Broncos' Pre-Draft Top-30 Visits Hint at Center on Day 2 of NFL Draft
The starting 22 for the Denver Broncos is, in all likelihood, all but set with players currently on the roster. After trading away their top two selections in the upcoming draft, the Broncos’ earliest draft selection rests with the very last pick of Round 2 at 64 overall.
Given the historical precedent that finding a day-one rookie contributor outside of the first 40-to-50 picks in the draft is a rare occurrence, expecting Denver to draft an immediate starter with any of its selections this season seems a tad unrealistic.
That doesn’t mean the Broncos’ upcoming rookie class will be any less valuable. As opposed to approaching the draft looking to fill out massive roster holes, the Broncos are, according to NFL Network’s James Palmer, looking to add depth and competition early in the draft at premium, highly-paid positions such as offensive tackle, edge, and cornerback.
Going over the Broncos’ depth chart, there are still a few positions the team could certainly add a day-one starter. Many in Broncos Country are hoping for locally produced talents such as Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma or Colorado State tight end Trey McBride could come in and start immediately.
Given the uncertainty at tight end and linebacker (outside of Josey Jewell), there is certainly an argument for those players. However, a spot on Denver’s depth chart that should be just as discussed as a position that could see a rookie starting next season is the center.
The reality of the Broncos obtaining Russell Wilson this offseason is that, with a franchise-caliber player in the fold, the “smaller” questions and areas of weakness on the roster become that much more glaring and apparent. One of these areas of weakness currently on the roster is the center position.
After being an iron man at the position over the last two seasons, Broncos’ starter Lloyd Cushenberry III has shown up-and-down play. Many might expect Cushenberry to be the no-doubt starter ascending as he enters Year 3 after improving his Pro Football Focus grades from 2020-21. Cushenberry's overall offensive grade went from 40.5 to 60.2, his run-blocking grade from 37.9 to 62.5, and his pass protection grade from 47.6 to 71.3.
The Broncos certainly could go into 2022 with Cushenberry starting for a third straight season, but if one places any sort of weight on the pre-draft visits the Broncos have hosted so far, it does seem apparent the team is considering interior offensive linemen with center ability Day 2 of the draft.
GM George Paton has hosted visits with three interior offensive linemen, all of whom project at the center position, so far for the pre-draft visit process: Nebraska's Cam Jurgens, Memphis' Dylan Parham, and Chattanooga's Cole Strange . All three tested extremely well at the NFL Combine with Jurgens earning a Relative Athletic Score (courtesy of Kent Lee Platte @MathBomb on twitter) of 99.4, Parham earning an 8.80 RAS (scored as a guard), and Strange scoring a 9.95 RAS.
Athleticism at the center position is overrated in comparison to intelligence and processing, but with Denver moving to a more outside zone-centric scheme under Nathaniel Hackett, the ability to hit a moving target in space in the run game for the center will be much more important for the position going forward.
This is not a good thing for incumbent Cushenberry, who was drafted to play in a more gap-centric run scheme utilizing more inside zone looks. He did improve last season on the surface, but probably not to the extent where the Broncos are completely comfortable with the position entering 2022.
Not only could drafting an interior offensive line prospect with center ability add and potentially upgrade the Broncos' offensive line, but adding one that projects as guard as well could add pathways to the field for a potential Day 2 interior player.
While the Broncos are solid at guard in 2022, Dalton Risner is entering the final year of his contract, and Graham Glasgow’s release after this season could create $11 million in cap space for 2023 with only $3 million dead cap. Jurgens and Parham project with center and guard ability at the next level if the need arises based on how the future depth chart plays out.
Outside of Jurgens, Parham, and Strange, whom the Broncos have brought in for visits, Zach Tom from Wake Forest, Luke Fortner from Kentucky, and Dohnovan West from Arizona State are other names to keep an eye on late Day 2 to mid-Day 3 of the draft.
There is also of course the reigning Rimington Award Winner in Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum who might slide down the draft a tad due to concerns about size, length, and scheme versatility. For the Broncos, though? Linderbaum’s linebacker-like athleticism and agility would be a weapon in the run game. He might fall out of Round 1, but plummeting all the way to 64 might be a pipe dream.
The Broncos have a number of directions they could go to upgrade the roster and add talent in the 2022 draft. The multitude of possible avenues the team could go is truly a testament to how well Paton and company have done building the team before the draft.
Good teams patch all possible holes before April so that when the draft comes around, they can take advantage of how the board falls and not be married to any singular prospect or position. Could one of the possible outcomes of Day 2 lead Denver to selecting a potential new starting center for the 2022 offense and beyond?
Who knows what Paton will do when Denver is officially on the clock, but a new center that better fits the outside zone scheme is certainly an option for the Broncos and the pre-draft breadcrumbs, in part, point that direction.
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