It’s Senior Bowl week, which marks draft season being fully upon us.
Once again, the Denver Broncos have a premium pick, and although they would ideally like to trade that pick for an established superstar quarterback, that outcome is far from guaranteed. Also, until the trade is official, it’s fun to imagine who the next exciting, young, homegrown star for the Broncos could be.
Last week, we broke down five prospects who could fit the bill, but there are still so many prospects it could potentially be.
With that in mind, here’s a look at five more potential names.
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
This section was initially going to feature Matt Corral, but with Malik Willis lighting it up in Mobile right now, and only made sense to flip the two.
In a quarterback class that boasts a lot of prospects with deeply limited ceilings, Willis is one of the very few that has the upside to be worth a top-10 pick and maybe be able to hold his own in the AFC West.
His arm is the best in the draft. He can deliver dots deep down the field and can hit a downfield receiver in stride while scrambling. His accuracy on the run is one of his most appealing attributes. He also has the velocity to force the ball into tight windows and make up for being a tick late on his reads.
https://twitter.com/BenGlassmireNFL/status/1483627680004132866?s=20&t=E4JJT-1NUIPmdHO_QZ_B8g
He’s also the best runner at the quarterback position in this draft, and it’s not all that close. His legs will instantly be a winning weapon at the NFL level, and his thick frame provides confidence that he’ll be able to survive the next level.
HE’S A RUNNER HE’S A TRACKSTAR
TOUCHDOWN MALIK WILLIS 🏎💨https://t.co/gxfwpXYkyV
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 19, 2021
When Malik Willis takes off, he can get lot in a hurry: pic.twitter.com/VC01i0Wpvi
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 2, 2022
However, despite how exciting the physical traits are, Willis has a long way to go in his development. His accuracy isn’t terrible, but there are still far too many lapses, as he’ll sail a deep ball or throw a ball too high for his intermediate crossing route, though fixing his lower-body mechanics should fix that problem. He also needs to improve his ability to throw with touch quite a bit.
His decision-making also needs to take a big step forward, as he tries to force the big play too frequently. He has also shown flashes of getting through progressions, but he will also have to make some major strides there, as he struggles to keep his eyes downfield once a play begins to break down.
Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
Broncos Country has long complained about the lack of athleticism in their linebacking core. After remedying that to some extent last season by selecting Baron Browning and trading for Jonas Griffith, the Broncos could solidify having one of the league’s most athletic linebacking cores for the foreseeable future by selecting Devin Lloyd out of Utah.
Lloyd started his career as a safety for the Utes, but eventually transitioned to linebacker, where he became a versatile chess piece on defense.
Considering his background is at safety, one might expect him to struggle with the physical nature of the position, or when defending the run, but that’s arguably where Lloyd is at his best. He’s a sure tackler and he has excellent instincts which allow him to flow to the ball quickly, though they could stand to use some polish.
He showed a lot of progress in his ability to play the pass this season, as he showed a much better understanding of zone coverage, but this is still an area that will need to progress. He can also impact the passing game as a blitzer, where he was quite effective for Utah.
Lloyd looks like he’ll be a really good linebacker at the NFL level, but the stiffness in his movement at times prevents him from being a truly special athlete, and his ability to impact the passing game isn’t at the level it needs to be to justify a top-10 pick in the modern NFL. Plus, with the emergence of Browning and Griffith, the Broncos can easily make their linebacking core a strength without investing a top-10 pick in such an invaluable and easy-to-find position.
While this is a possibility we can’t ignore, drafting Lloyd ninth overall would be a massive disappointment for Broncos Country.
George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
The Broncos’ most glaring need outside their seemingly eternal need for a quarterback is their need for pass-rush help off the edge. Fortunately, this draft is full of talented edge rushers, and one they could target in the top 10 is George Karlaftis.
Karlaftis might not be an ideal fit for the defensive scheme Denver is anticipated to run next year, as his more natural transition would likely be as a 4-3 defensive end, as opposed to a 3-4 outside linebacker, but the Broncos would be foolish to ignore the talent.
