Broncos Reach Agreement with Third-Round OL Lloyd Cushenberry III

The Broncos locked down their rookie third-round center on Wednesday.

The Denver Broncos were lucky that LSU's Lloyd Cushenberry fell to the third round. Viewed pre-draft as a first-round caliber center, Cushenberry tumbled entirely out of Day 1 and into late Day 2. 

The Broncos were more than happy to invest the No. 83 overall pick on the center who snapped to reigning Heisman Trophy winner and national champion QB Joe Burrow. Cushenberry projects as a day-one starter at the pivot point on the Broncos offensive line. 

With the Broncos rookies poised to report for training camp and begin the first stage of COVID-19 testing so that football proceedings can begin on Monday, the team's draft class had to get signed contractually to their NFL contracts. 

A flurry of activity on this front marked Wednesday's proceedings at Dove Valley, where seven rookie draft picks were signed, including Cushenberry. Cushenberry's contract is slotted and worth $4.2 million. 

He received a signing bonus of $946,176, which ought to get him through the summer. In all seriousness, it's great that Denver now has eight of its 10 draft picks signed. 

We've agreed to terms with third-round pick @LCush79!

📰 » https://t.co/cnDZFJi77p pic.twitter.com/d6pasVxEvg

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 23, 2020

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All that remain are first- and second-round WRs Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. I would expect those dominoes to fall on Thursday. 

At 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, Cushenberry has great size and length as an interior lineman. He's strong, powerful, and extremely smart when it comes to football IQ. 

Cushenberry is an aggressive run blocker and can get to the second level, blasting open holes for his ball-carriers. As a pass blocker, he's not perfect but thanks to his tool kit, which includes elite-level hand technique, he'll be able to contend out of the gates with the best interior pass rushers. 

Working hand-in-handy with O-Line Coach Mike Munchak, Cushenberry's ceiling is high and thanks to his football IQ and natural talent, his floor is unusually high, too. With Drew Lock proving to be the hardest QB to sack in 2019, that should help Cushenberry get acclimated to life in the NFL. 

But honestly, sky's the limit for Cushenberry, who I fully expected to get drafted late in the first round. The Broncos got a steal. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.