Broncos Camp, Week 1: Rookie Class Report Card

The 2020 Denver Broncos are a young team. That fact is exemplified by the 10 rookie draft picks that flooded the roster this summer.

The Broncos also have four undrafted rookies, swelling the ranks to 14 guys. Today's focus, however, is on the Broncos' 2020 rookie class — those 10 young players battling for a roster spot.

With no preseason games, each practice rep is crucial for these rookies' evaluations. Due to the pandemic, the Broncos have had to really tighten up media access at training camp, limiting it to local TV, radio, and print with one or two exceptions.

As such, I turned to 104.3 The FAN's Cecil Lammey, who co-hosts the Nick and Cecil show on weeknights from 7-10 pm MDT. Cecil is a football guy through and through and as a journalist who's attended the first week of training camp practices, his insights are invaluable.

I've been able to get a bead on a few of these rookies but Cecil provided a lot of insight into some of the later-round rookies battling for a spot.

Jerry Jeudy | WR

Jeudy started off camp on the second-team offense, catching passes from backup QB Jeff Driskel. But it took the first-rounder all of one practice to earn a larger seat at the table.

Jeudy still runs with the twos at times but when Drew Lock and the first-team get out on the grass to run 11-on-11, he's out there with Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Jeudy started off camp hot, making a grip of highlight-reel plays.

He's plateaued a little bit but he's still been consistent, earning praise from his head coach as well as multiple veterans, including No. 1 cornerback A.J. Bouye. If the initial phase of camp is any indication, Jeudy is poised to have a very productive rookie campaign.

KJ Hamler | WR

Hamler started off camp working with the twos and threes, though he was sprinkled in with the first-team offense for specific plays. Do not confuse that with Jeudy's snap share with the ones, though.

The Broncos obviously have designs to utilize Hamler with Lock and the ones on plays crafted to exploit the explosive rookie's speed but before we could really get a feel for what that would look like, he went down with a relatively serious hamstring injury. Hamler will likely miss the rest of camp but that doesn't mean he won't have a handful of plays in the offense this year.

Michael Ojemudia | CB

Ojemudia is a guy I pegged as a threat to sneak in and take the Broncos' No. 3 cornerback slot opposite of Bouye and next to Bryce Callahan. Although he's received a few looks there, Cecil believes De'Vante Bausby has the No. 3 corner slot locked down.

That doesn't mean Ojemudia has been bad but according to Cecil, the rookie third-rounder hasn't shown the same level of fearlessness going against the No. 1 receivers as Bausby has. Ojemudia will help round out that cornerback depth chart for Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell.

Lloyd Cushenberry III | IOL

Cushenberry started off as the second-team center, though he snapped with the threes a few times I'm told. The Broncos opened camp with Austin Schlottmann as the No. 1 center, with Patrick Morris rotating days with the ones.

That changed a few days in, as Cushenberrys' play earned him some first-team reps snapping to Lock. But he hasn't quite been able to unseat Schlottmann or Morris yet, both of whom are holdovers from last year's squad. In other words, O-line coach Mike Munchak has familiarity and trust already established in Schlottmann and Morris and Cushenberry is still in the process of building that as a rookie.

Don't sleep on Cushenberry, though. There's still time for him to leapfrog the depth chart but if a game were to be played tomorrow, odds are it would be Schlottmann at center, even though Cushenberry is the supremely talented player. The sooner the Broncos bite the bullet and plug Cushenberry in at center — the team's future at the pivot — the better it'll be for everyone.

McTelvin Agim | DL

Agim has quietly impressed since camp opened, rotating up and down the different units. He's garnered first-team reps but has taken a backseat to the likes of Jurrell Casey, Mike Purcell, Shelby Harris, and Dre'Mont Jones.

In Agim's case, rather than paraphrasing Cecil, I'm going to quote exactly what he told me.

"Agim is one of my favorite sleepers on the Broncos' roster. He is all about hustle, moves well off the line, and chases plays that go away from him. He did get moved back eight yards on one rep by Demar Dotson, so the rookie has some vet tricks to learn, but his six pass rush moves have been on display," Lammey said.

Agim has momentum and the combination of heart/size/talent that coaches love. He'll have a place on this roster and a rotational role on the defensive line.

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Albert Okwuegbunam | TE

Okwuegbunam, perhaps due to his pre-existing chemistry with Lock, quickly received some rotations in with the ones. But make no mistake, Noah Fant is this team's top tight end.

However, with Nick Vannett going into concussion protocol early, Okwuegbunam, who's been playing with a splint on his hand, has benefited from the additional reps.

Cecil said that Lock has been "bird-dogging" Okwuegbunam, staring him down and not looking off the safeties. Although Fant has created and maintained a sizable gap between himself and the rookie, Albert O. could be utilized in red zone packages this year to great effect, in Cecil's estimation.

Justin Strnad | LB

Strnad started off playing alongside Josey Jewell on the second-team defense but when Todd Davis went down with a calf injury halfway through the week, the Broncos opted to give both linebackers a shot at playing next to Alexander Johnson with the ones.

So far so good with regard to Strnad, who's been splitting some of the first-team reps created by Davis' injury with Jewell. Davis is expected back in time for the season-opener vs. Tennessee but in the event that he suffers a setback, it's hard to see Strnad leapfrogging the veteran Jewell between now and then.

However, Strnad has the speed, explosive athleticism, and length to factor in on the Broncos' sub-packages in coverage. Jewell has proven to be a liability in coverage as a pro so if Davis' injury persists, it wouldn't be surprising to see Strnad step in alongside Johnson in obvious passing situations — maybe even replacing Johnson depending on the personnel combination. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though.

UPDATE: On Sunday, Strnad suffered a wrist injury. We learned on Monday per KUSA's Mike Klis that Strnad will require surgery. He's likely done for the year.

Netane Muti | OG

Muti was the Broncos' sixth-round pick but he fell that far in the draft due to his injury history. Based on his talent, he was viewed as a Day 2-caliber prospect and one of the most talented guards in the 2020 draft class.

He's rotated around during camp but has been plugged in mostly as the left guard on the second-team offense. He's likely to make the final roster if he stays healthy but nobody is going to unseat Dalton Risner or Graham Glasgow barring injury. Muti is an exciting depth option to have heading into the regular season.

Tyrie Cleveland | WR

Cleveland might turn out to be more than a late-round flyer pick for the Broncos. So far, he's outkicked the coverage in terms of exceeding expectations as a rookie seventh-rounder.

Cecil views Cleveland as a much better receiver than he thought he was based on his limited Florida tape. The rookie has made quite a few plays "above the rim", to quote Cecil, and is at least a viable special teams contributor.

Derrek Tuszka | OLB

Tuszka was the Broncos' final pick in the draft but he's not approaching camp like he's an afterthought. Cecil says Tuszka is the first player out on the field each day and has shown good power in his one-on-one drills.

But as the tape showed on Tuszka, he's a great motor pass rusher but needs to develop more pass-rush moves. Cecil emphasized that.

Be sure to follow Cecil Lammey on Twitter for daily updates from Broncos Camp and tune into his nightly show alongside Nick Ferguson on 104.3 The FAN.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHudde.