Finding Broncos: 5 Top Defensive Prospects

The Denver Broncos significantly improved their roster, but the secondary has been largely untouched. The Broncos can use competition at multiple spots and depth about everywhere on defense.

These top prospects will likely be gone before the Broncos make their pick, but the draft is unpredictable, and players often go much later than they were projected.

Eli Ricks | CB | Alabama

Pros

He has good size and length.
He has good explosion.
He is a solid athlete overall.
He has a strong jam at the line of scrimmage.
He does well with positioning and using his length to tip contested catches in his favor.
He is physical and aggressive as a run defender on the edge.
There have been flashes of good ball skills, with five interceptions, and he does well turning into a returner, with two of them returned for touchdowns.

Cons

There is a good frame that needs a little more mass.
There are questions about his speed and agility.
He only has 1,216 snaps played on defense over three seasons.
He has a bad habit of getting grabby when he starts to lose positioning.
There isn't good patience, and he can be easily caught looking.

Fit with Broncos

If Vance Joseph wants to play press with his corners, pairing Ricks and Surtain would give them a strong duo. Ricks could go earlier than the Broncos pick, but his lack of experience could also see him fall. Nevertheless, he could be hard to pass up for the Broncos.

Julius Brents | CB | Kansas State

Pros

He has exceptional size and length.
He is an outstanding athlete, checking all of the athletic boxes.
There have been flashes of great ball skills, with six interceptions and eight passes broken up, but he lacks consistency.
He has the versatility to play in different coverage schemes.
There is no doubting his physicality and aggressiveness in coverage and as a returner.
There is a strong jam, with excellent technique.
He has good awareness and instincts in coverage.
He knows the balance between physical and aggressive with his hand-fighting and drawing penalties.

Cons

There are issues with coming to balance as a tackler and when attacking the catch point.
He has severe issues with his consistency in his technique as a tackler and playing in coverage.
He has a bad habit of biting on fakes through routes, making him susceptible to double moves.
His tackling technique needs to be cleaned up and corrected.
There are wasted steps and movement when changing direction.

Fit with Broncos

Brents would be an excellent fit for the Broncos, and they have been linked with him. He would be perfect competition for Damarri Mathis and significantly improve the depth, at the very least. If he is there when the Broncos pick, it could be a dream pick with his size, athleticism, and length combination.

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Cam Smith | CB | South Carolina

Pros

He is a good athlete with speed and explosion.
There are good ball skills and ball tracking when working vertically.
He is smooth and fluid with his change of direction.
There is good anticipation in coverage, and can quickly trigger on throws underneath.
He uses his length to work around the receiver to attack the ball.
He does well in keeping balanced between reading cues from the receivers and quarterbacks.

Cons

His size isn't ideal, with a lack of length and needing more mass on his frame.
There is a lack of discipline and poor technique in his play.
He is more athlete than a football player, needing to be built from the ground up.
The lack of experience doesn't help his transition to the NFL with how much he has to grow.
He was called for 11 penalties in 2022.
His lack of technique opens the door for pass interference calls.
He doesn't seem interested when he has to play against the run.

Fit with Broncos

Smith would make sense if the Broncos want to take an athlete that has to develop as a football player. There are plenty of tools and traits to work with that could make Smith a great corner. In the third round, if he is there, he would be a solid option to improve depth to be developed.

Trenton Simpson | LB | Clemson

Pros

He has good size and frame for the modern linebacker.
He is a good athlete checking all of the boxes.
He has good experience as a blitzer and is efficient.
While he will miss tackles, it isn't a severe issue with his play.
There is good versatility to be a weapon on defense.
He does well in coverage with good instincts and awareness.
He knows how to squeeze routes when working in coverage.
He keeps his play clean and avoids penalties.

Cons

Only 1,474 snaps played in his career with only two years of serious exposure.
He can lose discipline in coverage and open himself up for mistakes.
There needs to be an improvement in his angles when pursuing the play.
There are questions about how dangerous of a weapon he can be on defense without play-making production.
He had no interceptions and only two fumbles forced.
There isn't a good feel for the play as it develops, especially when flowing laterally.

Fit with Broncos

Vance Joseph loves versatile linebackers, and Simpson could be his guy in this class. It is doubtful Simpson would fall far enough for the Broncos, but if he did, he would fit in well.

Antonio Johnson | S | Texas A&M

Pros

He has solid size, length, and build.
He is physical and aggressive, taking good angles when triggering downhill.
He has the versatility to play as a two-high, in the box, or the slot.
He does well playing through the receiver to attack the catch point.
He can work in coverage as a tight-end matchup.
There are flashes when working as a blitzer.

Cons

There isn't great athleticism outside of his short area burst.
He is undisciplined in his play.
The missed tackle rate increased in 2022.
His aggressiveness can see him over pursue the play.
He doesn't play with great bend, which hinders his change of direction.
The physicality he plays with diminishes when it comes to taking on blockers.
There was missed time with injury.
His ball skills are lacking, and his positioning doesn't put him in the best spot.

Fit with Broncos

Antonio Johnson fits the Broncos' defense and could easily handle the starting job opposite Justin Simmons. It isn't likely he falls to them, but if they want a starting safety and Johnson is there, he would be hard to pass up on. This is a weak safety class, and Johnson is one of the top guys at the position.

If any of these prospects fall to when the Broncos are on the clock, they could be hard to pass up on. However, the Broncos still need a lot of help to contend in the AFC West.

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