Broncos' Best & Worst Picks of 2020 NFL Draft Revealed
The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books, so now it's time to look back at how the Denver Broncos came out of it. This isn’t another grade article, but one to look at some big questions from the draft.
Who were the Broncos' best/worst picks? Who was the best value? The worst value? Who is the sleeper?
Best Pick: Lloyd Cushenberry III, IOL | Round 3, Pick 83
The Broncos had some concerns from their center position and they went and got a big piece to fill out that O-line. Not only did Denver land a top-3 center on my board, but it did so at pick 83. Denver likely had Cushenbery graded higher, but for me, he was the 49th overall player. A great selection giving the Broncos a leader, a day-one starter at center, and a solved interior line for the next three years, at least.
Worst Pick: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE | Round 4, Pick 118
This doesn’t have to deal with the player, as Albert O. is a solid prospect that can help the Broncos. The reason this is the worst pick, and this is nitpicking, is the Broncos drafted Noah Fant last year in the first round and signed Nick Vannett last month. The Broncos are loaded at TE and just added another one for an offense that doesn’t use TEs all that much. OC Pat Shurmur uses only one TE on the field on over 70% of the plays he calls, and Denver already had two starting-caliber. The player isn’t bad, but very redundant.
Sleeper Pick: Justin Strnad | Round 5, Pick 178
If Denver can get him healthy, Strnad can be a really good linebacker in the NFL. There is serious potential with his play, and many felt he could be a top-100 pick if he was healthy. The traits are great with Strnad and he is a hard worker to improve where he needs to.
Player I Wish Denver Grabbed: Alex Taylor, OT | South Carolina
Taylor ended up going undrafted and Denver had two of the final four picks that could have been used on Taylor. The physical traits are there for Taylor to be a great OT, and pairing him with Mike Munchak would’ve been awesome for his development. The Broncos instead thought a third drafted WR and another edge rusher were more important or simply didn’t have interest in Taylor.
I Can't Believe Denver Passed On: Terrell Burgess, S | Utah
Early in the draft process, I felt that Burgess was the best fit in the draft for the Broncos on either side of the ball. Then during the draft process, there was word going around that the Broncos really liked the Utah defensive back. That might have been a smoke-screen, but still needing a replacement for Will Parks, Burgess would have been a great successor that the Broncos passed on for D-line depth.
Best Value Pick: Derrek Tuszka, Edge | Round 7, Pick 254
These two (best/worst) value picks are based on my own big board, and having the best value pick in the seventh round is what you want to see. I really liked Tuszka’s game and he brings a little more athleticism than you’d expect. There is a need for the Broncos to get improvement from their edge rusher depth, and Tuszka is the perfect player you want for more competition because he is a serious competitor. When my board was set, Tuszka was the 149th overall player, and getting him at 254 overall is a positive value of 105.
Worst Value Pick: Tyrie Cleveland, WR | Round 7, Pick 252
Knowing that value is based on my big board compared to where they were selected, the 252nd overall pick might be a bit of a surprise. The simple fact is, Cleveland represented a negative value of 88 for the Broncos as he was the 340th player on my board. He offers up solid speed with plenty of upside but he never lived up to the hype at Florida. The good news is, if you want a bad value pick somewhere in the draft, the seventh round is where you’d want it.
Value on Broncos' Draft Picks
- Jerry Jeudy: +1
- K.J. Hamler: -75
- Michael Ojemudia: -26
- Lloyd Cushenberry: +34
- McTelvin Agim: -61
- Albert Okwuegbunam: -39
- Justin Strnad: +48
- Netane Muti: +76
Total: -22
UDFA to Watch: CB Essang Bassey & S Douglas Coleman III
Both of these guys fit the bill as potential replacements for Parks. They have good ball skills to force turnovers, which the Broncos are going to need to produce more of. Coleman had 11 interceptions in four years, with eight of them in 2019. Bassey only had five interceptions in three seasons but added 42 pass deflections. Watch for them both to compete for the Parks/No. 3 safety/nickel role, or at least as depth for that role, as they can be that versatile nickel DB.
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.
