Finding Broncos: Five Edge Defenders to Improve the Depth

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a group of edge defenders to improve the depth in the room.

There is plenty of potential with the Denver Broncos' edge rushers, but the question is, can they stay on the field? Their starting edge defenders, Randy Gregory and Baron Browning have plenty of injury concerns. Gregory has never played an entire season, and Browning has missed a lot of snaps over his two years in the NFL. They have Nik Bonitto developing, but where is he at? 

They also have Jacob Martin, who has only played over 400 snaps in a season once in his career. Jonathan Cooper is a solid rotational piece, and Christopher Allen is a complete unknown. So the potential is there, but the Broncos need to find a piece or two to help the room because it is a position filled with questions. 

Nick Hampton | Edge/LB | Appalachian State

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Pros

• He is a good athlete with solid explosion and excellent speed. 
• He has a good build and frame for a linebacker. 
• There is great first-step quickness off the snap. 
• He has a good bend when challenging blockers around the corner. 
• He has good awareness of his surroundings. 
• There is good experience playing 1,709 snaps in college. 
• His production as a pass rusher is excellent, with 134 total pressures, including 30 total sacks. 
• While he didn't get much exposure in coverage reps, the reps went well. 

Cons

• Hampton is a little light, making his transition to an NFL edge more difficult. 
• He has a good build on his frame, but there doesn't seem to be more room for added mass. 
• If he is going to hold up at edge in the NFL, he will likely be a pass rush specialist. 
• There were issues with securing tackling, with a 12.4 missed tackle percentage. 
• There isn't great power to his game. 
• He doesn't have developed counters in his arsenal and struggles to break off blocks. 
• There are issues with his reactions, and he has wasted movement when it comes to changing direction to pursue the play. 

Fit with Broncos

Hampton is an interesting study because he had excellent production as a pass rusher, but his body type doesn't bode well for the NFL. He has excellent traits to move to linebacker, but the switch could take time. 

The Broncos can use an athletic linebacker with awareness and instincts, and Hampton brings that. However, the question is about his transition time and whether the Broncos will accept that or look for someone who can be a more immediate help. 

Randy Charlton | Edge | Mississippi State

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has a big frame and build.
• During his collegiate career, he played 1,898 snaps over five seasons between UCF and Mississippi State. 
• The pass rush production is solid, and he did consistently well against the run.  
• He showed development each season, cutting down missed tackles, penalties, and other technical issues. 
• He has good power to hold up at the point of attack. 
• His pass-rush arsenal has some well-developed moves taking advantage of his power. 
• His hand technique is well-developed, and he has plenty of power to jolt and control blockers.

Cons

• He is a bit of a tweener between interior and edge defender. 
• Missed tackles were an issue, with a 13.7 missed tackle percentage, though 8 of his 19 missed tackles came in his first season. 
• While he has good strength, he can sometimes get washed out, lacking that elite strength. 
• He isn't overly bendy or agile. 
• There isn't great range, and he can get outpaced on outside runs. 

Fit with Broncos

Charlton is a powerful defender, but he doesn't have great athleticism. So there is a serious question about where to play him, and where he is as a player is better suited for interior defensive lineman if he can add more mass to his frame. 

The Broncos need help at the edge and on the interior. Charlton could be a solid addition to bring some versatility to flex in or out by moving him around the unit. With only five picks, the question would be the value for Charlton vs. other potential options. 

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Nick Herbig | Edge/LB | Wisconsin

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Pros

• Overall, he is a solid athlete with good speed, solid explosion, and agility. 
• There is a good size and build for a linebacker. 
• He had a high rate of big plays for the defense, with 88 stops and 21 sacks in his career. 
• When asked to work in coverage, he did well breaking up five passes over the last two seasons. 
• There is good bend to get under and around tackles' outside shoulder. 
• His intangibles are excellent, with great instincts, awareness, football IQ, and motor. 

Cons

• He is undersized for an NFL edge, lacking a good build and length. 
• The lack of length isn't ideal, even for a linebacker, but not terrible. 
• There have been issues securing tackles, with 20 career missed tackles for a missed tackle percentage of 14.2. 
• When he converts speed to power, he struggles to sustain it. 
• There isn't an elite physical trait, with only solid athleticism and poor power. 
• If he is an edge defender in the NFL, he will be limited against the run. 

Fit with Broncos

Herbig is another edge defender with the traits to transition to linebacker in the NFL. He can fit with what the Broncos are looking for to a degree. While he isn't a great athlete, the intangibles help ease the transition. As with every prospect, there will have to be a balance with the value for the Broncos due to their limited number of picks. 

Caleb Murphy | Edge | Ferris State

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has good size and build for an NFL edge. 
• There was outstanding production, where he dominated his level of competition. 
• There is good technique with the pass-rush moves in his arsenal. 
• He can move well laterally and hang in there with the flow of the play. 
• There is good pacing with his pass-rush plan that is well thought out for each rep. 
• He has swift movement to try and catch tackles sleeping with their technique or play overall. 

Cons

• His athleticism overall is lacking. 
• As a DII player, the level of competition was lacking, and when he was invited to the Shrine Bowl, he struggled. 
• There isn't great balance as a pass rusher, and tackles can easily put him on the ground. 
• Even with everything he does well, the question is if he can handle the significant increase in who he will be going against. 
• He doesn't play with his body in sync, and the lack of coordination doesn't help his issues ending up on the ground. 

Fit with Broncos

Caleb Murphy has the traits to be an NFL edge, but the jump in competition is significant. There are going to be multiple years needed for his development, but the ceiling is relatively high. He fits with what the Broncos are looking for from their edge room, but with their five picks, they may be unable to afford to use one on a two-year developmental project. Of course, if he goes undrafted, then that is a different story for the Broncos. 

Andre Jones Jr | Edge/LB | Louisiana

© SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Pros

• He has solid size but can use a little more mass with his frame. 
• There is plenty of length for an NFL edge rusher. 
• There is an exceptional experience, with 2,479 snaps played over six years. 
• The production was good, but not great, as a pass rusher. 
• He sustains good bend with his attack, helping maintain leverage. 
• He has excellent strength in his hands to toss blockers to the side. 
• He has a great technical foundation for deconstructing blocks. 
• With his leverage and strength, he holds up well at the point of attack and can sometimes be hard to move. 

Cons

• The athleticism isn't great, lacking explosion. 
• There is an inconsistency with his technique and a lack of discipline that will get him out of position. 
• The lack of discipline also leads to him popping up his pad level, and when he gives up leverage, he is easy to take out of the play. 
• There needs to be work done to improve his planning as a pass rusher. 
• He is older for a rookie. 
• There is a question as to how much room there is for more development with his experience. 

Fit with Broncos

Andre Jones has good development with his technique, and whoever he ends up with, he has enough to raise the floor right away. While there is a questionable ceiling, the Broncos can still do with raising the floor in their room with the injury concerns. If Jones goes undrafted, he could be a good pickup for the Broncos to raise the floor and added competition at the position and on special teams. 

The draft class for edge rushers is extremely strong and one of the two strongest position groups. That is a major benefit for the Broncos, who reportedly seek help in the room. Even with five draft picks, they can take advantage of the strength of the class, as talented prospects are going to fall.

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