Ranking the Broncos’ top needs entering the draft

The goal of free agency is to eliminate any needs. For the most part, on a semi-limited budget, John Elway did a mighty fine job of that over the past month and a half during free agency.

Entering the offseason, the Denver Broncos had four major glaring needs. Post free agency, that number has been cut in half, at least.

But there’s still work to do. Thankfully for Elway and the Broncos, they have plenty of resources and draft capital to continue to eliminate needs and bolster the roster before the season. Not only does Denver have the No. 5 overall pick in the draft, all eight of their picks fall in the first five rounds.

Drafting purely off of need is never a good idea, but keeping your needs in mind while drafting is certainly wise. Here are the Broncos most pressing needs as they enter the draft.

1) Running back

In just one move exactly 10 days before the start of the draft, the Broncos willingly created their biggest need by releasing running back C.J. Anderson.

Entering the draft, the Broncos only have two running backs in the organization: Devontae Booker and De’Angelo Henderson, who combined for a total of 312 rushing yards last year.

Even if Denver had not released Anderson, it was still expected the team would turn to the draft to add another running back to the arsenal. Now, however, it is highly expected the team will do so early in the draft, somewhere between the No. 5 overall pick and their two third-round picks.

2) Guard

What started as “Finish the offensive line rebuild” has been dwindled down to a single position, thanks to the Broncos trading for right tackle Jared Veldheer.

Outside of Matt Paradis, Denver’s offensive line has been completely revamped since the team won their third Lombardi Trophy just over two years ago, and only the right guard spot remains to be filled.

The reason this is second on the list is because Denver hasn’t named a starter. Head coach Vance Joseph has identified that Connor McGovern, Menelik Watson and a potential draft pick will compete for the job with Ron Leary expected to move back to left guard. Fortunately for Denver, the 2018 draft is very strong and deep at the guard position.

3) Third Wide Receiver

The third wide receiver has been a massive issue for the team since they lost Wes Welker after the 2014 season.

As hard as it is to believe, that position only got worse this offseason on paper as the team let their third and fourth leading receivers last year — Bennie Fowler and Cody Latimer respectively — walk in free agency. The team’s fifth-leading wideout from last year was Jordan Taylor, who had a whopping 13 catches for 142 yards on the entire season.

Throughout the offseason, Joseph has pointed to last season’s third-round draft pick Carlos Henderson as the person who will take over this position for the Broncos. Henderson’s pure talent is not the issue, but he’s never taken a snap in the NFL after he spent his entire rookie season on the injured reserve.

4) Tight End

Even if Denver didn’t lose Virgil Green — their 16-game starting tight end from a year ago — in the offseason to the Los Angeles Chargers this position would still be a need. Considering they lost Green, it’s a glaring need.

The team is very high on the prospects of second-year player Jake Butt, but Butt missed the entire 2017 season while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered his final collegiate game. If Butt can be healthy and the player Denver drafted him to be, he will provide a massive boost to the tight end group they’ve desperately needed the past many years.

If not, however, the Broncos will be forced to turn to the two most experienced tight ends currently on the roster: Jeff Heuerman and Austin Traylor. Depending on how confident the team is on Butt will likely determine if and when they draft a tight end this year.

5) Quarterback Depth

What started the offseason as the No. 1 priority for Elway — finding a quarterback — has quickly dwindled down the totem poll thanks to the Case Keenum signing.

While Denver has found their starting quarterback for 2018, Keenum appears to be the answer only for the next two seasons. This offseason, Elway could look to add the team’s long-term answer at the most important position in all of sports with the No. 5 overall draft pick.

If Elway steers away from quarterback in the first-round, he may still need to address the position to add depth. On the depth chart, after Keenum, the team has Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly — neither of which have proven they can be relied on in the NFL.

6) Defensive Depth

Is it obvious yet which side of the ball excelled last year and which side struggled? For the first time on this list, a position on the defensive side shows up, and it’s not even a glaring need.

While Denver did give up the eighth-most points per game last year (23.9) signs would point that it wasn’t entirely their fault. The defense finished as the fourth-best team against the pass and the fifth-best against the run. Outside of Aqib Talib, the unit has all of their important pieces coming back.

However, they’ll need to continue to build their depth, specifically in the interior of the defensive line, inside linebacker and cornerback if they want to keep the defense great for years to come.