By: Adamo Marinelli
April 26th, 2020
Drew Lock and company proved the Broncos could contend for a playoff spot this coming NFL season. The Broncos had to improve several areas of their team in this draft to do so. Let’s see how they did.
With the 15th overall pick, the Broncos selected Jerry Jeudy, WR, from Alabama. This selection gets an A. I was expecting Jeudy to be gone by the 15th pick, but luckily he was still on the board. He is the best route runner in the draft, is one of the fastest receivers in the draft, has excellent hands, is a great ball tracker, and can play in the slot or opposite of Sutton on the outside. He and Sutton will be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
With the 46th overall pick, the Broncos selected K.J. Hamler, WR, from Penn State. This selection gets a C-plus. It was a little bit of a stretch pick, as they could have gotten him in the third round. WR Denzel Mims was still on the board and they could have added to their offensive linemen depth by drafting a tackle or guard. He is fast, can play in the slot and on the outside, and can return kicks and punts, an area of struggle for the Broncos.
With the 77th overall pick, the Broncos selected Michael Ojemudia, a CB from Iowa. This pick gets a B-plus. He led the Hawkeyes in passes defended and interceptions in his 51 games played. He is the type of corner that Fangio likes. He is tall, has good speed, big hands, and decent ball tracking ability. He has to work on improving his tackling in the open field, however, but he always has a positive attitude.
With the 83rd overall pick, the Broncos selected Lloyd Cushenbury III, a C from LSU. This pick gets an A-minus. He is arguably the best center in this draft and was a critical part of LSU’s success in their run to become national champions. He is big and physical, excels in run blocking, pushing guys down the field, and in pass protection. The occasional footwork mistake leads to holding calls but this can be fixed. Great pick. I was expecting him to be gone already.
With the 95th overall pick, the Broncos selected McTelvin Agim, DL from Arkansas. This draft pick gets a B-minus. Adding a solid pass rusher to a d-line consisting of Shelby Harris, Jurrell Casey, Mike Purcell, and Dre’Mont Jones is a good move. He is explosive off the line and shows he is an excellent pass rusher with quickness, agility to get around offensive linemen. He can disrupt the backfield and can play in a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. He is not much of a two-gap player and he needs to add more moves with his hands - can’t rely solely on strength in the NFL.
With the 118th overall pick, the Broncos selected Albert Okwuegbunam, a TE from Missouri. This pick gets a B-plus. He worked with Lock at Missouri and they have developed great chemistry. Having another fast, pass-catching tight end with Noah Fant, will prove to be deadly for opposing defenses - similar to Ertz and Goedert. He has a good combination of size and speed, has great hands as a pass-catcher, can get good separation in the endzone but is clunky getting off the line of scrimmage, his route running is raw and can improve his blocking.
With the 178th overall pick, the Broncos selected Justin Strnad, a LB from Wake Forest. This pick gets a B-minus. He is a great backup that has the potential to become an NFL caliber starter with a few years of development. He has the desired combination of speed and athleticism and he has an outstanding range to track down outside run plays. He is a strong hitter, but he is slender for a linebacker. He needs to add more weight to his frame; as he is not quite effective at getting off blocks. He gets caught up with what is in front of him, needs to see the whole field. His ruptured bicep last October also causes some issues.
With the 181st overall pick, the Broncos selected Netane Muti, an OG from Fresno State. This pick gets an A-minus. The Broncos needed to bolster up their offensive line: they accomplished that with Cushenbury and Muti. Muti has a large frame at 6’3”, 315 pounds, he has excellent strength as shown by his 44 bench press reps. He is aggressive in the run game and often makes defensive lineman back out. He used to play on the defensive line and he knows their strategies, and how to counter them. He is good in the passing game and does not panic in a collapsing pocket. Re-occurring Achilles injuries do provide a shred of doubt though.
With the 252nd overall pick, the Broncos selected Tyrie Cleveland, a WR from Florida. This pick gets a C. He will be a depth receiver competing for positioning on the depth chart with DaeSean Hamilton, Diontae Spencer, and Tim Patrick. He has a long wingspan, good hands and he can catch the ball away from his frame and he excels in finding open areas in zone coverage. His production fell well short of expectations coming into Florida, he is slow off the line, his deceleration gives away comeback routes, he lacks the speed to be on the outside and his movement is too gradual, makes him easier to cover. He needs to cut more effectively.
With the 254th overall pick, the Broncos selected Derrek Tuszka, an OLB from North Dakota State. This pick gets a B-plus. He showed his ability to dominate college competition, he posted 29.5 sacks in a three-year career. He is agile and speedy in his pursuit of the QB and skilled with his hands as a pass-rusher. He can use a well-timed bull rush to catch an off-balance tackle off guard. He has a smooth punch to counter rip-transition. His lack of length and explosiveness wasn’t an issue in college but will likely be exploited by NFL starting tackles. He is also slower at getting off blocks for an edge rusher and can improve his speed off the line of scrimmage if he wants to outspeed an NFL tackle. His spin counter needs to be swifter, too. He will learn from Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
Overall, John Elway and company nailed this draft. There were a few questionable picks: some reaches, like Hamler in round 2, especially when Denzel Mims was still on the board and a few players like Strnad and Muti with injury problems that are concerning. However, John Elway and company did improve the wide receiver position, with Jeudy, a massive position of need, bolstered the offensive line while simultaneously creating a two-head monster at tight end and he improved the secondary and linebacking core significantly. Pair this with an excellent free agency period, acquiring guys like Jurell Casey and Melvin Gordon, and this Broncos team, offense, and defense can contend for a playoff spot at the very least next season. The Broncos get an A- for this draft class. It was one of the best in the league.
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