proud of them and their efforts and everything they put in today.”

UP NEXT
Orlando vs. North Carolina
When: Wednesday at INTER&CO Stadium, 7
TV: Bally Sports Sun

Instant reaction from the Avalanche’s 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series.

1. Stick in the face wakes Avs up: The Avs had knotted the game at 2-2 on a Nathan MacKinnon laser 2:11 into the third stanza when Winnipeg’s Gabriel Vilardi rearranged Devon Toews’ face. And woke up a sleeping giant. Vilardi hoisted his stick into Toews’ mug at the 2:37 mark, and a video review confirmed a double-minor for high-sticking. While Toews tasted blood, the Avs smelled it. The power-play puck cycled its way to Valeri Nichushkin for a great look from the left face-off dot, beating a sprawled-out Connor Hellebuyck for a 3-2 Avs lead. Avs fans raised the roof and crashed it on the Jets from there. A stitched-up Toews returned to the ice and garnered an assist on Artturi Lehkonen’s sweet breakaway goal for a 4-2 Colorado lead while Ross Colton’s tip from the crease put the game to bed four minutes later. The Avs’ scoring onslaught in the third was capped, poetically, by Toews, whose empty-net, shorthanded shovel made it 6-2 and poured salt into the Jets’ wounds.

2. Crowd rallies around Georgie: “GEOR-GIE! GEOR-GIE!” Avs goaltender Alexandar Georgiev heard his name chanted as a taunt in Manitoba, but it was said early — and often — with love on Friday night at Ball Arena. We counted at least five different chants for the mercurial netminder from pregame player intros to the end of the first period. Or almost as many ovations (five) as the goalie managed saves (eight) over the game’s first 20 minutes, including an amazing, full-belly flop of Vilardi’s wrister 3:47 into the contest. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Jets put two “high danger” chances in front of Georgiev and should’ve nabbed at least one goal for all their peppering. Not this time.

3. Parise on point: For the second straight game in the series, the Avs’ forecheck got veteran Zach Parise in the crease and on the board. The 39-year-old veteran winger cleaned up in a scramble situation in front of Hellebuyck, tapping the rebound past the netminder at the 11:18 mark of the first period to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Parise’s goal was his second of the series, giving him scores in consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff games for the first time since April 2018, when he netted for the Minnesota Wild in Games 2 and 3 of their first-round series against Winnipeg.

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The best comeback team in the NHL during the regular season did it again in its first home game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche quickly erased a one-goal deficit early in the third period and got plenty of help from a suddenly undisciplined Winnipeg Jets club en route to a 6-2 victory Friday night at Ball Arena in Game 3 of this opening-round series. Colorado now leads the best-of-seven 2-1. Game 4 is here Sunday afternoon.

Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin scored power-play goals in the opening five minutes of the third to flip control of this contest. The Jets took four penalties in the first 11 minutes of the third, including a double-minor for high sticking.

Casey Mittelstadt had three assists, including the set ups for the fourth and fifth goals as the Avs busted open a tight game and ran away from the reeling Jets. The Avalanche have now scored 16 goals in this series, including 15 on Connor Hellebuyck, who is expected to be awarded the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie of the regular season in June.

MacKinnon scored the first extra-man goal 2:11 into the third. Miles Wood drew a penalty in the defensive zone, and then MacKinnon’s shot from the top of the zone beat Hellebuyck with Nichushkin providing the screen in front.

Nichushkin put the Avs in front during the power play for the double-minor infraction, which caused Devon Toews to leave a pool of blood on the ice after being high-sticked. Toews later returned to the game and helped set up the fourth goal.

Artturi Lehkonen scored for the third straight game in this series after a beautiful pass from Mittelstadt during a 2-on-2 rush where both Jets defenders fell down. Ross Colton made it a 5-2 game when he directed a Mittelstadt pass past Hellebuyck from the slot.

The four goals came in a span of 10:25 and came after the Jets had briefly found some footing during the second period. Alexandar Georgiev, who heard the home crowd chant his name in support repeatedly throughout the night, made 22 saves and outplayed the all-world guy at the other end of the ice for a second straight game.

Zach Parise put the Avs on the board first with his second goal in as many games. Mittelstadt made a nice play on a give-and-go with Parise to get Colorado into the offensive zone, then sent a pass to Josh Manson. Parise put home the rebound of Manson’s shot 11:18 into the opening period.

The Avs controlled the play for much of the first period and applied plenty of pressure in the opening minutes of the second, but the Jets evened the score on a counter attack at 5:03. The play started with a 2-on-1 for Winnipeg that didn’t turn into a shot attempt, but the Jets did keep the puck in the Colorado zone and eventually Tyler Toffoli was able to backhand a shot from a tight angle past Georgiev for his first goal of the series.

