Finding Broncos: Top-10 Draft Prospects at Each Position | Offense
The Denver Broncos season is over, which means it's time to put a focus on the offseason. With that, it means a lot of focus on the NFL Draft from the Broncos' perspective, although their scouts have been working hard to evaluate prospects basically since the 2019 draft ended.
The same can be said for us here at Mile High Huddle. As the Senior Draft Analyst for the site, I have spent many hours watching and evaluating prospects that are set to his the 2020 draft.
There's still a lot of evaluation left, including the Senior Bowl, Shrine Game, the NFL Scouting Combine, and Pro Days, but as things stand now, here are my Top-10 rankings at each offensive position.
(Note: These Rankings were updated January 3rd, 2020. Any players who have since returned to school that are in these rankings will be removed in the next update.)
Quarterbacks
- Joe Burrow, LSU
- Justin Herbert, Oregon
- Tua Tagavailoa, Alabama
- Jacob Eason, Washington
- Jordan Love, Utah State
- Anthony Gordon, Washington State
- Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
- Nate Stanley, Iowa
- Jake Fromm, Georgia
- Tyler Huntley, Utah
Burrow is the clear QB1 in the 2020 draft, is looking at being the No. 1 overall pick, and took a huge step from last year to this year. With Herbert, he is very much the same quarterback he was a year ago and what minor improvements he has made have been that, minor. If it wasn’t for medical issues, Tua Tagovailoa would be No. 2 here, but he has a worrisome history that until cleared, are hard to dismiss.
Eason and Love are both closely graded quarterbacks. They each have bigger arms but need work with technique and touch. Both of them are quarterbacks that shouldn’t have declared.
Gordon is a little bit of a sleeper quarterback for me. He isn’t very technically refined, but he has raw tools that are going to attract many teams. The biggest reason for Hurts being ranked so low is the simple fact he will need to go to an offense that will really adapt their scheme to fit his skill-set. He isn’t a pocket quarterback and most teams will want that.
Stanley had a solid year and looks like he has a career in the NFL as a backup and spot starter at the very least. There are traits that can be developed into a starting quarterback, however. The big surprise is Jake Fromm so low.
This is a combination of his limitations and struggles this past season and they go hand in hand. I don’t see franchise quarterback potential in Fromm, but a very good backup quarterback that can be a solid starter that you are comfortable with to not force a big move for a potential upgrade.
Rounding out the group is Huntley. He is another scheme-dependant quarterback, but if he goes to the right scheme, he can be a high-quality backup with development.
Running Backs
- D’Andre Swift, Georgia
- Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
- Travis Etienne, Clemson
- J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
- Zack Moss, Utah
- Chuba Hubbard, Oregon State
- Cam Akers, Florida State
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
- Najee Harris, Alabama
- Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
Swift, Taylor, and Etienne seemed to be entrenched in their spots, but Dobbins is pushing hard to leapfrog Etienne for that RB3 spot. Dobbins is a true three-down runner, while Etienne is a very good runner, with concerns over his blocking and receiving. Moss isn’t to be slept on as he is a very good running back, but medicals are so vital for his evaluation.
Hubbard is a big play waiting to happen and is so deadly out in space. I like Akers, but I don’t love him. His vision is concerning for me at the NFL level, and that coupled with receiving and blocking makes me cautious.
Edwards-Helaire and Harris are two risers up my board that move up every time I watch them. Both are good runners but can be true three-down backs with receiving and blocking ability. Vaughn has my RB10 because he is so patient with good vision, but he has to go to a zone scheme that lets him read and makes cuts at the NFL level.
Wide Receivers
- CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
- Henry Ruggs, Alabama
- Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
- Laviska Shenault, Colorado
- Tee Higgins, Clemson
- K.J. Hamler, Penn State
- Jalen Reagor, TCU
- Justin Jefferson, LSU
- Denzel Mims, Baylor
- Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
Lamb is a good route runner, has solid speed, good hands, outrageous catch radius, among many other elements to make him a true WR1 in the NFL. Ruggs has good speed and Jeudy the route running, but both fit more as complementary pieces in the NFL than true WR1s.
