Five Takeaways from Broncos' GM John Elway's Final Pre-Draft Presser
Since 2011, Denver Broncos GM John Elway has addressed the media for his annual pre-draft press conference. On Monday afternoon, Elway’s yearly conference was delivered via virtual meeting as a response to social distancing guidelines.
In previous pre-draft conferences, Elway has always played things close to the vest. But what the GM said on Monday should have Broncos Country very excited about the NFL Draft.
Here are five takeaways from Elway's remarks.
1. The Broncos Will Draft a WR
The worst-kept secret in the NFL is that Denver has been eyeing one of the big three wide receivers in the upcoming draft: Alabama duo Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy, and Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb.
Jeudy has been on the Broncos' radar since the Senior Bowl. Initially considered to be the first WR selected off the board, Jeudy's supremacy within the class has recently been contested by Lamb and Ruggs in recent mock drafts. Lamb and Ruggs’ draft stock has definitively risen following the NFL Combine in February.
Jeudy is a polished route runner, and an ideal WR for any NFL offense. Lamb is a physical play-maker that will become any quarterback’s favorite target. Ruggs is a speed-demon that has the potential to make any play with the ball in his hands.
So, who will the Broncos take?
“It all depends on—it’s kind of what flavor you like because it’s a very deep draft when it comes down to receivers," Elway said on Monday. "Obviously, there are a lot of good wideouts. It’s hard to say exactly how it’s going to fall. I think the good thing is and the fortunate thing is for us as you said, we do need a wideout—It’s a deep class. We’ll just have to see how things fall.”
While this isn’t the revealing answer that fans were hoping for, Broncos Country should take comfort knowing that WR is a priority in the draft for the Broncos. The 2020 draft will feature what many experts believe to be the most talented WR draft class in modern history.
If the Broncos opt to go another direction (not WR) in the first round, there’s a surplus of WR talent expected to be available in the second and mid-rounds of the draft. Potential second-round WRs include Arizona State's Brandon Aiyuk, Colorado's Laviska Shenault, Jr., Notre Dame's Chase Claypool. Mid-round options include Ohio State's K.J. Hill, Florida's Van Jefferson, and Rhode Island's Aaron Parker.
2. Broncos Building Team Around QB Drew Lock
For the first time since Peyton Manning, Elway and the Broncos don’t have the grueling task of finding a QB in the draft. In last year's draft, the Broncos monitored Lock’s tumble out of the first round before trading up to select him with the No. 42 overall pick.
In the remaining five games of 2019, Lock proved with a 4-1 record that the agonizing QB carousel in Denver is over. His rookie campaign concluded with a 64.1 completion percentage, 1,020 yards passing, seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and 72 yards rushing.
“We believe he’s got the potential to do it, and we think he’s just going to continue to get better and better. He’s still in the learning process and know that he’s going to have to get better," Elway said. "We really liked what we saw. We liked what we saw last year when he was on IR and how he tried to prepare himself and get ready to play when he had a chance to play. Then he came in and played very well, won four out of the last five games. We feel that he’s that guy.”
The story of the offseason in Denver has been building the nest around Lock. He needs more offensive weapons. While Lock is currently equipped with Pro-Bowl WR Courtland Sutton and fellow 2019 draftee TE Noah Fant, he needs at least two more receivers in the passing game.
Look for Elway to supplement the slot WR position with speed and reliability for new OC Pat Shurmur. Shurmur’s offense demands multiple targets through various personnel groupings in the spread-scheme.
It’s also well known that Shurmur utilizes RBs out of the backfield as receivers, hence the Melvin Gordon signing. Royce Freeman appears to be on the outside looking in as Phillip Lindsay is projected to provide the lightning, to Gordon’s thunder in the new Broncos' offense.
One potential RB that could assist Lock and Shurmur’s offense is Memphis' Antonio Gibson. At the Combine, he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and his versatility to play RB or WR makes him a potential mid-round draft selection
3. Elway Won’t say ‘No’ to Alabama Prospects
There’s been a long-standing rumor that the ‘Duke of Denver’ has reservations about selecting Alabama players since he's never done so in nine years as the Broncos' front-office czar. Some rumors suggest that there’s the potential for many former Crimson Tide players to have a lot of wear on the tires following competition in the elite SEC Conference.
There’s also the debate that the elite collegiate stars of the Alabama powerhouse, fail to transition into the pros and wash out of the NFL. Elway addressed the question of why he’s never drafted anyone from Alabama.
“It just kind of fell that way. There’s really no reason," Elway said. "I know that obviously we have a great deal of respect for the program down there that Nick Saban has and the football players that they have in their system. It’s just kind of fallen that way. There’s really nothing more than that. It just hasn’t worked out. I think to be able to say there’s a reason we haven’t drafted anybody from Alabama—we really don’t have a reason other than the fact it’s just not fallen that way.”