Winnipeg iced the puck 30 seconds before Toffoli’s goal, but the Jets quickly countered and had four shot attempts before the goal, including one by Toffoli that was blocked in front that led to his rebound try.

Mittelstadt took the first penalty of the game and the Jets took advantage to claim the lead the 10:50 of the second. Josh Morrissey scored with a shot from the top of the offensive zone through traffic for the second time in this series.

Footnotes: Samuel Girard returned to the lineup after missing the final two games of the regular season and the first two contests in this series with a concussion. Justus Annunen returned to the active roster as Georgiev’s backup in net. He missed the two games in Winnipeg with an illness. The Avs have now dressed four goalies (Georgiev, Annunen, Ivan Prosvetov and Arvid Holm) in this series.

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MIAMI GARDENS — Here’s a list of the Top 10 players the Miami Dolphins could select on Saturday’s third and final day of the NFL draft, which is Rounds 4-7.

As a reminder, the Dolphins have four picks left (unless they acquire more) — one in the fifth round (No. 158), two in the sixth (Nos. 184 and 198), and one in the seventh (No. 241).

Some of these picks are better for the fourth round, and some are better for the seventh. Also, many of these picks are best player available as opposed to filling a specific need.

And because the Dolphins tend to go local with late-round picks, this list leans toward locals.

Matt Lee, C, University of Miami

Lee (6-4, 301), a transfer from UCF, excels in pass protection. The Dolphins are loaded at interior offensive line but there’s still a feeling they might get more help through the draft.

Leonard Taylor III, DT, University of Miami

Taylor (6-3, 303) has questions about his motor but not about his talent. The Dolphins might be seeking defensive tackle help to replace Christian Wilkins.

Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State

Eichenberg (6-2, 233), the brother of Dolphins center/guard Liam Eichenberg, was an All America selection. Miami doesn’t necessarily need an inside linebacker, but depth and special teams are also considerations.

Javion Cohen, G, University of Miami

Cohen (6-4, 324) is big and athletic. The Alabama transfer would be among a plethora of Dolphins interior offensive linemen.

Jack Westover, TE, Washington

Westover (6-3, 243) had 46 receptions for 433 yards and four toucdowns. The Dolphins signed Jonnu Smith but he might not necessarily be the No. 3 receiver.

Braiden McGregor, Edge, Michigan

McGregor (6-5, 257) has good size and while he only had 4.5 sacks, 3.5 of those came over his final five games.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville

Brownlee (5-10, 194) is an aggressive player with slot and boundary capabilities, and he’s local, having attended Carol City High School.

Tez Walker, WR, North Carolina

Walker (6-2, 193) ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine, which means he’s fast. That’s a major requirement for the Dolphins.

Cody Schrader, RB, Missouri

Schrader (5-9, 202) has good feet and next-level elusiveness. And he has good hands. Size is a major problem.

Qwan’Tez Stiggers, CB, No college

Stiggers (5-11, 203) is a relative unknown because he didn’t play college football. But he’s an athletic freak who had an outstanding pro day in Atlanta, which the Dolphins attended.

The Post’s sports staff weighs in with grades after the Denver Broncos drafted Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss on Day 2 of the NFL draft.

Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat writer

Grade: B+

A solid grade for Denver on two fronts and with one caveat. The Broncos hit a position of need at No. 76 overall in Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss. They also stayed patient. After picking at No. 12 instead of trading back Thursday, the only way to move up from No. 76 in a meaningful way would have been to deal a player or dip into 2025 draft capital. Instead, Denver held on to its assets and picked a player with the skillset to help early — if he stays healthy. Some risk there given Elliss’ shoulder and hamstring issues, but a solid bet to make deep into Day 2.

Ryan McFadden, Broncos beat writer

Grade: B

Elliss plays with a high-motor, a trait that helped him collect 12 sacks in his final season at Utah. He will need to improve as a run defender, and his shoulder injury, which forced him to not work out at the scouting combine, is a bit concerning. But Elliss has the potential to be a solid rotational player as a rookie who could develop into a starter on the edge in the future.

Troy Renck, sports columnist

Grade: B

Utah’s Jonah Elliss brings energy and intensity to the edge. He has good hands, but needs to add more counter moves to his arsenal. He likely will need to bulk up to help him support the run. He profiles as a sub package pass rusher as a rookie for a group that hasn’t had a player reach double-digit sacks since 2018. That is too much to ask for as a rookie, but his ceiling suggests it is possible by Year 3 as he grows into a full-time role.

Sean Keeler, sports columnist

Grade: B

Troy Franklin? No? Anyone? Elliss is fine — lean, mean, great bloodlines. If you love your edge-rushers with a no-quit engine, you’re going to love this guy. His first-down, short-yardage mileage is still TBD, but Luther’s kid won’t be awed by the stage. Or by Patrick Mahomes. Promise you that.

