Broncos Land 3 Impact Players in ESPN's Alternating Mock Draft
With mock draft season coming to a close, the NFL draft is now less than a week away, making it crunch time for all the mockers in media to put out their 'last call' mocks before the real-life picks are made. This is when many draft analysts in the industry step back and take a second to breathe ahead of the real thing.
While many prominent names in draft media release enough mock drafts to keep the fans' appetite sated, it's a rare occurrence when multiple analysts collaborate to hammer out a singular mock draft.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s lead draft analysts in Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay did just that as the long-time duo conducted an alternating mock for the first three rounds of the upcoming draft, with McShay picking odd-number rounds and Kiper picking for the evens.
While many mocks since the Russell Wilson acquisition have not featured the Denver Broncos, since GM George Paton sent off picks No. 9 and 40 in the trade (plus more), mock drafts that feature the first three rounds are still very fun to discuss. After all, Denver currently possesses three Day 2 selections thanks to the in-season trade of Von Miller.
Who did McShay and Kiper have going to the Broncos at picks 64, 75, and 96? Let's dive in.
Pick 64 (Selected by Kiper): Cam Taylor-Britt, S, Nebraska
Denver dealt away it’s premium picks to land Russell Wilson, and this one is from the Rams’ trade for Von Miller. Taylor-Britt’s 4.38s 40 at the combine wowed scouts. He played a lot of corner in college, but I see his best position as a free safety in the NFL.
There is no such thing as too much depth in the defensive secondary. Considering that opposing teams and quarterbacks can essentially select a matchup to target pre-snap, the secondary is only as good as the weakest player on the field.
This is exceedingly true going up against great quarterbacks as any fanbase who has competed against a humming Tom Brady knows that once he finds a matchup he likes, it's nearly impossible to stop that offense from repeatedly going back to the well and harassing a weak-link cornerback.
While some may state that Taylor-Britt is destined to play safety in the NFL, with Kiper even stating that may be the prospect's ideal role at the next level, Taylor-Britt could just as easily stay at corner given his combination of athleticism, length, and twitch.
Taylor-Britt is one of the most physical cornerbacks in this entire class (likely one of the reasons some think he could transition to safety), but if new Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero truly mimics what Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell ran in recent seasons (as Denver's current players have been continuously suggesting), then Taylor-Britt's physicality and tackling could transition to safety just as easily as it could keep him at corner in this scheme.
A senior captain and raved about for his leadership and character, Taylor-Britt will turn 23 years old next season, making him older than the average corner draft prospect. He also suffered several injuries in high school that could scare teams and knock him down draft boards.
Taylor-Britt’s versatility could be a large plus for a Broncos squad looking for versatility, physicality, length, and off-coverage ability in their secondary. In the quarterback-loaded AFC West, quality depth in the secondary could very well decide who walks away with the division crown at season's end.
Pick 75 (Selected by McShay): Leon Chenal, ILB, Wisconsin
Chenal is the best player still on the board, and even though the Broncos re-signed Josey Jewell, He’d make a splash in the middle of Denver’s defense with his sideline-to-sideline range.
If this pick comes to be on draft day, many in Broncos Country will likely be left scratching their chin. Yes, the Broncos selected the (overly) romanticized position of the off-ball linebacker.
However, a linebacker who hardly played any coverage snaps during his time at Wisconsin? Why would Paton even consider something like this when the Broncos’ linebackers have to go up against inside receiving threats like Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, and Austin Ekeler in the division?
The answer is nuanced. Yes, a truly elite linebacker, especially one that can cover and play well against the run in the box, would be amazing. However, those types of players are exceedingly rare to find.
Why play a linebacker in space against pass-catchers when a team can simply play sub-package defense and use a defensive back in space instead? Brilliant.
However, to play more defensive backs to help stymie opposing passing offenses and weapons, NFL defenses need to run defensive personnel featuring fewer defensive tackles and/or linebackers in favor of better coverage positions. So, those defensive tackles and linebackers that stay on the field had better be really good against the run to counter fewer of those guys in the game. This is where Chenal makes some sense.
Chenal is a hulking linebacker. While he is not the longest (31”-inch arm length) nor the tallest at the position, at 6-foot-2-.5 and 250 pounds, he has the mass more typical of an edge rusher.
As the league gets smaller and lighter at linebacker, Chenal looks more like a throwback at the position. However, while he is heavier than most linebackers in this class, he is just as athletic (if not more so) than most of them.
Chenal is an absolute menace coming downhill against the run and within the box with stupifying strength for the position. He is also extremely dynamic lining up over an A gap and rushing the quarterback.
Opposing teams will have to account for him as a blitzer because leaving a running back to take him on will not work in most cases. Chenal would likely push Baron Browning for the starting linebacker spot in 2022 and give the Broncos the option to move on from Josey Jewell after this season if the veteran continues to miss games due to injury.
Pick 96 (Selected by Mel Kiper): Jelanie Woods, TE, Virginia
With Noah Fant shipped to Seattle in the trade for Russell Wilson, who’s going to play tight end in Denver? Woods wasn’t much of a receiver at Oklahoma State, but he caught eight touchdown passes after transferring to Virginia in 2021. He also has some intriguing physical tools.
Continuing the trend of drafting athletic freaks, with this selection, Kiper has the Broncos selecting the single best athletic specimen at the tight end in this class in Jelani Woods. Woods measured at an eye-popping 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds with a 34.5-inch arm length at the NFL Combine and put up a very good 4.61-second 40-yard dash for his large frame.
While Woods is not quite the athlete that Albert Okwuegbunam is stretching the seam or after the catch, he profiles currently as a better blocker than the Broncos' current tight end. Also, while not the same fluid athlete, Woods also looks like a much better red-zone option given his wingspan and his impressive eight touchdowns in 11 games last season.
In the NFL, there are not many quarterbacks who utilize the short middle of the field more rarely than Denver's new quarterback has shown over his career. This, on the surface, likely limits the value and upside of selecting a tight end early in the draft.
While Wilson had some good tight ends in his career, mainly Jimmy Graham and Greg Olsen, those tight ends received more looks down the field and outside the hash marks on outs and crossers than is typical.
Woods (along with Okwuegbunam) might not be the classic 'work the middle of the field, catch the ball, fall down, chain mover' type of tight ends many think about in the league, but the actual body type and athleticism project better for how Wilson wins. With Woods reportedly modeling his game after long-time pro Marcedes Lewis, don’t be too surprised if Denver targets Woods.
With Lewis having played the last four years in Green Bay and recent seasons with former Packers’ offensive coordinator (now Broncos’ head coach) Nathaniel Hackett and former Packers’ tight ends coach (now Denver’s offensive coordinator) Justin Outten, the team certainly could look to bring in its version of Lewis in a prospect like Woods.
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