Broncos Film Room: Can Tyler Onyedim be the next John Franklin-Myers

You can’t watch this without being impressed by the talent. He achieved what he tried to do. But he should have been trying to go the other way.

A talented defensive lineman can find his advantage over his opponent and cash in on it.

An NFL defensive lineman can find that advantage and figure out how to exploit it in a way that allows him to win in the gap he’s supposed to be working in.

All of this is very coachable. The problem is primarily discipline. It’s similar to a running back who has a tendency to bounce runs outside when grinding out four yards up the middle is the prudent play.

And Onyedim is much less likely to take these chances when he’s the low man on the totem poll in the NFL instead of being the star.

Another crucial part of this story is Onyedim’s path through college. He finished his career at Texas A&M, where he played in an attacking, one-gap front similar to what the Broncos run. But he played four out of five seasons at Iowa State in a unique 3-3-5 defense, where defensive linemen are responsible for two gaps instead of one. The gap integrity troubles we talked about above wouldn’t apply in the same way at Iowa State.

If Onyedim had played all five years at Texas A&M, he probably wouldn’t let his creativity get the best of him as often in 2025.

The other concern with Onyedim is his anchor. What happens when he lines up across from a 6-foot-6, 334-pounder like Anez Cooper, who will hear his name called early on Day 3 of this year’s draft?

(Cooper is No. 73.)

All of a sudden, the length is neutralized.

Onyedim was a far better athlete than most of his competition in college. In the NFL, that will change. Every snap he will be battling with somebody who can neutralize one of his advantages. Maybe he can match Onyedim’s arm length. Maybe his feet are just as quick. Maybe he’s got 20 pounds on him.

Onyedim is a good athlete with good size. He isn’t a great athlete with great size, and that could be what eventually sets his ceiling.

But when you watch the flashes, you could squint and see some Chris Jones in him.

Onyedim’s immediate role is still to be determined. Before he became a Broncos, Denver’s plan looked something like this…

1. Zach Allen – superstar (plays ∼85% of snaps)
2. DJ Jones – run game specialist (∼45% of snaps)
3. Malcolm Roach – do-it-all guy who can patch any piece of the rotation (∼45% of snaps)
4. Eyioma Uwazurike – run defender first… with sneaky pass rush upside (∼35% of snaps)
5. Sai’vion Jones – pass rusher first (∼30% of snaps)
6. Jordan Jackson – first off the bench in case of injury (0% of snaps)

The Broncos will dress five defensive linemen on game days. Before Onyedim can take one of those spots, he’ll have to first beat out Jackson for the injury insurance role. Jackson has been a steady presence for the past few years in Denver. While Onyedim’s roster spot is guaranteed, surpassing Jackson in the race to play on game day will take a very solid training camp at least.

Onyedim figures to provide more as a pass-rusher than as a run defender, but it’s worth noting that he was more explosive in the run game last year. Still, Sai’vion Jones is probably more likely to snag Sai’vion Jones’ uniform than Uwazurike’s.

Jones vs. Onyedim could be one of the Broncos’ most notable camp battles in August.

If we’re taking a wider view, Uwazurike’s contract is up at the end of the year. The safe bet is probably on him walking, which would immediately bump Jones and Onyedim up in the rotation. D.J. Jones’ contract is up a year later. That’s when a starting job will be up for grabs.

Pages: 1 2 3