Denver Broncos Options At End Of First Round

The Denver Broncos need to make good use of their draft picks this year, including their pick at the end of the first round.

Free agency is rarely kind to the defending Super Bowl champs. The offseason following a Lombardi Trophy run almost always means the rest of the league fighting for their piece of the puzzle and key players taking off to get their big pay day. The Denver Broncos were no exception.

This past offseason the defending champions lost Malik Jackson, Danny Trevethan, and Brock Osweiler via free agency and the late great Peyton Manning called it a career. The Broncos didn’t do much to help themselves in free agency either besides barely clinging on to Von Miller, re-signing CJ Anderson and picking up Russell Okung to help address the O-line. They also acquired Mark Sanchez, but I’m not even sure I would count that as a success.

This leaves the draft as Denver’s last chance to fill some of the gaps created over this past offseason. They have some solid options at pick No. 31 that could help replace some of the players they lost.

1. Replacing Malik Jackson: Over the offseason the Broncos’ powerful defensive lineman left to get paid in Jacksonville. While Joey Bosa will likely be long gone,there’s no shortage of quality defensive linemen who could fill in opposite Derek Wolfe at the 3-4 defensive end spot.

For realistic purposes let’s say Joey Bosa, DeForest Buckner and A’Shawn Robinson are off the board and for argumentative purposes let’s say Sheldon Rankins and Shaq Lawson are also gone. The main options in that case would be Kevin Dodd out of Clemson or Andrew Billings out of Baylor (Robert Nkemdiche is both risky and hyped up) and despite popular opinion I would say the best option here is Billings.

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The record breaking weightlifter is capable of squatting 805 lbs, benching 500 lbs, and deadlifting 705 lbs and is by far the most explosive player in this draft class (and every one since 2011 for that matter). As a defensive tackle at Baylor, Billings showed his ridiculous explosiveness was seen on the field as he had a unique play making ability in the middle of the line. He would thrive in the hole Malik Jackson left along this star-studded defensive front.

2. Replacing Danny Trevethan: The playmaking Denver linebacker left for Chicago over the offseason, leaving another gap in last year’s league leading defense. Again, we’ll assume Myles Jack and Reggie Ragland are gone. Jaylon Smith is an option, but the former number 2 overall prospect just isn’t a first round value knowing that he’ll miss the entire 2016 season with a knee injury.

Assuming Darron Lee is still available, which I think he very well may be, the Ohio State product would be a great replacement for Trevethan. Lee is a talented pass rusher and run stopper whose value has risen to the end of the first round since Jaylon Smith’s injury shifted the pecking order.

The former Buckeye should fit into the 3-4 Broncos system quite well as he can learn from Wade Phillips and help keep the Broncos’ front as aggressive as ever.

3. Peyton Manning & Brock Osweiler: I wouldn’t trust Mark Sanchez with my football team’s laundry and I definitely wouldn’t make him my quarterback. But with Peyton calling it a career and the Texans taking a huge chance on Osweiler, Sanchez is currently the top dog in the mile high city.

If the Broncos want Goff or Wentz they’ll have to move way up the board, but let’s assume they stay at number 31 given the draft’s relative deepness at the position. Even with Goff and Wentz gone, Paxton Lynch is the consensus third guy in the draft, so let’s make things interesting and say Lynch gets taken before the Broncos get to pick him. The three names that stick out in the next tier are Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg, and Dak Prescott.

All three have their flaws and their benefits: Cook is the safest off field player but has the least on field upside, Hackenberg is a mess on and off the firld right now but his arm is unreal when used right, and Prescott is the most intriguing on field talent but was recently arrested on DUI charges. All things considered, I would still love to see Prescott go to the Broncos, though I think they could get him (and any of these guys) later than the first round.

The Mississippi State product was on the rise before the charges as a great leader and mobile QB and I could see him bringing an element of athleticism to the Kubiak bootleg system that the Broncos desperately need, especially in a style changing NFL.

The Broncos really can’t go wrong by filling any one of these gaps in their roster. I would say linebacker is the whole they can most afford to wait on and quarterback is the most dire situation, but it should come down to the best option available. If none of the top 3 quarterbacks are there, I don’t see another option being worth the first round grab, especially given the other holes on this team.

The Super Bowl win is always great, but there is always work to be done in the NFL.