Broncos Film Room: What did Denver see in Juwann Winfree?

The Denver Broncos pulled the trigger on Colorado wide receiver Juwann Winfree with their final pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, moving up to get the underutilized college wideout and trading away their final two picks.

Obviously, the Broncos saw something in Winfree, a player who’s always shown promise as a collegian but had limited production as he dealt with a myriad of injuries. With all of that making him that much more interesting to study.

After digging into his tape, here’s what we found.

Strengths

• Winfree has prototypical size and speed for the position, measuring in just short of 6-foot-2 at an imposing 211 pounds and running a high 4.4 to low 4.5 at his pro day. 

• He has shown breakaway speed and the ability to be a threat running with the ball in his hands.
• Stands out for his soft, reliable hands, extending away from his body to make tough acrobatic grabs.

• Is physical at the point of attack and has a knack for making contested catches with great leaping ability and big hands.
• Has shown promise as a route runner, especially on double moves. Winfree is also strong getting open underneath and could prove to be a safety blanket for the passing game.

• Does a nice job of getting open and finding holes in coverage over the middle. Is gifted with plus quickness for his size, allowing him to make significant strides as a route runner. 
• Was utilized both outside and in the slot, can be a reliable possession receiver with the potential to be a big-play weapon as well. Versatility is intriguing. 
• Can be a physical run blocker, shows a competitive edge and will get involved in all phases of the game.
• Uses his size well to gain position and box out defenders. Profiles to be a nice red-zone target.

• Team captain despite limited production.

Weakness

• Winfree had limited production throughout his career.
• Dealt with injuries and never quite reached his full potential.
• Needs to create consistent separation and looked more like a safety blanket and short yardage receiver rather than a big-bodied speedster on the outside. 
• Due to how often he was injured, Winfree’s speed didn’t always show up on tape and showed very limited flashes of that 4.49 speed that makes his upside so intriguing.
• Even when healthy, Winfree didn’t always see the field or receive many targets, going over 100 yards only twice in 20 career games at Colorado.

In conclusion

The Broncos took a gamble on Winfree with their final pick of the draft, as there’s a decent amount of projection to his game. There’s undeniable upside with Winfree to be a starting wideout, as he checks off lots of boxes with his physicality, hands, speed and upside as a route runner.

His strong intangibles as a former team captain fit the profile the Broncos have gone after in the past two drafts. Those intangibles make a project like Winfree a bit of a safer bet.

Without much hype around the former Buff, it’s reasonable to think Winfree could’ve gone at least a round later but clearly, the Broncos had zeroed in on him and weren’t willing to risk missing out on the local prospect. 

He’s an intriguing upside play who will be added to a young receiver corps with plenty of talent and a whole lot of question marks. If he plays up to his potential, Winfree could be competing for early snaps as the third or fourth receiver.

If healthy and developed, this could prove to be a steal, though there’s considerable risk with this selection as Winfree was never able to put it all together in college. The Broncos strong interest in him is a nice endorsement of what he could become and he’ll be a fascinating prospect to follow throughout training camp.