Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb Mocked to Broncos at Pick 15 by ESPN's Todd McShay

Another mock draft and another wide receiver goes to the Denver Broncos. With many considering the upcoming WR draft class to be one of the best in a long-time and Broncos’ insiders indicating the team will look at the position early and often, this will come as no surprise and will likely be a continued trend all the way through April.

This time, ESPN’s draft analyst Todd McShay has the Broncos going with Oklahoma’s star WR CeeDee Lamb at pick 15.

I liked what I saw out of quarterback Drew Lock at the end of last season, and Denver might want to think about getting him some help along the offensive line or at wide receiver. And wouldn't you know it, Lamb is the best available player still on the board. He gets great separation and then creates yardage after the catch. Opposite Courtland Sutton -- who continues to look like the real deal -- Lamb brings another piece of the offensive puzzle to Mile High. But there's also concern in the secondary, where Chris Harris Jr. and Justin Simmons are set to enter free agency. Florida corner CJ Henderson, LSU safety Grant Delpit and Alabama safety Xavier McKinney deserve more than a passing thought at No. 15.

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The Broncos have a multitude of needs going into the 2020 offseason, including holes on the defense such as the line, specifically at 3-4 defensive end where Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris, and Adam Gotsis are all set to hit the open market, and cornerback, where De’Vante Bausby and Bryce Callahan have potential but carry risk, to the offensive side, with needs at the O-line in terms of tackle depth and interior starters.

The Broncos have a good amount of salary cap space to help fill some of these holes in free agency, but it is perhaps foolish to expect all of them to be addressed in this offseason.

These other needs are rather obvious, but from John Elway himself, down to anyone with links directly to Dove Valley, one need has become a mantra: the Broncos have to target a WR early in the draft.

Given that the draft is still a ways out with many hurdles for prospects to overcome during their gauntlet towards April, which WR is going to be available at pick 15 is anyone’s guess. At this point, the consensus seems to be that either Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s Lamb will be the first pass-catcher off the board, but the further the draft process gets from the on-field product and closer to the 'Underwear Olympics', the traits and the dangerous ‘P’ word (potential) will have the likes of someone like Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III and Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, Jr. nipping at their heels.

On the surface level, Lamb would feel like the least clean fit for the Broncos in comparison to the other consensus top wideouts. He doesn’t possess the blazing speed element of Ruggs nor does he have the ability to uncover and win both inside and out quite like Jeudy.

Lamb is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver who plays much faster than he will likely test at the NFL Combine. He could easily come out of Indianapolis having run a 4.55-second 40-yard dash, but that shouldn’t change the fact that on the field, Lamb is an absolutely dominant force.

Possessing a nasty demeanor no matter his assignment, Lamb runs his routes, attacks the football, runs after the catch, and even blocks down the field like a man possessed. With incredible body control, he is able to generate separation in his route stems and after the catch by sinking his hips and changing direction of a player with a much lower center of gravity.

Much like New Orleans' Alvin Kamara in space, Lamb can put defenders on skates and blow past them once he has the ball with just a bit of space. His competitive nature also shows in his ability to beat press coverage. He will need to continue to add mass to his frame and work on his releases, but his flashes and ability to defeat coverage at the line of scrimmage are quite high.

Lamb's body control extends beyond his ability on the ground, as his aerial acrobatics are impressive as well. Displaying a good catch radius with strong hands, he can pluck the ball out of the air even when the quarterback doesn’t put the football in the best spot.

It is true that Oklahoma manufactured many easy touches for Lamb, due to the level of defense in the Conference and playing under the schematic wizard in Lincoln Riley, but Lamb has shown more ability to make the tough catches, on the boundary or inside, and at any level of the defense when it was asked of him.

The biggest drawback with Lamb is, much like all of the Broncos’ current wide receivers, he just really lacks long speed. He can get down the field with his lengthy stride, and given how strong he is in the air attacking the ball, he can be a downfield threat, but that isn’t the same as being a true burner who can instantly get vertical and stress a defense.

Still, Lamb is a playmaker who can threaten any defense at any level. With incredibly light feet and a strong understanding of leverage in combination with tracking the ball in the air, he easily overcomes any limitation in straight line blazing speed.

One common receiver comparison for Lamb coming into draft season is that of former Clemson first-rounder, and four-time All-Pro for the Houston Texans, DeAndre Hopkins. Much like is expected of Lamb at the Combine, Hopkins was tough and physical on tape with a nasty ‘my ball’ mentality but had questions about his athletic upside. At the Combine, Hopkins struggled in the athletic drills while also suffering an apparent calf injury, which led to a slide to the end of the first round where he was drafted with the 27th overall pick in 2013.

The Broncos need speed at wide receiver and in the offense in general, but sometimes teams simply need to trust the tape and not get too bogged down into specific ‘niche’ needs when it comes to evaluating prospects.

Lamb is an absolute alpha on the field and would give Denver one of the most exciting physical sets of wide receivers in the NFL in tandem with Courtland Sutton. Who knows how the wide receivers will be ranked by the time April rolls around, let alone how the draft will shake out this far out?

One thing is certain; Lamb-to-the-Broncos with at pick 15 would certainly help Drew Lock and company attempt to keep pace in the AFC West.

Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKendellMHH and @MileHighHuddle.

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