Broncos Player Profile: Albert Okwuegbunam #85 | Tight End
There was some confidence in the tight end room before the Denver Broncos traded Noah Fant as part of the package to acquire Russell Wilson. But, in the wake of that tectonic trade, there is plenty of concern about the tight end position, and many felt it was a major priority to improve.
Albert Okwuegbunam has been in the NFL for two years, and the torch was passed onto him to be the starter; then, the Broncos drafted Greg Dulcich in Round 3. Now there's a battle for the starting job.
It's a battle Okwugbunam should win, but if he doesn't, it'll be concerning for his development. Let's look to his past in hopes of foretelling what's in store for 'Albert O' in 2022.
Biography
Okwugbunam just turned 24 years old in April. He played wide receiver in high school before moving to tight end in college. He went to high school in Springfield, Illinois, but went south to Missouri for college.
College Career
During his three-year collegiate career, Okwuegbunam was quite productive with 23 touchdowns. He was a mismatch weapon because of his size and speed, but he struggled as a blocker and with his route running.
Okwuegbunam's first year in 2017 was his most productive season as he picked up 11 of his 23 career scores. He also picked up 409 yards on 29 catches on 40 targets.
Okwuegbunam was relatively efficient as a receiver. It was also his best year as a blocker, where he had 300 total blocking snaps and was graded 81.7 overall blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
There were some concerns with drops and forcing missed tackles during Okwuegbunam's career. He dropped 12 passes, four in each of the three seasons.
As for missed tackles forced, Okwuegbunam only forced 12 during college, with four in each season. One of the concerns about him coming out of college was how easy he was to bring down.
Okwuegbunam finished his college career with 98 catches on 140 targets for 1,182 yards and 23 touchdowns. His ability to be a mismatch was evident, but so were his issues as a blocker and with his route running.
In addition, being as tall as Okwuegbunam is, pad level in both phases was a significant concern and problematic. After the 2019 season, he declared for the 2020 NFL draft as a redshirt junior.
Draft
With no invitation to the pre-draft bowl games, Okwugbunam had to show out at the Combine. With a 40-yard dash of 4.49 seconds, he stood out among the tight ends and caught some attention. That time was in the 97th percentile for tight ends, so it was easy to see why it caught some attention.
That speed could be seen on tape, and at Okwuegbunam's size, it was a big reason he was such a mismatch weapon. All of it together was enough to get him drafted in the fourth round by the Broncos.
Professional Career
As a rookie, Okwuegbunam only played 86 snaps on offense over four games as he dealt with injuries before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Denver's game against Atlanta. He caught 11-of-15 targets for 121 yards and a single touchdown in the limited season. His issues as a blocker were still apparent in his little action, with 29 snaps in that department.
Okwuegbunam played in 14 games in Year 2, missing some due to injury, and he played well. While he still struggled as a blocker, he showed some improvements, but most of his improvements showed as a route runner. He caught 33 of 40 targets for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
One thing that remained constant was Okwuegbunam's issues breaking through tackles. He didn't force many missed tackles between the two years, and you'd like to see a few more with his size and athleticism. However, he showed enough to make the coaching staff and front office comfortable with trading away Fant and not addressing tight end in a big way until the draft.
The Broncos did sign journeyman Eric Tomlinson, but he isn't a contender for the starting tight end job and is in a battle of his own, which you can read more about in Tomlinson's profile.
2022 Outlook
There are still areas that Okwuegbunam has to drastically improve upon to be the starter for the 2022 season. His blocking is at the top of the list, and while he has shown steady improvement, he needs to make a pretty significant leap.
While tight ends typically take time to develop, Dulcich is coming for the job. Okwuegbunam can't let up if he wants to remain the starter. If Okwuegbunam wins the job, he could have a massive season with Russell Wilson, but first, he has to triumph in the competition.
Dulcich won't make things easy for Okwuegbunam, but hopefully, they both use the competition to improve, and Denver can have two solid-to-good tight ends at the top of the depth chart.
As with all position battles, may the best player win.
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