Broncos Film Room: Denver gets creative with the addition of Justin Hollins

With their first pick of the third day of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Oregon outside linebacker Justin Hollins with the 156th pick in the fifth round.

The Broncos have prioritized adding to their edge rusher depth on day three, not only with Hollins’ selection but by trading for Dekoda Watson as well in a pick swap with the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the day.

There’s more than meets the eye with Hollins and especially how the Broncos could use him in Vic Fangio defense, here’s what we found.

Strengths

• Hollins is long and extremely athletic with 4.5 speed and great explosiveness off the line.
• That athleticism also shows up when he moves sideline to sideline and when dropped in coverage.

• He was fairly productive with the Ducks posting 26 tackles for a loss in his final two seasons with 10 sacks.
• Is very disciplined and won’t over jump gaps, he’s already a very trustworthy defender who won’t be a liability on the field.

• He’s always engaged and will fight off blockers to make plays on the backside.
• Sets a strong edge and has shown the talent to be a solid run defender.

• Hollins isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and knock runners on their back, playing with a bit more physicality than his slender frame might suggest.
• Has shown the ability to drop in coverage and is very competent covering the flats with the ability to turn and run with tight ends and backs.
• He’s always looking to strip the ball, racking up eight forced fumbles in his last two seasons.

• Uses his length well knocking down seven passes in 2018.
• Showed the skills to play as an off-ball backer in the all-star circuit, can be fairly smooth dropping in coverage with pretty good range for a linebacker his size.
• Is slippery and can beat tackles off their inside shoulder, has some deceptive power to his game allowing him to be an efficient blitzer up the middle as well.

Weakness

• For the natural talent he possesses, Hollins doesn’t have too many flash plays. He could show off his explosiveness on a more regular basis and be more of a playmaker.
• Needs to do a better job finishing plays and wrapping up tackles, there are a few whiffed tackles on tape.
• Isn’t super flexible coming off the edge as a pass rusher, which limited some of his production, as he’s not a dominant outside pass rusher despite his speed and length.
• Doesn’t have great hands, will drop some interceptions when dropped in coverage.
• Needs to work on his hands and work on his pass rushing moves, remains a raw technician.

In conclusion

Fangio used a healthy dose of formations with three edge rushers on the field at the same time with the Chicago Bears. Often using the long and athletic Leonard Floyd in a variety of ways, where he could be dropped in coverage, lined up outside to rush the passer, or moved around as a blitzer, creating confusion for opposing offenses.

Hollins fits that profile to a ‘T’ and could be utilized in a similar way to Floyd. Denver’s fifth-round pick has length and athleticism which make him a very intriguing piece to the defense. Having more edge depth will also allow Fangio to put Bradley Chubb on the line with his hand on the ground.

While Hollins might not be elite in any one area, he’s a very clean prospect with intriguing versatility and all the requisite measurables to become a solid NFL contributor.

He was ranked 126th on our final draft board, making this once again a great value pick by the Broncos.