Broncos' Rookie LB Justin Strnad Models Game After NFL All-Pro

Justin Strnad looks forward to bring his coverage skills as a linebacker to the Broncos and maybe following in the footsteps of his NFL idol.

Had he not so recently undergone a surgery to repair a torn bicep, there's a good chance Wake Forest linebacker Justin Strnad would have heard his name called late Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. Alas, because teams had health concerns, he slipped to round five where the Denver Broncos nabbed him. 

Bad for Strnad, good for the Broncos. 

But maybe not bad for Strnad. There is such a thing as football serendipity. Many players believe they are willed by the Football Fates to land with the team they do and such could be the case for Strnad who joins a Vic Fangio defense that is very friendly to linebackers. 

When it comes to the NFL, Strnad models his game after a very interesting linebacker and one who has already received some prolific accolades in just two short years in the league.

"I would say [Colts LB] Darius Leonard’s somebody that I’ve watched a lot of ball over the last few years since he’s came to the league," Strnad said not long after he'd been drafted. "I think we both play in similar styles. He’s a coverage backer. He helps the team, especially on third-down package and stuff like that. He plays with high energy and that’s something that I do as well.”

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Leonard was a second-round pick of the Colts' two years ago. He has since earned an All-Pro nod in each year and was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting a mind-boggling 163 tackles (111 solo), seven sacks, eight passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 2018. 

If Strnad can even come close to matching Leonard's career trajectory out of the gates, the Broncos will have hit on their 2020 fifth-round pick in a big way. But diving in a little deeper on the traits Strnad believes he shares with Leonard, it's easy to get excited about what the future might hold for him. 

Fangio's scheme prioritizes football IQ, speed, sure tackling, and coverage ability. To varying degrees, perhaps, Strnad checks all those boxes which makes Denver a very fortuitous landing spot for him. 

A former high-school safety, coverage is not an alien concept for Strnad. He might need to brush up a little on his man-coverage technique but the foundation he's already established could allow him to hit the ground running and perhaps make an impact on the Broncos' nickel sub-packages. 

“Yeah, I feel very comfortable in pass-coverage," Strnad said in April. "I think just continuing to work on man-to-man coverage—in college, we didn’t play too much man—so I think just continuing to work on my man-to-man skills and being able to match up on some tight ends and running backs will obviously be able to help.”

Each of the Broncos' Division rivals present next-level threats when it comes to covering tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. Fangio's more zone-based scheme helped mitigate a lot of the struggles the Broncos had covering tight ends and running backs out of the backfield but the defense still lacked that twitched up athletic linebacker to counter opponents one-on-one. 

There's no guarantee Strnad will be that answer but obviously, Coach Fangio likes his potential. It'll be interesting to see how the linebacker competition shakes out this summer. 

Due to the lockdown, Strnad is yet to step foot in the Broncos' facilities but that hasn't stopped him from participating in virtual team meetings which included a zoom-based rookie mini-camp. Hopefully, here soon, the rookie linebacker can finally join up with his fellow 2020 draftees and teammates to get back to doing what he does best — playing football. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.