John Elway’s track record in the draft hasn’t been great, especially on offense. Outside of the most recent 2018 crop, the number of starters he’s selected have been few and far between, and it shows. The offense has been desperately lacking in high-end talent ever since Peyton Manning’s retirement.
With the Denver Broncos currently slotted to draft eighth overall in 2019, and the 2018 season already seeming lost, that’ll have to change for Denver to get back to scoring points on a regular basis.
The Broncos now have nine picks in the upcoming draft, and potentially 10 depending on the conditions for the seventh-round pick they’d receive from the New York Giants for Riley Dixon, and the conditions for the seventh-rounder they owe the Philadelphia Eagles for Allen Barbre.
With that much draft capital and their own high pick they “earned,” there will be plenty of chances for the Broncos to upgrade their offense, even in a draft class in which most of the headliners are on the defensive side of the ball.
Here are the best available players at the Broncos greatest offensive positions of need.
Quarterback
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
Herbert’s raised his stock significantly this season, with a three-game stretch against high-end defenses like Stanford, Washington, and Cal, showing the ability to thread the needle in tight windows, squeezing passes above the second level and underneath the secondary.
With that type of accuracy on deep-to-intermediate throws, both within the pocket or on the run added to his 6-foot-6 athletic frame, Herbert has all the traits to be a high-end NFL signal caller.
However, outside of that stretch, he’s been incredibly inconsistent, hasn’t been at his best in the clutch and has some real injury concerns—with a broken collarbone sidelining him in 2017 and a concussion scare in 2018 both hindering his stock.
Regardless, he’s clearly the top QB prospect in 2019, with a significantly higher ceiling than anyone else. The bigger question is if he’ll declare, with reports coming out that he’d like to stay another season in Eugene to play with his brother who will be an incoming freshman. We’ll see if family ties are enough for him to turn down the potential of being the top pick.
Daniel Jones, QB, Duke
Jones’ stock has risen drastically over the last few weeks and, theoretically, he has everything you’d like in a QB.
A product of David Cutcliffe’s offense—which groomed both the Manning brothers during their time in the SEC—Jones has prototypical size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and just looks the part; is cool in the pocket, sound mechanically, and has adequate athleticism and arm strength.
Though his best games have been more a product of wide open windows and YAC rather than extraordinary play, which makes him tough to evaluate, even if the junior seems to have caught the NFL’s eye.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Broncos would be bullish enough to take him, or anyone not named Herbert, with a top-10 selection.
Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
Lock has had a rough season as his Tigers have clearly been outmatched by most of the heavy-hitting defenses they face in the SEC.
He has all the raw tools necessary; big arm, good size, athleticism, is a senior, and has started for three seasons putting up big stats in the toughest conference in the country.
However, he, too, is maddeningly inconsistent and has struggled to work off his secondary reads, while also falling apart under pressure at times. He’s started to show intriguing developments in the weak areas of his game, but those remain big concerns.
Don’t be surprised if Lock’s raw skills vault him into the first-round conversation once the draft season begins despite his very real concerns.
Will Grier, QB, West Virginia
Grier’s really elevated his stock the past few weeks with big wins against Texas and TCU. He comes from an air-raid offense and makes very few translatable throws, all while showing a frustrating propensity to make wild decisions.
However, he’s fun to watch, is accurate, gets the ball out on time and has a really intriguing combination of arm strength and mobility. He’ll be one to watch in this final stretch of college games as he seems to have some fans in the scouting community, could Elway and Gary Kubiak be among them?
Don’t forget about
Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
Brett Rypien, QB, Boise State
Ryan Finley, QB, NC State
Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State
The depth at the quarterback position is promising in 2019, assuming all the underclassmen declare, meaning Denver might be better off taking someone from this group rather than reaching on Lock, Grier or Jones, or trading the farm to get Herbert.
Haskins would be in the top tier if not for the fact that he’s just a redshirt sophomore and has only 10 career starts under his belt. His accuracy is really enticing, but the other areas of his game have been up and down when he’s faced the toughest competition.
