Report: Broncos 'Really Like' Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb & Baylor's Denzel Mims

Multiple conflicting smoke signals are wafting out of Dove Valley with the NFL Draft less than two weeks away

Many draft experts have tabled the opinion that this year’s crop of wide receiver talent will rival the class of 1985 that famously produced two legendary Hall of Famers — Andre Reed and Jerry Rice.

It’s become an open secret that the Denver Broncos are targeting wide receivers heavily in the draft in order to add another explosive weapon to their young offense. One name that has consistently cropped up has been Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, who would appear to check all the crucial boxes of size, speed, strength and the ability to make game-breaking catches.

In his most recent first-round mock, The Athletic's Dane Brugler selected Alabama's Jerry Jeudy for the Broncos at pick 15 but in so doing, he also revealed Denver's interest in Lamb. 

The Broncos are looking for another playmaker opposite Courtland Sutton and I hear they really like CeeDee Lamb and Denzel Mims. But they also really like Jerry Jeudy with his brake-and-balance skills to uncover at will mid-route.

We must juxtapose this insight on Lamb and Mims, the latter of whom is a late round-one/early day-two WR, with the bombshell from Albert Breer on Monday morning that revealed the Broncos are one of a small handful of teams looking to trade up to land one of this class' top offensive tackles. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it's all relative. I'm sure the Broncos 'really like' half the prospects who'll ultimately get drafted in the first round. 

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In a conversation with ESPN over the weekend, Lamb discussed the new draft process that he is currently experiencing due to the national emergency. He also revealed that he felt he had established an advantage over other prospects because he had managed to complete his pro day before the government instituted a nationwide shutdown.

“It’s very good obviously because I got a chance to showcase my route running,” Lamb told Sports Center via video link. “It’s very unfortunate for the other guys because they can’t do the same themselves. But at the end of the day, you can be very stingy, but I’m one of the ones who got helped by these things. I would like a lot of people to have pro days but it didn’t work out that way. For me, it was very good and very fortunate, and I’m grateful.”

Having managed to luck out and compile a file of footage and statistical data for coaches to pore over, it’s an advantage that could greatly help Lamb’s draft stock. It’s also highly likely that the Broncos are among the teams who are making use of the information that is available at the click of the computer mouse.

Only last week, the Broncos official web page posted a picture of WRs Coach Zach Azzanni getting to know the various WR prospects from the relative safety of his own office. During his visit with ESPN, Lamb didn’t specifically reference talking with the Broncos, but he made it clear he is available for a variety of video chats.

“Yeah, it’s been a very different time. I’ve been on zoom calls, I’ve downloaded different apps that I never thought I would ever use but it’s been very different, a different type of occasion but I’m taking it one day at a time,” the 21-year-old Texas native explained. “If a team needs me, definitely we’re going to get a conversation going.”

It’s safe to assume that the Broncos have made some sort of contact with Lamb even if it was just limited to the NFL Combine, so the prospect of him joining up with Drew Lock is bound to excite fans who are seeing lots of mock drafts tagging the receiver to the Mile High City at pick 15.

Only just recently, ESPN's Godfather of Mock Drafts Mel Kiper, Jr. drew comparisons between Lamb and Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins, a bonafide NFL superstar. It’s a massively flattering comparison coming from the well-respected Kiper and it’s bound to have significantly raised the youngster’s profile even further. And it didn't go unnoticed by Lamb either. 

“That’s a nice compliment, especially coming from a guy like Mel, being compared to a guy like HOP,” Lamb admitted.

The question will be how close the Broncos can get on draft night in order to snag the Oklahoma wideout, considering the ever-growing buzz that is now surrounding Lamb. Only this past Easter weekend, rumors had circulated that the San Francisco 49ers had conducted a video meeting with Lamb. Due to their recent trade with the Indianapolis Colts, the Niners now pick at 13, just two slots ahead of the Broncos.

As Lamb continues to climb up the draft board, GM John Elway will consider just how highly he rates the receiver’s abilities. In a year of such unprecedented receiving talent, simply waiting for one to fall straight in your lap, and without having to make an expensive trade-up, isn’t beyond the realms of reality.

Ultimately, it will boil down to how much information have the Broncos already compiled, how much they trust it when it comes to making their final decision on draft night and how the board falls. Also in question is whether Elway intends on taking a wideout early, as recent buzz conflicts with the notion. Stay tuned. 

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.