Finding Broncos: Five Sleeper Interior Offensive Line Options

The Denver Broncos are implementing a scheme change on offense, which will have a domino effect on the offensive line, especially on the interior. While some of Denver's pieces on the interior do fit the new scheme better than the old one, the team has a couple of fan-favorites that will be put into a tough position.

In addition, with an outside-zone scheme being implemented, lateral agility and movement skills are the priority, and one of the Broncos' starters and two of their depth pieces may not be facing the most effortless transition. Of those three, right guard Quinn Meinerz will probably have the most straightforward transition as he flashed the movement skills but he needs more consistency with the technique.

Center Lloyd Cushenberry III is the starter, but his movement skills have been problematic and he lacks the necessary strength to sustain blocks, which could jeopardize his starting job. Netane Muti, has struggled when he has taken the field with consistency, despite limited action.

What can help Muti is his overall lack of experience and the need to be built from the ground up, but his movement isn't ideal for the wide-zone, and his lack of length is a lingering issue.

That leads to the 2022 NFL draft class, which offers relatively decent depth on the interior offensive line. There are a couple of elite talents, but good depth — it just isn't quite as strong as the offensive tackle class is.

With the Broncos coming scheme change, there are plenty of options. Here are five sleepers to watch.

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Xavier Newman-Johnson | Baylor

Since being a top recruit for Bayler years ago, Newman-Johnson has gotten a ton of experience working at all three positions on the interior O-line. He is a good athlete and moves exceptionally well with good size. However, his length will be questioned because he doesn't appear to have overly long arms, which can make life on the interior complicated, especially against some of the AFC West's key defensive linemen.

There are some tricks that Newman-Johnson has shown to have up his sleeve to help overcome the length concerns, but he may not be able to rely on them as often at the NFL level. However, his effort is unquestionable, and he never gives up on a play and will consistently fight to better his positioning during a rep. On top of his athleticism, he also has good power and strength that he knows how to use with leverage and a good strong anchor to handle bull-rush attempts.

Luke Fortner | Kentucky

While Fortner can play multiple spots on the interior and will enter the NFL with experience, he is a developmental piece and is scheme-limited. There has to be a ton of work done with his hands to be more consistent with their placement and the timing of his punch, which was late often in college, allowing defenders to control his blocks. If that can be fixed, he has the athleticism and functional strength to be an effective starter in the NFL.

An interior lineman's value will be high whenever he can play any of the three spots, as versatility is such an NFL focus. Fortner's inconsistent hands are the biggest concern and do hold him back often, so it wouldn't be hard to see a coach take a liking to him as he has those uncoachable traits of athleticism and power. For a team like Denver, he would provide good value as a depth piece that the teaching focus of the coaches could develop.

Lecitus Smith | Virginia Tech

A former tight end, Smith had to make the transition to tackle before landing at guard. He has no versatility as a guard-only prospect in an outside-zone scheme, which will see a lot of teams sour on him as a prospect. However, for a team like the Broncos, he makes a ton of sense to better their depth at the position and give them a developmental option with Graham Glasgow and Dalton Risner's post-2022 future being in question.

Smith has a good build but appears not to have the longest arms, which leads to issues controlling blocks against longer defenders. However, he has good strength, athleticism, and lateral agility to work in an offense that wants to stretch out the defense sideline to sideline. If a coach can teach him ways to overcome the lack of length, Smith could end up a reliable starting guard in the NFL.

Dohnovan West | Arizona State

West is one of the most athletic interior O-linemen in the class, and he combines that with good core strength and power to drop an anchor or drive blocks. In addition, his movement skills are great and could help him thrive in an offense that will rely on those skills. For as versatile as West is as he can play any interior position in any scheme and have all the necessary vital traits, it is surprising that West isn't getting more attention.

West has good hands, with good timing, placement, and power, as well as showing he can roll power through his lower half to generate push. The term 'jack-of-all-trades' comes to mind with West, but he also has a couple of near-elite traits like his movement skills and football IQ. With the NFL Combine approaching, it wouldn't be shocking to see him test exceptionally well and start getting talked about as a top-100 pick, if not higher.

Alec Lindstrom | Boston College

Lindstrom was once viewed as one of the top centers in the class, but he has fallen so far down that he can be considered a sleeper now. He has plenty of issues, including lacking versatility in scheme and position as an outsize-zone center only, but he is smart with good technique and athleticism. However, he has other issues with length, not having the best functional strength, and lowering his head into contact while playing with a high pad level.

Lindstrom has a high football IQ and understands where his landmarks are when pulling outside and climbing to the second level. If a team can get him to play with a lower pad level, it would help limit the negative impact of his other concerns. If Denver wants to find a center only to add competition, Lindstrom is a Day 3 option who can compete to be the starter.

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