Broncos' OL Coach Mike Munchak Rubber-Stamped Sixth-Round OG Netane Muti

You either believe things happen for a reason, or you don't. If you're inclined to view things through such a prism of serendipity, you might smile at how the Denver Broncos managed to land an extremely talented offensive guard in the sixth round of the draft.

Based on talent alone, most draftniks viewed Fresno State's Netane Muti as one of the best guards in the 2020 draft class. But due to a couple of Achilles injuries and a lisfranc, he missed a lot of football over the last two years.

Naturally, that scared off a lot of teams and was the reason he fell all the way to the sixth round of the draft. However, once he got within striking distance of the Broncos, O-line Coach Mike Munchak couldn't resist the value as he importuned the War Room to pull the trigger on Muti.

Broncos' Director of Player Personnel Matt Russell provided additional context on how the Muti pick came to be.

“Well, Netane, as you know, he’s had a rough go of things," Russell told Phil Milani of the team website late last week. "The thing that was intriguing about him is when we got into the sixth round, clearly, we obviously have concerns medically. Every team did. That’s why he was sitting there in the sixth round. But our O-line Coach Mike Munchak really liked Netane, felt like he was probably a second-round type guy if he were healthy, as did most teams."

Muti might be the most boom-or-bust player to come out of the 2020 draft. There's a good chance he busts considering his injury history but if he hits, he's going to hit bigtime.

"The consensus out there was that he was probably one of the better guards in this draft," Russell said. "So again, you get into those latter rounds—sixth round—like that and we figure, ‘You know what, let’s take a flyer. Maybe he stays healthy and we get a good player out of it.’ He was someone we were excited about in that round.”

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Anyone who turns on Muti's tape can quickly see why he was so valued by Munchak. An underrated athlete on the interior, Muti plays with reckless abandon and bully's mentality. He's not just trying to block you, he's out to take your soul.

When a big play happened for the Bulldogs, Muti was also the first guy to run down the field and celebrate with his teammates. That type of intensity and enthusiasm really jumps out to coaches, especially when it's combined with the right size and a formidable dose of talent.

To throw somewhat of a wet blanket on the Muti pick, the Broncos tried drafted in the late rounds another player who'd struggled with the injury bug in college — TE Jake Butt. Denver rolled the dice, taking him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and he's only appeared in three regular-season games since.

Hopefully, Muti's trajectory is different than Butt's. And if it's not, heck, the Broncos only threw away a sixth-round pick. Then again, a sixth-rounder is nothing to sneeze at, as the Broncos found Danny Trevathan and Matt Paradis in that round, both of whom became among the best at their respective positions and helped bring home a Lombardi Trophy.

Muti is a boom-or-bust guy but thanks to the O-line talent the Broncos have added over the last couple of years, the team can afford to take things slow with him and let him get back to 100% full strength before unleashing him on unwitting opponents. Munchak rubberstamped it, and, like Russell and GM John Elway, I'll happily err on the side of one of the most renowned O-line coaches in the world.

It was a daring draft pick. But you know what they say; fortune favors the bold.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.