Ty Sambrailo Was Right Pick at Right Time for the Denver Broncos

We knew this offensive-tackle pick was coming for the Denver Broncos; it just came a round later than many expected.

And in the end, they didn’t have to look too far, going 70 miles up I-25 and tapping the Gary Kubiak-Colorado State connection to snare the Rams’ Ty Sambrailo in the second round (59^th overall).

Filling the void at right tackle was the Broncos’ most glaring need entering the draft, and if not for DE/LB Shane Ray falling in the first round – the Orange and Blue had the pass rusher rated 10^th overall on their board – John Elway and Co. likely would’ve addressed it Thursday night. Instead, they gladly used their second-round pick on the 2014 All-Mountain West Conference first-team selection who’s held down CSU’s starting left-tackle position for the last two seasons.

Right tackle has been a trouble spot for the Broncos the last two seasons, with four different players making starts at the position. One of them was Orlando Franklin, a 2011 second-round pick who had been shifted inside last season to left guard, but of course, he signed with the division-rival San Diego Chargers this offseason.

Louis Vasquez finished the 2014 season as the Broncos’ starting RT, but his best position is right guard, and that’s where he has returned – hopefully to stay. Chris Clark, Paul Cornick and Michael Schofield, a 2014 third-round pick from Michigan who didn’t suit up for any games as a rookie, are also in the running at right tackle, but the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Sambrailo immediately becomes the odds-on favorite to be in the starting lineup come the Sept. 13 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, Sambrailo may be viewed as a reach by some as some projections pegged him as third-round pick, but with projected first-round offensive tackles La’el Collins and T.J. Clemmings dealing with legal and injury issues, respectively, and eight OTs already coming off the board before the Broncos’ pick came up at No. 59 overall, the CSU standout simply was the right selection at the right time for the Broncos in Round No. 2.

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