How TE Albert Okwuegbunam Can Actually Help Broncos' Offense

The Denver Broncos have had many issues with their tight end position over the years and that is something the team has to change going forward. In the 2019 NFL Draft, the Broncos traded down and drafted a tight end in the first round, then went and spent money on a tight end in free agency just this past March.

So Denver made moves to fix the tight end position, which was also made less important when Pat Shurmur was brought in, who runs an offense that hardly uses a tight end in the first place. With all that in mind, the Broncos still went and drafted Albert Okwuegbunam in the fourth round of the 2020 draft.

The selection of Okwuegbunam was a bit of a head-scratcher, outside of the fact he brings speed to the tight end position — if you trust his 40-yard dash that is. He ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the Combine, but he does not play that fast.

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With that speed, Okwuegbunam can run fast in a straight line, but he lacks smoothness for change of direction, which limits his game. In an offense that uses more than one tight end less than 30% of the time, it was a questionable selection overall.

Tight ends do take some time for them to develop for the NFL game, but maybe his history playing with Drew Lock will help speed his transition. A questionable pick for sure, but we don’t know how Denver graded Okwuegbunam, but word has come out that multiple teams were upset with this selection and many had a late second- or early third-round grade on him.

If the Broncos were one of them, that means they really just trusted their board. For more on Okwuegbunam and what he brings to the table pros and cons-wise, make sure to check out the video above.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.

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