Broncos pick linebacker Josey Jewell in fourth round

Vance Joseph made good on his promise to give linebackers coach Reggie Herring another backer to work with.

Iowa inside linebacker Joseph Jewell was drafted by the Broncos with the 106th overall pick. Denver also has the 113th overall pick.

Earlier this offseason Joseph said that the team would add an inside linebacker during the draft and hinted that the pick come earlier than the Broncos’ previous inside linebacker selections.

Jewell was a first-team All-American and first-team Big-10 last year, in his redshirt senior season, after posting 134 tackles, 13.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, 11 pass break-ups and one forced fumble. He was a Butkus Award finalist for the nation’s best linebacker after his junior season.

At 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds, Jewell is slightly undersized for an inside linebacker. He’s an instinctual player with good technique and football IQ but doesn’t have the athleticism you’d hope for.

Both of the Broncos’ starting inside linebackers from a season ago, Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis, are back in Denver this year. Their third-string linebacker, Corey Nelson, left for Philadelphia, leaving Jewell to compete with Zaire Anderson for the backup job.

Jewell was the fifth player drafted by the Broncos, following Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton, Royce Freeman and Isaac Yiadom. Denver has three more picks in the draft; one more in the fourth round and two in the fifth.