PFF Predicts Broncos Take Offensive Tackle at No. 64
There are many directions the Denver Broncos could go in the 2022 NFL draft at pick 64. The level of consensus and group-think is essentially at zero.
However, right tackle is a position that nearly every analyst agrees upon, if the right prospect falls. If the Broncos are to take a right tackle at 64, who on earth will still be available when on the clock?
Ideally, a prospect like Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann, Tulsa’s Tyler Smith, or Washington State’s Abraham Lucas will be there when Denver is on the clock, and GM Geroge Paton gobbles up a right tackle that can start on the offensive line for the next four seasons. After those three tackles, though, the selections become a tad dicier.
Unfortunately, in Pro Football Focus’ recent NFL Stock Exchange Podcast with Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers, the Broncos did wind up taking a right tackle, but one that certainly has questions galore for the value of the selection. Minnesota's Daniel Fallele.
“They need a right tackle… corner, maybe? I’m thinking right tackle. It’s not pretty. Billy Turner is their slated right tackle starter. It’s not the best. They are set at wide receiver. They are set at running back early. The defense looks pretty great on paper right now. I don’t worry about them at corner right now… I think you need to get a right tackle in there. I would say Daniel Faalele (from the University of Minnesota)... I know rankings are all over the place on him, but Trev (co-host Trevor Sikkema) see eye-to-eye on big old godzilla-looking Daniel Fallele. They don’t make many of them that big.”
Faalele is undoubtedly a giant of a human being. Measuring in at an incredible 6-foot- (97th percentile) and 384 pounds (99th percentile) with a wingspan of 85-⅛ inches (96th percentile) and arm length of 35-⅛ inches (89th percentile), Faalele is straight out of central casting for Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane from Game of Thrones. In the NFL, the thinking of “bigger is better” holds true, but is there a point where a player is potentially too big?
Faalele’s mass easily creates power at the point of attack when engaged with defensive linemen. Due to his length, he can initiate contact and protect the edge from speed rushers on the outside despite possessing average foot quickness — just as Orlando Brown, Jr. has shown in his career to date, who tested horribly at the NFL Combine but possessed insane size and length. Simply being wider makes it that much harder for pass rushers to get around the tackle rushing the edge.
Faalele will have to learn to trust his technique and length at the next level, as at the Senior Bowl, he was repeatedly beaten across his face as pass rushers set him up outside only to cross his face on his inside shoulder. Furthermore, while Faalele had adequate tape at Minnesota, the Gophers' offensive scheme was extremely RPO-oriented, greatly protecting him from playing in disadvantageous situations lining up on a figurative island in space.
Finally, at the Senior Bowl, Faalele's one-on-one pass blocking reps were inconsistent enough to draw concerns if he lacks the foot speed to stay at tackle and may wind up inside at guard at the next level. The lack of upper-tier athleticism may be a problem for his fit in Denver.
While Faalele is an adequate combo blocker where he can work in tandem with a guard or tight end and peel off to target an in-range second-level defender to block, he does not move well enough in space. That leads to him not being a great fit for a run scheme that is predicated on the outside zone such as Denver will run under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Another thing to consider is Faalele’s “fit” with Russell Wilson under center now in Denver. There is no doubt that Wilson is an elite franchise quarterback in the NFL and that he has overcome the size questions that pushed him down the draft boards.
However, listening to Wilson talk about playing the quarterback and needing to see through his offensive linemen and mentally visualize where offensive players will be in the short middle area of the field raises an important question. Would adding a tackle that Wilson will certainly not be able to see over (and not so easily around) be a smart addition?
On top of that, if Faalele shows he can’t hang blocking the edge and must be moved inside, will the possible issues of his height only be exasperated? With Paton bouncing off ideas and directions in the draft off of Wilson, perhaps the quarterback would prefer the Broncos to go a different direction if they can address the offensive line early in the draft.
Finally, while the aforementioned Brown is a behemoth and outplaying his draft slot and staying healthy, that isn’t always the case for human beings playing football at Faalele’s size. For example, recent early first-round pick Mekhi Becton has struggled with ample injuries just two years in his NFL career to the point that the New York Jets might already be looking to move on from him. That much force and weight on a human’s joints is hard to sustain.
It would be fantastic if the Broncos could walk away with an offensive tackle that projects as an eventual starter at right tackle in an outside zone-heavy scheme at some point in this draft. However, while Denver certainly could use a tackle, and Faalele likely goes somewhere in the middle of Day 2 on Friday, he wouldn't be a good fit.
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