Denver Broncos: Rookie expectations for Bradley Chubb
By Joe DeLeone
The Denver Broncos might have gotten the biggest steal of the draft in Bradley Chubb, but what will we see from the NC State product this season?
How in the world did Bradley Chubb fall all the way to the fifth pick? Quite simply because of teams overvaluing a crop of quarterbacks who weren’t worth their draft positions. The Denver Broncos were smart enough to not listen to the QB hype.
Now the towel-swiping bandit will make all three teams who passed on him pay.
What is there not to love about Chubb? He has all the tools necessary to be a dominant force along an already stout Broncos defensive line. Most notable is his high motor and the strong base of pass rush moves in his arsenal.
But what may be most impressive is how much of a freak athlete he is. At the Combine, he casually ran a 4.65 40 time and leaped out of the building with a 36″ vertical jump.
All of this was done at a weight of 269 pounds.
Any quarterback facing the Broncos should be scared when this behemoth is coming for them. You don’t have to be an NFL scout to know a player this explosive will show up big on Sundays.
What helps Chubb the most might just be where he landed. On any of the top 10 teams, he could very easily be their best pass rusher. Now imagine him playing opposite of one of the best sack artists in the league.
Scary, right?
Von Miller has established himself as one of the leagues most technically sound quarterback chasers, and he’s not the only guy opposing teams have to be worried about. The Broncos also have Derek Wolfe and Shane Ray to terrorize AFC West offenses.
This gives Chubb the best possible situation to find himself in. He won’t be the only threat along the line, which should free him up from double teams. He also has plenty of help from teammates to teach him the art of the sack.
He’s even been working with former Bronco star Demarcus Ware during minicamp.
Chubb still has plenty of growing to do. With Ray out with a wrist injury, Chubb has had the chance to work alongside the elite first-teamers on the roster. Without a doubt, Chubb will come out hot in his second year, thanks to all of the work and experience he will be gaining in 2018.
However, early drafted defensive ends do not always fare well statistically in their first year. One thing that’s certain is that Chubb will get plenty of snaps and opportunities to boost his numbers.
A realistic expectation would be racking up somewhere in the 5-to-11 range for sacks.
His sack and tackle numbers might be slightly reduced because of all of the other guys who can poach big plays off of his success. However, any good defensive lineman is not evaluated by his numbers.
Chubb will be a standout for allowing his teammates to run free on any given down.
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A big year is imminent for this monster on the outside and in the trenches. And as Bradley Chubb steals more towels in 2018, he will also be stealing our hearts.