Next Gen Stats Give Broncos Highest-Graded Score in 2020 NFL Draft
The Denver Broncos just completed their 2020 NFL Draft. All in, Denver made 10 total selections with at least one in each of the seven rounds.
GM John Elway not only prioritized offense in this draft but clearly, speed and athleticism. If the mandate was to #BuildTheNest around second-year QB Drew Lock, Elway came through in a big way.
With the draft completely in the books, Next Gen Stats weighed in with its top-5 draft classes across the NFL. The Broncos were ranked at the very top in overall draft score.
What did Next Gen Stats love so much about the Broncos' draft haul? Let's quickly peruse the class with a focus on the five top-100 selections.
Round 1: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Round 2: KJ Hamler, WR, Penn State
Round 3: Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa
Round 3: Lloyd Cushenberry, IOL, LSU
Round 3: McTelvin Agim, DL, Arkansas
This was the first time Elway ever made five selections in the top-100, so he had to get it right. Grabbing two dynamic wideouts to complement Courtland Sutton and give Lock the weaponry to compete in the arms race that has become the AFC West was crucial.
Following that up with a talented corner who fits Vic Fangio's defense, especially considering the question marks the Broncos currently have at the position, was apropos. Landing a first-round-caliber center at pick 83 in Cushenberry and a sneaky-good interior pass rusher in Agim at pick 95 bolstered the trenches on both sides of the ball.
But Elway's work to reinforce this roster and cover holes didn't end there.
Round 4: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
Round 5: Justin Strnad, LB, Wake Forest
Round 6: Netane Muti, IOL, Fresno State
Round 7: Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Florida
Round 7: Derreck Tuszka, Edge, North Dakota State
Although tight end wasn't a need, having one who runs a faster 40 time than Noah Fant and one who played with Lock for two years fall in their lap was a gift-horse Elway wasn't about to look in the mouth. Fangio needed an athletic coverage linebacker, and Elway obliged in round five.
Muti was a Day 2 talent who fell to the sixth round due to injury concerns but if he can stay healthy, he's a bonafide difference-maker upfront. Cleveland is raw but if the Broncos can develop him, he's an explosive athlete. And with Justin Hollins not quite living up to expectations in 2019, the Broncos needed to add another option to keep the edge depth formidable.
What almost all of these draft picks have in common is, as Next Gen Stats opines, a rare combination of athleticism that is matched by production on the field. If they're right, and this class does end up pacing the entire NFL in its supremacy, undoubtedly, Elway will be viewed through the lens of history as putting the finishing touches on the Broncos' post-Super Bowl 50 rebuild.
We know Elway doesn't like to use the R-word, but after his mighty change of heart ahead of the 2018 draft, he's now stacked impressive draft classes back-to-back-to-back and has given Lock every weapon in the arsenal to take that quantum leap forward in year two.
On one hand, it's great to see the Broncos receive such high marks for this draft. But games aren't won on paper. We'll have to wait until the fall to find out just how potent and impactful this class really is.
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