DENVER — No excuses, Drew Lock.
This is your team.
And this is your draft.
Just when it seemed that there couldn’t possibly be more evidence that the Broncos’ draft tactics revolved around supporting their quarterback, the Broncos turned around and drafted Albert Okwuegbunam, the tight end who caught 17 of Lock’s 99 touchdown passes at Missouri.
Only one player — wide receiver Emanuel Hall, currently of the Washington Redskins — had more touchdown receptions from Lock during his four seasons at Mizzou.
“We talked to Drew his morning,” John Elway told Okwuegbunam on a call posted by the Broncos’ social-media channels, “and he loves you to death.”
And with good reason. Okwuegbunam’s 4.49 speed made him a mismatch underneath and down the seam, and with the separation he generated, Lock found him — often in the red zone.
“Put him anywhere,” Lock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2017, “and I believe he’s going to go up and make a play for me.”
“I just felt like a lot of the times, in tough situations, I was the guy that he always felt comfortable just knowing that he always had an open throw in me, regardless of the situation,” Okwuegbunam said.
“We needed a big play, his eyes were coming to me. Just the amount of confidence of me, and just coming out of routes, it always felt like we were on the same page.”
That will help Okwuegbunam get up to speed in an offseason that may not incorporate any on-field work because of the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. He can lean on the chemistry established with Lock, which should allow him a better chance to get a foothold on a roster spot.
Denver’s selections of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler gave Lock a pair of explosive targets to complement Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton and tight end Noah Fant, who last year became the first rookie tight end in 24 years to have at least 40 receptions, 500 yards and 14 yards per reception as a rookie.
The third-round pick of center Lloyd Cushenberry III gave Lock the anchor up front with whom he can grow and build trust as they collaborate on pre-snap checks and calls.
Now Lock has his college security blanket and primary collaborator. Tight end wasn’t a position of need — the Broncos have now taken at least one in four consecutive drafts — but the idea of getting a favorite target of Lock was too good to pass up.
This is Lock’s draft, and the Broncos are Lock’s team.
