After having talked about the quarterbacks and 3-4 defensive ends, it’s time to look at another hole in the Broncos all-world 2015 defense, inside linebacker.
Danny Trevathan was the last in a long line of undersized and athletic inside linebackers who have succeeded in Denver. First of which was, probably, Ian Gold (truly we could go back to Tom Jackson as far as star undersized Linebackers go in Broncos history), then with Wesley Woodyard and subsequently with Trevathan and Brandon Marshall. The Broncos could already have a succession plan on their roster in the form of undrafted 2015 rookie Zaire Anderson, another undersized and athletic ILB who fits the Broncos defense and had a very productive career at Nebraska.
Saying this might make it seem as if Trevathan is going to be easily replaced, but assuming this would be incorrect. When healthy, Trevathan is a true dynamo who can assist a defense in several different facets of the game. His relentless attitude and willingness to fly around and put his body in harms way was always admirable and truly fun to watch but his true value stood in his ability against the pass, where he was an ace on underneath coverage, allowing the Broncos to have extra help on TE on outside routes as well as the ability to cover RBs one on one in the flats.
Think back to the New England games and how many times the Patriots tested the Broncos LBs down the sideline covering RBs. If not for Marshall and Danny’s ability in coverage in both those games could have ended differently.
So, while the inside backer position certainly isn’t a feature one in the Broncos 3-4 defense like the outside pass rushers or a cornerback’s ability to cover on the outside, the Broncos need a very select type of skill set for the defense to function the way it did last season.
The Broncos have made a habit of finding underrated and undersized players at the position in later rounds and found ways to make them outproduce their draft selection. This doesn’t mean Elway won’t address this need earlier, but it could suggest he’ll wait, so we’re trying to focus a bit more on players with the type of skill set that fits the Broncos D and also maybe a few more underrated gems then we have the last two pieces. Enjoy!
First round options
Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
There’s really only one sure-fire candidate for the 31st pick at the position and that would be Darron Lee, who just after the Combine seemed like a top 20 lock, but recently seems to have lost a bit of steam in mocks around the web. It remains a long shot for him to fall that far in the first round, but just like there were rumors of the Broncos targeting C.J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier, two other big school LBs with outstanding speed for the position, Lee is a similar type of player.
The first thing you’ll hear about Lee is that he was the fastest player at the position in Indy, running an insane 4.47, 40-yard dash in addition to being one of the top performers in all the other relevant athletic testing. There’s no denying Lee’s athletic ability, in fact, he had to flash elite athleticism to impress, given his diminutive size (6-foot-1, 232 pounds). This will also make some teams shy away from him as he’s not a fit for everyone’s defense.
Lee is a former high school quarterback and safety who’s still new to the nuances of the linebacking position. In man coverage in space, he will have to be tested more, though his foot speed certainly suggests he’s capable of covering NFL TEs and RBs (he was almost exclusively used on underneath zones in coverage at OSU).
Lee really excels when it comes attacking downhill where he’s a true playmaker. Whether it be sniffing out the run or coming off a blitz and creating a big play in the backfield, he was one of the stars of the Buckeyes defense the last two seasons. He’s been used as an outside linebacker in OSU’s 4-3 unit, and would have to adjust to playing in the middle, but given his upside and skill set, he could be a perfect substitute for Danny Trevathan in time, and become another fan favorite on the Broncos D.
First/Second round bubble
Su’a Cravens, LB/S, USC
Sua Cravens came to Southern California as one of the country’s top recruits and with tons of hype, which he almost immediately justified. He’s been a leader of the Trojans defense ever since and has been used in a variety of positions in USC’s back seven.
Cravens is modern linebacker/safety hybrid (think a less explosive Deon Bucannon with better coverage instincts or a similar type of player to Shaq Thompson) that we’ve seen come out of the Pac-12 the last couple drafts. Unlike most linebackers he’s already well suited in coverage and was especially impressive against UCLA showing great instincts covering TEs and even receivers, he’s also been a force on the line of scrimmage showing a willingness to throw his body into gaps and make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Cravens has shown sneaky good instincts as a blitzer and even rushing the passer coming off the edge. In many ways, he has a similar skill set to the more-hyped Lee and is more advanced in his instincts for the position and experience. What separates him from Lee has been his surprisingly underwhelming results from the athletic testing at both the Combine and USC’s Pro Day. It’s unclear how much of a concern this should be. When going back to study tape, he looks explosive coming off the line of scrimmage and shows good fluidity and speed in coverage. Cravens is also consistently able to turn and cover TEs and receivers down field. His stock has fallen because of this, but Cravens would be a nice addition to the Broncos defense, especially if he were to slip all the way to the bottom of the second round.
