By Jordan Long
The NFL Draft starts tomorrow with the 1st round at 6 PM Mountain Time. The 2nd round is Friday and rounds 3 through 7 are Saturday. The Denver Broncos have the 15th pick in the 1st-round assuming they don’t trade up or down. Denver has plenty of needs heading into the draft including wide receiver, defensive back, and offensive line. Let’s look at the possibilities of who they could select in the 1st-round.
Denver is expected to pick a wide receiver with their 1st pick. Denver has a number 1 wide receiver on the roster, Courtland Sutton. After him, there really isn’t a playmaker at the position. They have two options depending on how the draft goes, stay at 15 or trade up to make sure they are able to draft the wide receiver they want. The top prospects include Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, or CeeDee Lamb.
Jeudy played his college football at the University of Alabama. In 3 years at Alabama, he totaled 2,742 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns. In college, he was able to separate himself from the defensive backs to be open. His average yards per catch was 17.2 yards. In the open field, he protected the football and didn’t fumble. Of course, that was against college defenses. NFL defenses don’t allow receivers to be open easily.
For Jeudy, it wouldn’t take long for him to learn the offense. Alabama ran a pro-style offense. It is similar to the offense Denver runs. His speed helps him to be open for Lock to throw him the football. If Denver wants him, they will probably have to trade up in the 1st-round which could be to swap 1st-round draft picks with the Browns who own the 10th pick.
Ruggs also played his college football at Alabama. He is 6 feet tall. Ruggs isn’t as fast as Jeudy but still totaled 1,716 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns in college. His average yards per catch was 17.5 yards. It helped that college defenses had to decide if they should cover Ruggs or Jeudy. When they keyed on Jeudy, Ruggs was wide open for long gains.
He is a fit for Denver’s offense. Ruggs would take the pressure off of Sutton to catch the football. Denver may not have to trade up for him. Many mock drafts have him landing with the Broncos at 15.
Another wide receiver they might have their eye on is CeeDee Lamb. Lamb is the tallest out of the 3 at 6 foot 2 inches. Lamb played his college football at the University of Oklahoma. He totaled the best production out of all 3 receivers with 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns. His average yards per catch was an impressive 19 yards. He has the quickness to be open in the NFL for Lock to throw his way.
The downside with Lamb is he played in a spread offensive style at the University of Oklahoma. He will have to study an NFL offense. Denver might stay away from him because rumors are they want either Jeudy or Ruggs.
Denver might wait until the 2nd or 3rd round for a wide receiver. If they do that, there is still talent in the 1st round which includes cornerback C.J. Henderson or defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw.
It would be surprising if they go defense in the 1st round. Denver fixed those needs in free agency trading for A.J. Bouye at the cornerback position and acquiring defensive lineman Jurrell Casey. Denver should wait to go after defense in the 2nd-round or later. This would add depth to those positions.
General Manager John Elway will have plenty of options to improve this team for 2020. Catch the draft as it starts Thursday and ends Saturday. This is the future for not only the Denver Broncos, but the rest of the NFL.
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