Elway Reveals Broncos' Stripped-Down Plans for Draft in Wake of NFL-Mandated Restrictions

As Commissioner Roger Goodell keeps the league operation on track towards the NFL Draft on April 23, all 32 teams, including the Denver Broncos, are scrambling to get their houses in order in the face of limited resources.

The COVID19 outbreak has rapidly and dramatically changed the entire working environment that now confronts GM John Elway and head coach Vic Fangio.

Elway and Fangio used a Tuesday conference call to keep Broncos Country informed about how they're approaching the growing list of issues to overcome. As much as anything, it’s a raft of logistical obstacles the Broncos have to navigate in the remaining weeks left before the draft.

“As far as the setup, we don’t know if we’re going to be back in our complex by the time the draft comes around,” Elway said on Tuesday. “We’re in the process now of making arrangements if we’re not able to get back into our complex.”

What happens next for the Broncos in free agency and the draft? 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!

Fortunately for Denver, Coach Fangio's decision to strip down the Broncos' traveling retinue to the Combine back in February put the team in an advantageous spot with regard to the draft because it gave the coaches time to do their own film study and submit their reports and recommendations early.

"First of all, I think the good thing is that we’ve got a tremendous amount of work done already," Elway sai. "Our scouts are already looking at juniors that are possible guys that come out next year in the draft. Our scouts have really—at this point in time—moved on to next year. As far as this year’s draft and the information and reports that we’ve gotten from all the scouts, those are all in. We feel good about where we are. It helped us tremendously, I think, Vic—we had the coaches stay home from the Combine and spend one full week on the draft so all the coaches got all of their reports in on the players in this year’s draft. That was beneficial."

Elway has his contingency plans well underway with advanced dossiers and scouting reports on potential draft targets completed and turned in by the scouts. For this unprecedented draft day, the last leg of information gathering will now be done without the standard face-to-face interview process that teams traditionally held with college prospects.

While it’s obvious that the use of platforms like Zoom and Skype will not be as personal or tactile, it’s still a final process of due diligence that is worthwhile. Already, sources like KUSA's Mike Klis, have reported that the Broncos have a video call scheduled with Temple OL Matt Hennessy this coming week as the team works towards finalizing its final draft board.

Fangio was also quick to point out that the Broncos' challenges stretch far beyond just their draft day restrictions. That’s because current players on the roster will need to be brought up to speed on new playbooks and installs.

“We’ll come up with something to communicate with the players via the iPads, Skype," Fangio said Tuesday. "We don’t have the total plan yet, but we are in the process of getting the players their iPads so they can receive stuff from us in the next couple of weeks."

Preempting the ever-changing situation will present a mammoth challenge for the entire Broncos organization. It comes in the face of a clear directive that’s being handed down from the very top of NFL headquarters — the team’s offseason programs will not be scrapped, not in the short-term at least.

The league's bigger fallback position is that shortened offseason program could be conducted at re-opened team facilities. Provided this outbreak indeed peaks in the month of April as authorities hope nd the U.S. is allowed to get back to work.

With players being locked out of their own facilities until April 8 at a minimum per NFL mandate, even keeping in shape will take a degree of inventiveness. LB Alexander Johnson’s social media video of him bench pressing a tree trunk only serves to drive home.

Never before to such a massive extent has the NFL and its key figures faced such a multi-faceted and unusual challenge. Fangio’s claim that the coaching staff has already accumulated 90% of its pre-draft evaluation on each prospect via film will at least give Broncos fans some measure of comfort.

However, all too often, it’s that vital extra 10% that factors so decisively in whether or not a team selects the right player or not. There's a reason teams hold facility visits and meet with players after all.

Shots from the Broncos' war room on draft day, showing them to fans as they hand in their draft card, will be lost this time around odds are, but the significance of the process remains the same. It’s only this time around that the ultimate selection process will be done via video calls and come to depend a lot more on previous fact-finding missions than ever before.

You never know; the Broncos could hit the draft jackpot by using this new technology and restricted methods. Based on the new scouting priorities Elway has implemented since 2018, there's a good chance this front office continues to stick to its winning formula.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.

Add us as a preferred source on Google