Finley, Minshew, and Rypien have nice arms, but all come with some system or consistency concerns.
Offensive tackle
Jonah Williams, LT, Alabama
Williams is the rare true freshman to start for the Tide as he became their right tackle three seasons ago. He’s since made the move to the blind side without missing a beat and is clearly the top OT prospect in the class. So much so, that him “falling” to eight seems unlikely.
His demeanor, ability to pass protect and maul for the run, combined with his experience playing both tackle positions make him really appealing, not to mention he plays with great balance.
Murmurs around the NFL world regarding his length, or lack thereof, could hurt his stock, which might play into the Broncos hand.
Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
Little’s a former top recruit with all the talent in the world, a natural athlete at the position with length. When you look up “dancing bear” in the scouting dictionary, his photo should come up as a prime example.
Outside of those elite tools, Little’s been inconsistent. He can be sloppy with his footwork and hands, and worst of all, looks a bit soft at times. Regardless, his pedigree and raw skill will get him drafted high, but he’d be a concern in Denver where they’ve struggled to develop lineman recently.
Yodny Cajuste, LT, West Virginia
After Williams and Little, there’s a lack of consensus in a deep tackle class that’s a bit short on high-end talent. Cajuste is a personal favorite with tons of upside in pass protection.
He’s the rare talent who has the physical gifts to play on the blind side for many years. Still raw, he’ll need to be developed coming from the crazy air-raid the Mountaineers run, but he has put on some really impressive tape.
If he were to drop out the first round, the Broncos could get the Courtland Sutton of tackles in round two, a dream scenario.
Don’t forget about
David Edwards, RT, Wisconsin
Bobby Evans, OT, Oklahoma
Andre Dillard, LT, Washington State
Trey Adams, OT, Washington
The depth at the position is really nice here, meaning the Broncos might be able to double up on in 2019 to try and sure up a glaring weakness.
Edwards is reminiscent of Jared Veldheer’s mauling ability and gigantic frame at 6-foot-7, but needs to be better in pass protection. Evans and Dillard are really intriguing in pass pro, while Adams would be in the top tier if not for his injury history.
There’s value to be had here.
Dynamic receiving options:
Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
The Broncos need to add speed and route running ability, both at receiver and tight end, for the aerial attack to be more dynamic.
If Denver’s offense is to resemble the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown would be an ideal pick. At only 5-foot-10 and a featherweight 168 pounds, Brown can absolutely fly, averaging 18.6 yards per reception the past two seasons. He runs a limited route tree but with the ball in his hands can be a big-play machine, he’s also the rare talent who can outrun double coverage and tear the top off a defense.
Brown would be a bit of a swing-for-the-fences pick for Denver with greater needs on the roster, but he’s one of the few receivers in a mammoth class that fits the speedster mold. His athleticism could open up space for the rest of the Broncos receiving corps underneath, upgrading the passing attack across the board.
Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
At 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds, Fant is the consensus top tight end in the class and a true mismatch as a receiver, as his 17 touchdowns the past two seasons can attest.
He’ll need to be more consistent and likely would be a reach where the Broncos will select in the first round and long gone by early day two, but his profile is exactly what the passing attack could use to put more points on the board.
Kaden Smith, TE, Stanford
The Stanford product is a really talented receiver who can go get tough contested catches, is a master back-shoulder receiver, and works angles well. He’s not a mismatch like Fant but would be a really tough cover in Denver when added to Sutton, as no secondary in the NFL could handle two contested-catch mavens like them.
In day two of the draft, he’d be a quality target for the Orange & Blue.
Don’t forget about
Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia
Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State
Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama
Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M
This tight end class has lots of depth with several receiving specialists who would look really nice in the Mile High City. The receiving corps is really deep but mostly made up of big targets who don’t fit what the Broncos are searching for.
Samuel and Ridley are quick guys, with Ridley already possessing a well-rounded route tree that could help him succeed early on in his pro career.
Campbell has very inconsistent hands but is a physical runner with game-breaking speed, he would be a valuable addition to the return game as well, beyond being a speedy target that could stretch defenses.
