Once again, draft season is coming unfortunately early for Broncos fans. However, a high draft pick should make things more exciting, and provides the possibility to draft the kind of elite prospect that can put Denver over the hump and allow them to return to the playoffs.
Here are six of those elite prospects that could be the difference maker.
Micah Parsons
Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell is a fine pairing of starting linebackers, but Vic Fangio’s defenses have often thrived on having elite inside linebacker play. That’s something Jewell doesn’t provide.
On the other hand, Parsons would.
He’s a rare athlete at the position that dominates by relying on those tools and some surprisingly strong instincts, considering he’s only played the position for two seasons after being recruited as a defensive end.
That defensive end background helps him on the field. He’s much more effective at blitzing and at shedding blockers either in the run and pass game than your average inside linebacker prospect. It’s not often you see an inside linebacker with polished pass-rushing moves.
The concern with him is two-fold. One, there are whispers of immaturity. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks — who has known Parsons since high school — said on a recent podcast that the only problem he had with Parsons as a prospect was his immaturity. That’s not to say he’s done anything wrong or gotten into trouble off the field though, just that he’s immature. Second, while he has an athletic profile that should allow him to thrive in coverage, he hasn’t been asked to do it so much, so he’ll likely need refinement there.
Caleb Farley
The Broncos have a massive need at cornerback and one of the players best suited to fill that need is Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley. Farley opted out of the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns, but has maintained his hold on the top cornerback spot nonetheless.
Farley is the most talented cornerback in the class even though it’s the third position he’s played since his senior year of high school. Despite that, he looks very comfortable at cornerback. He’s the best man-coverage corner and he’s at his best pressing opposing receivers at the line and dominating them physically.
Best of all, Farley is a play-maker on defense, something the Broncos are starved for. Denver has struggled to create takeaways and Farley could go a long way towards solving it.
The concerns with Farley will be larger for Denver than for other teams, as they come down to questions of fit in Fangio’s defense. Fangio loves to run zone, and zone is currently the weak point in Farley’s coverage abilities. Fangio also loves physical corners that can make a play in the run game, and Farley isn’t that.
However, if Denver can coach up those weak points, Farley could be a top 10 cornerback by his second season in the league.
The Quarterbacks
This quarterback class is loaded, and even if you believe in Drew Lock’s development he isn’t a franchise quarterback yet, so if one of the top four quarterbacks falls, Denver must consider it.
Especially considering the decision will be made by a new general manager with no emotional tie to Lock.
It would take some absurd miracle for Trevor Lawrence to fall to nine as he’s in the same caliber of prospects like Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and John Elway. He will be marvelous at the next level.
Next up, you have Justin Fields who probably wouldn’t fall to nine, but with four elite quarterback prospects anything can happen. He plays like a premium version of Dak Prescott. While he’s a rare athlete at the position, his elite trait is his arm, both in terms of power and special accuracy. However, he does have a tendency to put too much faith in that arm — much like Lock — and it should be noted that Ohio State’s scheme has made his job much easier.
Zach Wilson is the big riser currently. Some would argue he’s even more accurate than Fields and might have a stronger arm as well. His numbers this year have been absolutely absurd, but we also haven’t seen him operate under pressure much at all. BYU’s offensive line has bullied opponents and made it so Wilson has all day and no pressure to throw him off-balance.
Last, you have Trey Lance. He’s a boom or bust prospect, which might understandably scare Broncos Country, but if you look around the league, those quarterbacks are primarily ‘booming.’ Lance’s upside is that of Deshaun Watson. He’s an excellent runner, gaining over 1,000 yards on the ground in his lone season starting, and he knows how to attack defenses through the air as well. The concerns with Lance have less to do with his tape (though there are questions about progressing through reads and recognizing coverages) and more to do with the fact that he’s a one-year starter at an FCS school. If you can look past that, it becomes tough to find flaws in his game.