Although April is considered to be the ‘month of lies’ in the NFL, I believe that Elway is telling the truth about Alabama players. In fact, I believe Elway has his eyes on at least four Crimson Tide players right now. In addition to the aforementioned Jeudy and Ruggs, potential first to second-round targets include OT Jedrick Wills and CB Trevon Diggs.
On Sunday, legendary Denver reporter Woody Paige predicted the Broncos to move up to pick 8 or 10 to draft Jeudy.
The notion that Elway has something against ‘Bama players is silly. Each player has their own unique circumstances, as does each university. Talent can come from anywhere, and I sincerely doubt that a man with three Super Bowl Rings (two as QB, one as GM) would exclude any school from finding quality football players if they can help win in the NFL.
4. Character is a High Priority for Broncos
While many fans have criticized Elway for his lack of success in previous drafts, there’s the consensus that he’s turned things around with players selected in the last two classes. Players selected in 2018 and 2019 that model the leadership and character that the Broncos expect include LB Bradley Chubb, WR Courtland Sutton, LB Josey Jewell, OG Dalton Risner, and QB Drew Lock. All five players are considered ‘locker room guys,’ and leaders in their respective positional rooms.
As handpicked Broncos, all five players have been involved in the Denver community through various volunteer opportunities and donations, making them fan-favorites.
Elway talked about characteristics of the last two draft classes.
“Yeah, we’ve really concentrated—we had a couple of misses back there, and I think the misses that we had were people that were character concerns," Elway said. "I think we’ve kind of focused and turned around a little bit more than we have.”
Elway added additional context.
“Your locker room is very, very important, and the influences that you have in your locker room when things are tough, you need those guys to lead that locker room through the tough times and to be able to get back through in the winning ways," he said. "I think we’ve suffered a little bit there. We haven’t had that leadership in the locker room that has been able to dig us out of this hole, so I think that’s why we’ve concentrated more on character guys.”
In this draft class, I’d expect Elway and the Broncos to stay away from players with black marks on their resume. These marks against a prospect can come in the form of suspensions, lack of dietary and fitness restrictions, or legal trouble. For example, LSU OT Saahdiq Charles has the potential to develop into an NFL-caliber player after competing in the SEC.
The Broncos happen to have a need at OT and some mocks suggest Charles could fall to the third round. But some teams have character and maturity concerns stemming from team suspensions and his on-campus reputation.
The Broncos organization prides itself on the relationship between the city of Denver and all of the fans. Players are not only encouraged to interact with fans but are expected to be leaders in the community.
Although talent and athleticism are critical criteria when evaluating draft prospects, character is equally important to Elway and the Broncos.
5. Broncos' Philosophy: Adapt & Overcome
The Broncos have hardly let the current pandemic halt their hunt for the next draft class of players. Prior to Colorado’s ‘stay at home' mandate, the Broncos were able to fly CB A.J. Bouye in for his physical and were able to send him home with defensive playbooks.
I was also shoulder-to-shoulder with Broncos' scouts at Wyoming and Colorado’s Pro Days just days before the NFL essentially shut down teams’ headquarters.
The Broncos have been meeting with draft prospects virtually via Zoom and other applications. They’ve also implemented an off-season workout program under strength and conditioning coach Loren Landow and remain in constant contact with all players.
Just last week, Broncos LB Von Miller revealed that he tested positive for the coronavirus and shared his story with hopes of inspiring others to stay safe and educated. Elway address Von coming forward.
“I’m proud that Von’s coming out and helping everybody with the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus," Elway said. "It goes to show you that it can affect anybody. I’m glad Von’s doing fine which is good, but also hopefully it brought more attention to it. I’m proud of Von.”
In addition to treating Miller, the Broncos have made significant donations to assist the people of Denver that have been affected by the pandemic. On top of the monetary donations, the Broncos have assisted Denver with food, clothing, equipment and various resources in this time of need for many Americans.
While the U.S. fights this virus from home, the Broncos and the NFL are currently and will continue to operate from home for the foreseeable future. Elway spoke about adjusting to working from home and shared his thoughts on this year’s unprecedented draft model.
“I think it’s just been a matter of adjusting," Elway said. "I think that a lot of times we get set in our own ways and get set in our routines and comfort zones and then all of a sudden when that gets disrupted things become more difficult. For the most part as an organization we’ve been trying to be flexible and go with things that we can control. The things we can’t control we’ll go through that and do the best we can to comply with all the things that we can’t control.”
Reports have surfaced from various outlets suggesting turmoil among NFL brass regarding the virtual utilization for the draft. Rather than fight an uphill battle, Elway and the Broncos have seemingly dug into their home offices and man-caves to make the best of this scenario.
The old theory that a player’s film matters most opposed to the combine and pro day workout evaluations will truly be put to the test.
Follow Luke on Twitter @LukePattersonLP and @MileHighHuddle.