Matt Schubert, sports editor

Grade: C+

The Broncos pass rush needs help. That much is true. Jonah Elliss has the pedigree (dad, Luther, could play) and the production (16.5 sacks at Utah). But it sure would’ve been nice to give first-round pick Bo Nix an extra weapon on offense — especially with so many good ones still on the board.

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Almost anything in football can be viewed in relation to the quarterback.

The premium positions beside the guy under center? Those who can protect him, impact him or make plays in the passing game for him.

When you’ve got a rookie like the Broncos do after taking Oregon’s Bo Nix in the first round Thursday night, that emphasis only grows.

“The (rookie quarterback) challenge is exciting, but it’s still, you want good quarterback play,” Payton said Thursday night. “The two biggest allies to that, I believe strongly, are good defensive play and a running game. In other words, if you are a quarterback and you’re having trouble running the ball — or let’s get worse — if you’re a quarterback and you’re having trouble running the ball or stopping people, your job description becomes very difficult.

“When you’re playing good defense and you have a running game, your job description is a little bit more palatable.”

With needs across the board, then, the Broncos set about working on the defensive side of the ball with their lone Day 2 selection, drafting Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss with the No. 76 overall pick.

Elliss has backfield production that rivals anybody in the class. He’s on the smaller side at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 12 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in just 10 games his final season playing for a rugged Utes defense led by longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham.

“My effort is elite when it comes to the game. I think that’s just how I was raised,” said Elliss, whose father, Luther, finished his playing career with the Broncos in 2004 and later served as the team’s chaplain, including for the 2015 Super Bowl 50 championship team. “I’m a great pass-rusher and I bring that to a team, as well. Where I need to grow is just perfecting the little things, the little techniques, especially in my run fits.”

The Broncos defense had bright moments in 2023, particularly during a turnover binge-fueled five-game winning streak, but overall languished near the bottom of the league. Among ESPN’s team win-rate stats, Denver finished 30th in pass rush and 28th in stopping the run.

They’re hoping Elliss can join a group of young pass-rushers to improve those marks.

Ideally, teams in the NFL are drafting not to plug current gaps but with eyes on the future. Elliss joins a group of edge rushers the Broncos like in Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and potentially Drew Sanders. Still, Browning and Cooper are entering the final years of their rookie contracts and as such it is easy to see Elliss as both a complementary piece as soon as he’s ready and also a potential replacement or supplement beginning in 2025.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Elliss said he patterns his game after Hassan Reddick, who blossomed into a difference-maker in Arizona under now-Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

“We have a similar stature and we kind of use the same moves,” Elliss said. “He’s really a speed guy and that’s what I’m trying to be, too. I watched his film a lot during the offseason going into my junior year.”

Now Denver goes into a busy third day of the draft having simultaneously hit on two positions of need while also showing restraint uncommon of Payton teams. The Broncos used each of their first two picks at their assigned slots and now have six Saturday selections.

In many ways, the start of the draft is similar to how the Broncos have operated this offseason. They’ve spent modestly. They’ve exercised patience more often than aggression. They’ve kept an eye on the future while plugging holes in the present. Now they’ll have a chance to add several low-budget players to the roster in a portion of the draft where the talent is expected to drop off but where gems can still be identified.

Denver has No. 121 in the fourth round and then three of the first 12 picks in the fifth round (Nos. 136, 145 and 147).

The quarterback was the fun part. These are the days that help determine how well-built the support system around him is.

EDGE Jonah Elliss

Round/pick: 3rd/No. 76

Age: 21

Height/weight: 6-foot-2/248 pounds

College: Utah

Hometown: Moscow, Idaho

Notable: Elliss comes from a football family. His father, Luther, was a two-time Pro Bowler who played nine seasons for the Detroit Lions and one with the Broncos. His brothers, Kaden, Christian and Noah, currently play in the NFL. In 2023, he collected 37 tackles (16 for loss), 12 sacks and three passes defended in 10 games before missing the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that kept him from working out at the NFL scouting combine in February.

Quotable: Elliss on his dad’s time with the Broncos: “He still talks about how great of a culture and what a great fanbase they have out there. Honestly, the culture is something he mentions a lot and how it’s just a really good bond out there.”

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MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins drafted Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday, filling a need at a backup position.

But the big question is whether Paul, the 6 foot 7, 331-pounder who has an extraordinary 36-inch reach, is good enough contribute soon.

Is he good enough to contend for a starting job this year?

Is he good enough to push veteran Kendall Lamm and become the Dolphins’ top backup offensive tackle?

Is deserving of being the Dolphins’ selection in the second round?

Did the Dolphins do well enough with their first- and second-round selections?