Jaylen Smith, ILB, Notre Dame
There isn’t a sadder story than Smith’s in this draft, who was a unanimous top 5-10 pick the entire 2015 season and was receiving tons of accolades and praise, not to mention some Patrick Willis comparisons. That all ended Jan. 1, of this year in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, in which Smith suffered a devastating knee injury and tore both his ACL and LCL. Since then, Smith has been scrutinized by NFL doctors and more disconcerting news has come out regarding a possible nerve damage in his knee that could cause him to miss the entire 2016 season and could potentially hinder a full recovery. This is the issue with Smith, and without having any medical knowledge we can only go off of the reports in the news.
The bottom line with Smith is this if the Broncos select him and do so in the top two rounds it’s because Steve “The Greek” Antonopolus and the medical staff have cleared him and believe there’s a good chance he could come back to being 100-percent. If that’s the case, then there’s reason to celebrate as Smith is a complete linebacker with outstanding athletic ability, instincts in coverage and a super tackler. In the 2015 season, he seemed to really complete his game, adding a few more pounds and showing an aggressive thumping style that he hadn’t in years past. Only the doctors know how likely that is, though, and a selection of Smith would almost certainly mean having to find another immediate option at ILB opposite Marshall for the 2016 season. The pick wouldn’t be without risk but the upside could certainly be worth the wait.
Deion Jones, OLB, LSU
This is exactly the type of linebacker the Broncos have shown a disposition for in the past decade. Jones is on the small side for the position (6-foot-1, 222 pounds), and doesn’t play with the same type of physicality, especially up on the line of scrimmage, like the other prospects we’ve talked about thus far. With a stout D-line protecting him up front, he’s perfectly suited to flying in and plugging holes against the run where he’s very instinctive and has great sideline to sideline speed. Jones has shown high-level coverage skills as a weak-side linebacker in LSU’s talented defense, he has great fluidity and instincts and shows natural ability to cover TEs and RBs in space.
His one weakness is taking on offensive linemen, something he generally shouldn’t be asked to do within the Broncos system. He really impressed with his speed at his Pro Day (where he was rumored to run as fast as a 4.3) and his stock could be anywhere in the second round from the top 35 picks to the bottom of the round. This type of linebacker has become more popular for NFL teams in this more modern pass happy era, think Lavonte David.
Later round options
Jatavis Brown, LB, Akron
So far we’ve offered up an under the radar or sleeper prospect for every position we’ve covered. No one more so than Brown, who both seems like a realistic late-round target for the Broncos and also fits the needs and profile of former players at the position. He’s a classic undersized LB who plays way bigger than his size (5-11 217 lbs.). Watch his tape and you see a fearless linebacker who flies sideline to sideline and isn’t hiding behind the line, but rather flying through gaps and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. He tackles with an aggressive edge and is very good about wrapping up with his arms, as he has very few missed tackles despite a lack of power. The area in which Brown excelled (much like Trevathan) is in coverage where he shows superb instincts, flexibility and top end speed to shadow and cover opposing TEs and RBs. He’s very underrated due to his small school pedigree and his diminutive size, but he fits the exact type of backer who’s been overlooked and then succeeded in the Bronco system. A worthwhile late-round pick.
Honorable Mentions
Due to the likelihood of the Broncos picking an ILB in the later rounds here are a few other interesting names to keep an eye on for Denver from the third day on.
Antonio Morrison, LB, Florida
Morrison had a terrific last season at Florida, he plays with an aggressive edge and simply punishes people down-hill. He ran a disappointing 5.01 40 at his Pro Day but plays faster than that on tape. Probably not a three-down player, but a tone-setting inside linebacker that would be reliable against the run and could have more to his game than that.
Dominique Alexander, ILB, Oklahoma
Alexander fits the Broncos profile a bit better, he’s a leaner LB who really has good movement skills. He doesn’t play with much of an edge and will have to be protected by his line as he struggles once he’s blocked, but he can be an asset in coverage and as a playmaker the back seven.
Elandon Roberts, ILB, Houston
As his team had a breakout season, Roberts was quietly one of the teams stars on defense. He was everywhere on the field for Houston and shows the mobility to play the position like Denver would like. He’s a tremendous leader who’s a tackling machine. Extremely underrated, most people talk about how un-athletic he is but his Pro Day numbers and tape suggest otherwise (reportedly ran a 4.6 40 and jumped 36 inches in his Vert Jump).
Terrance Smith, OLB, Florida State
The younger brother of Telvin Smith (Jaguars LB who had a breakout season), and plays similarly. A true undersized LB, who’s best skills are shown in coverage, disappointed with his athletic testing but much like his brother could surprise as a Pro. He was a star at FSU, wouldn’t bet against him.