Shenault is all about the medicals at this point and he could move up a spot or two if those come back cleanly. Of the top receivers, he is the best blocker and offers so much versatility within an offense.
With a huge catch radius and great athleticism, Higgins is a very good prospect, and almost a sleeper candidate because of the talent around him. Hamler and Reagor are closely graded prospects that can crack first-round status with a good pre-draft process. Jefferson was huge in the first playoff game for LSU and his quickness in his routes is hard to defend. He's a former third-round grade that has played well enough to rise into the mid-second.
Mims and Aiyuk are the forgotten speedsters in this class. They can take the top off a defense easily and provide that home run threat. Adding to his speed, Mims also has a really good catch radius and needs to stop being slept on. Aiyuk needs works on his routes, but his upside is tremendous.
Tight Ends
- Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
- Hunter Bryant, Washington
- Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
- Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
- Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt
- Adam Trautman, Dayton
- Stephen Sullivan, LSU
- Mitchell Wilcox, USF
- Joseph Deguara, Cincinnati
- Charlie Taumoepeau, Portland State
While it isn’t a very strong class, there is some tight end talent that can be found. Cole Kmet having a change of heart gives the draft one possible first-round tight end, and Hunter Bryant is a good round two option.
Other than those two, the tight ends are all graded third-round to fifth-round, even those in my top-10 at the position. There are a lot of niche players as well.
Offensive Tackles
- Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
- Jedrick Wills, Jr., Alabama
- Andrew Thomas, Georgia
- Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
- Austin Jackson, USC
- Trey Adams, Washington
- Mekhi Becton, Louisville
- Lucas Niang, TCU
- Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
- Josh Jones, Houston
The tackle class is very talented with all of the top-10 being ranked in the top-75 on my big board. Wirfs, Wills, Thomas, and Wilson all carry first-round grades with Jackson a borderline day-one prospect.
If Adams didn’t have an extensive medical history, he would be looking at a first-round grade as well. If word gets around of bad medicals at the scouting combine, then he can fall down the board.
Becton is rising up boards and could end up with a late first-round grade depending on how the draft process goes. Niang is about the medicals and if there are any lingering concerns.
It would be nice if Tega Wanogho was farther along with his technique, but the athleticism is going to draw a lot of attention at the scouting combine. The last tackle is Jones, who is a bit raw and will want to show improved technique from his final game at Houston to the Combine.
Interior Offensive Line
- Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
- Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
- Nick Harris, Washington
- Netane Muti, Fresno State
- Trey Smith, Tennessee
- Darryl Williams, Mississippi State
- Solomon Kindley, Georgia
- Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
- Jonah Jackson, Ohio State
- Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU
While Humphrey is rising up my board because of his toughness, smarts, and technique, Biadasz is falling some. He still carries a first-round grade, but there are concerns with his game and where his ceiling may be. The biggest concern is, is he maxed out with his ceiling already?
Harris is a fast-rising center, and rightfully so. He is such a talented player that gets really overlooked and should hear his name called early day two, especially if he kills it during the draft process.
Muti is all about the medicals. If there are red flags, then he will plummet down the board and be a low-risk type selection day three. Similarly to Muti, Smith also will depend on medicals after having blood clots in his lungs and missing time as a result. He does offer versatility, which boosts his value.
The Bulldog, Williams, has concerns about length, strength, and lateral agility. There is no doubt he has the smarts for the NFL.
Kindley is a big guard who will probably work best in a power/gap scheme, but he has a surprising lateral mobility to his game that can be worked within a zone scheme. Michigan has a center in Ruiz that wouldn’t surprise at all if he helps himself through the draft process.
Jackson is flying a bit under the radar to me as he was such a treat to watch on that Buckeyes' offensive line. He has versatility to play any interior offensive line spot as well as versatility in scheme.
In October, Cushenberry was being talked about as a late second/early third-round pick, but he faltered late in the season. He is still a good prospect, but will really have to help himself during the draft process to regain the lost stock.
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.