The Dolphins, who drafted Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson with their first-round pick (No. 21) on Thursday, needed immediate help from the draft and there’s concern they drafted two developmental-type players.

Robinson will likely be an immediate starter as returning veterans Bradley Chubb (knee) and Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) recover.

But that’s not the case with Paul, the 55th selection in the draft.

Various scouting reports and mock drafts projected Paul anywhere from the low first round to the second round.

General manager Chris Grier said right now the Dolphins are only looking at Paul as a tackle, not a guard, and he then added, “but we don’t box people in.”

If Paul is only a tackle, he’s a backup considering the Dolphins return starting left tackle Terron Armstead and starting right tackle Austin Jackson.

“He knows he’s got some things to work on,” Grier said of Paul. “He’s very honest and direct and that’s what we really appreciated.’’

The Dolphins had options aside from selecting Paul.

Grier said they got “a bunch” of trade offers for the No. 55 pick.

“A couple were enticing,” he said, “but not enough for us to move off Patrick.”

As for other positions, right before the Dolphins took Paul, Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell went to Indianapolis at No. 52, Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott went to Washington at No. 53, and Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. went to Cleveland at No. 54.

All are players the Dolphins could have chosen.

Right after Paul’s selection, Western Michigan edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland went to Dallas at No. 56, and Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell went to Tampa at No. 57, and Georgia safety Javon Bullard went to Green Bay at No. 58.

Again, all are players the Dolphins could have chosen.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the second round has been a successful spot for Grier and the Dolphins since he took over the draft in 2016.

The second-round picks since then have been Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard (2016), linebacker Raekwon McMillan (2017), tight end Mike Gesicki (2019), guard Robert Hunt and defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (2020), safety Jevon Holland and guard Liam Eichenberg (2021) and cornerback Cam Smith (2023).

That’s eight selections — one Pro Bowler (Howard), two high-quality players (Hunt and Holland), and three serviceable players (Eichenberg, Gesicki and Davis), one so-so player (McMillan) and one unproven player (Smith).

Overall, that’s decent success.

As a bonus to selecting Paul, he’s an engaging young man with an interesting background.

He’s long-armed with a 36-inch reach that he uses to his advantage.

“Always being the first person, if your timing is right, to land that punch and get that contact, it gives you an advantage being the first to strike,” Paul said.

He’s a martial arts enthusiast who practices boxing and MMA.

“It correlates definitely to the field,” Paul said.

His grandfather, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was a major general in the Nigerian Army and head of state of Nigeria for a six-month stretch in 1966 after he took over following a coup.

Paul lived in Nigeria as a youngster for two and a half years. He hasn’t been back since 2015.

And he has a dynamic personality as well as a big smile.

“He was very enthusiastic about his intentions of wanting to play here,” Grier said with a smile.

The Dolphins said they spent a lot of time with Paul between the Senior Bowl, combine and a visit to the Dolphins’ team facility in Miami Gardens.

Paul said he enjoyed his time with the Dolphins tremendously, describing the three visits as “great,” “great,” and “amazing.”

But the question is whether Paul can be a contributor this year, and a starter next year as a replacement to Armstead, who considered retirement this offseason.

Grier thinks Paul can do both.

“We’re excited,” Grier said. “We think he has another level he can take it to, and he wants to, and that’s an important part. He wants to be good and he wants to be coached.”

Kam Kinchens, once dubbed “Slow-Jo” by his high school coach, is headed to the NFL.

The Los Angeles picked the All-American Hurricanes safety with the 99th pick in the third round of the NFL draft on Saturday. Kinchens is the first Hurricane to be picked in this year’s draft.

Kinchens, a former star at Miami Northwestern High, is the 41st player from the high school powerhouse to reach the NFL. The last Northwestern player to be picked in the draft was defensive lineman Caljah Kancey, who went in last year’s draft.

Kinchens came to Miami as a four-star prospect after starring for the Bulls and quickly became a key player for UM, starting the final five games of the 2021 season.

Although he was promising as a true freshman, Kinchens established himself as a top safety as a sophomore. He racked up six interceptions, which tied for second in the nation, and earned All-American honors (and a banner inside UM’s indoor practice facility). His 90 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus was No. 1 in the nation among safeties with 100 or more defensive snaps.

Kinchens returned for the 2023 season and had another solid performance, notching 59 tackles with five interceptions despite missing two games with a concussion. He also stepped up as a key leader on the team.

“He’s the best leader that I’ve ever had on any sports team, on any kind of organization,” UM safety Jaden Harris said before the 2023 season. “He’s the best leader that I’ve ever had, I ever came across. He does things right every single day, no matter what the circumstance is. He’s just a great guy to be around. I just want to compete with him, no matter what we’re doing. In the weight room, I try to catch him slipping up and stuff so I can get on him like how he gets on me, but it’s hard.”