Broncos Player Profile: Albert Okwuegbunam | TE
When the Denver Broncos drafted Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam — Drew Lock's college teammate — there was a lot of excitement. Okwuegbunam had good size and ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, which can make him really dangerous down the seam.
He is a solid complementary receiving option to pair with Noah Fant, but Okwuegbunam had plenty of concerns as a prospect. The biggest issue was, despite his size, Okwuegunam just wasn’t physical enough nor did he use his size well enough as a blocker.
Add in his technical issues and he was problematic as a blocker which is why at Missouri, the Tigers didn’t run behind him all that often.
Another issue was, as you’d expect with someone his size, the fact he is a lumbered mover. Okwuegbunam's routes aren’t crisp and his change-of-direction takes a while.
Those are not major concerns for a tight end, especially one of his 6-foot-5, 258-pound size and build, but they are concerns that can greatly limit his impact and what he brings to the NFL.
As a rookie in 2020, it took a while to see Okwuegbunam on the field and when he did suit up, he showed those same issues in college. His blocking left a lot out there on the field and his movement through routes was cumbersome.
However, he was showing signs of improvement with his movement before his ACL tear. Primarily, the improvement was in playing with proper bend through his routes which can help the change-of-direction issues. He made some big plays for the Broncos before having his season cut short with that injury.
As Okwuegbunam enters Year 2, he's set to make the roster, but a lot is going to depend on where he's at with his recovery. Even if he's good to go to open the season, it won’t leave much time, if any, to really get him growing as a prospect.
If that's how it shakes out, what can we see from Albert O. this year? Denver could really use him stepping up, especially as a blocker, as that would really help take the pressure off of Fant, the other offensive weapons, the offensive line, and whoever ends up starting at quarterback.
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