Broncos Draft Fits: 3 Running Backs to Avoid
The Denver Broncos took a shot to better their running game by paying Melvin Gordon last spring. While Gordon struggled early on, he did finish the season strong, while Phillip Lindsay struggled to stay healthy.
Royce Freeman remains limited as a runner which only adds to running back being a position the Broncos need to bolster, especially when looking at the contract situation of Gordon and Lindsay, the latter of whom is set to be a restricted free agent.
Meanwhile, Gordon and Freeman are poised to be unrestricted free agents in 2022. Fortunately, this a solid draft class for running backs so Denver can go find additional help as well as future cogs in its running game.
However, there are some bad running back options the Broncos should avoid because the prospect doesn't fit with what Denver does schematically or what the team may need.
Denver could have an all-new stable of running backs in 2022. It's becoming a bad decision to give running backs big contracts, which may lead to issues with Lindsay and possibly Gordon after this season.
The Broncos need help, but it has to be the right kind of help. In the video above, I break down three well-known running back options in the 2021 draft class the Broncos would be wise to avoid and why.
- Demetric Felton, UCLA
- Pooka Williams, Kansas
- Larry Rountree III, Missouri
Remember, scheme fit for running backs matters, though not as much as other positions. Often, a team can get a back that is a bad scheme fit to work, though the runner's effectiveness may not be as good as it would be in a system his skill-set was meant for.
Looking at the three backs in the video above, scheme fit isn't the biggest reason why each might not be the best of fits for Denver.
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