With their third and final selection in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected former five-star recruit McTelvin Agim, the talented defensive lineman from Arkansas.

Agim showed great versatility playing defensive end and tackle in college and was the Razorbacks’ best pass rusher in his final two seasons. Despite being a bit of a boom-or-bust talent, he comes with high-character and a stellar academic record.

Ranking as the 168th best prospect on our board—receiving a ‘Day-3 gem’ grade—and 16th ranked interior defensive lineman, Agim was the first real reach of Denver’s first five picks.

When going back to watch the talented but underdeveloped SEC talent, here’s what we found.

Strengths

• Tested well at the Combine, has been a standout athlete with prototypical size since being a five-star recruit out of high school.

• Team captain with ideal physical traits for the position.

• A high-level producer with 18.5 TFLs in his final two seasons in the SEC without much help from his teammates.

• Slippery penetrator with a strong, powerful build.

• Has the upside of a prototypical interior pass rusher.

• Developing spin, rip and swim moves already make him dangerous rushing the passer.

 

 

• Hands show real flashes. Achieving his full potential with his hand usage will be a key to his development.
• When his hands are consistent, his wide base makes him tough to move in the run game. Has some upside to handle double teams.

• Shows good agility, balance, and quick feet. Does a nice job avoiding cut blocks and staying on his feet.

• Versatile, played both defensive end and tackle for the Razorbacks.
• Explosive upfield with promising lateral mobility.

• Shows a solid motor, runs plays down on the backside and is persistent in pursuit. 

• Sound tackler.
• He should benefit from moving to a 5-technique (3-4 DE) on first and second down to then rush the quarterback as a defensive tackle in sub-packages.
• Great get-off and burst off the snap, give him real potential. 

Weaknesses

• Incredibly raw with his hands and leverage. He’s a project.
• Attacks the line head first doesn’t even try to use his hands at times.
• A bit of a tweener, gets moved around far too easily by run blockers despite 300-plus pound frame.
• Looks more like a situational pass rusher right now than a three-down lineman.
• Doesn’t always play up to the level of his talent, the tape can be inconsistent. 
• Can struggle with double teams.
• Doesn’t use length or hands to keep blockers off him, limited to a one-gap system.
• Isn’t always a factor against the run, struggles to hold his ground and is primarily a penetrator. 
• Not a great finisher once he gets in the backfield, better off the snap than closing plays. 

Broncos Fit

Like other Day-2 defensive linemen that have been selected during John Elway’s tenure as Broncos GM, Agim doesn’t have a natural position and is a bit of a raw tweener, with intriguing pass rushing upside on the interior.

The biggest question surrounding him—on top of his ability to develop and refine his technique—will be where he fits against the run, as it’s hard to see him handling double teams as a true defensive tackle or even as 3-4 end, where he’ll be a liability defending the run at this stage in his development.

Agim’s possesses high-end traits for the position, with pass-rushing upside and general athleticism on his over 300-pound frame. He should already be good for a handful of pressures as a rookie where his patented spin move could give him some early production.

Adding more interior pass rushers on Denver’s front is crucial to both freeing up Von Miller and Bradley Chubb out on the edge but is also crucial in stopping the Kansas City Chiefs’ potent offense by collapsing the pocket from the inside.

Agim’s talent and utility are obvious but he has some significant obstacles he must overcome to become a regular rotation piece and eventual starter.