The burst Karlaftis possesses, paired with his deadly hand-fighting, make him a highly disruptive edge rusher. He explodes off the line and quickly penetrates the backfield, forcing opposing tackles to scramble to keep up. He also has excellent lower body strength, which allows him to push blockers right into the quarterback’s lap at times. He pairs that nasty first step with powerful hands that knock blockers off-balance and a developed array of pass-rushing moves.
His arms are really lacking length, and that could be a big problem at the next level. He’s also not on the same level athletically as David Ojabo (who we’ve already discussed in-depth) and the other edges projected to go this high in the draft.
Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
The Broncos desperately need a tackle and should sprint the draft card up to the podium if they’re lucky enough to have Ekwonu fall this far.
The general consensus on Ekwonu is that he’s one of the top two tackles in the draft, and while many prefer Alabama’s Evan Neal — who we discussed in this article’s predecessor — Ekwonu would be a better fit for Hackett’s scheme.
With his comfortability blocking in space or on the move and his impressive movement skills, Ekwonu would be a perfect fit for Hackett’s outside zone scheme. He’s a monster when put in space, as he operates with so much raw power and a physicality that he imposes on his adversaries.
Watching Ekwonu, it’s that raw power that stands out the most. He strikes like Mike Tyson, as defenders often recoil and are knocked off balance when Ekwonu connects with them, allowing Ekwonu to easily win a rep. Plus, once he anchors in pass protection, he’s an immovable object.
A lot of those physical gifts are compounded by Ekwonu’s gritty personality, which looks to inflict pain and embarrassment on his opponents. In space, he’s always looking for extra work, as he lives for contact and pancaking defenders.
Ekwonu is far from a perfect prospect though. He’s relatively underdeveloped, and although his development trajectory is incredibly promising, he’ll still have to make a sizable leap to the pro game. He also isn’t on the same level athletically as a lot of the tackles towards the top of the draft and might have to move inside to guard when he takes the leap to the NFL.
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
No, the Broncos don’t really need a safety considering they already have Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns, but Hamilton is comfortably the best player in this draft class and is so phenomenally talented, that he would be worth drafting if he fell to pick No. 9.
Hamilton isn’t just a safety, he’s a defensive weapon, as he shows the ability to impact that game at a high level in almost every facet.
As a pass defender, Hamilton is elite. With a 6-foot-4, 220 pound frame, he has the size to match up with tight ends and larger-bodied receivers. He’s also very mentally advanced and showcases this with his excellent feel for zone and ability to manipulate the quarterback. He also does a great job sticking to receivers in man.
The top trait that will stand out to you in the pass game though, is Hamilton’s ridiculous range in coverage.
This Kyle Hamilton INT looks unreal from the wide angle but the endzone view is my favorite. Watch him appear out of nowhere and eat up this ground! pic.twitter.com/7jm1lPA8WK
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) September 6, 2021
Most safeties that possess those kinds of movement and coverage skills are often liabilities in the run game, but not Hamilton. With his large frame, gritty mentality, and excellent instincts, Hamilton has no problem sprinting downhill to impose his will on a running back. Plus, his excellent tackling technique means he rarely misses.
One really has to split hairs to find holes in Hamilton’s game. The biggest concerns with selecting him for the Broncos would likely be positional value, especially considering it’s not necessarily a position of need. Those are very valid points, but if Hamilton slips all the way to pick No. 9, he’ll be the best player on the board by a wide margin, and the Broncos have played a considerable number of snaps with three safeties on the field each of the last two seasons. If Ejiro Evero is hired to be the defensive coordinator — which is widely expected — that scheme will remain intact, and the Broncos will have opportunities to play three safeties again.
Plus, Hamilton, Caden Sterns, and Justin Simmons are all so athletic, hyper-intelligent, and versatile that it isn’t even far-fetched to think you could get all three players on the field at once, as their array of talents is diverse enough.
Honorable Mentions
The point of this series was to discuss every player the Broncos were likely to select with the No. 9 pick, and although we’ve already been incredibly lengthy, there are two players left that we must discuss in order to accomplish that goal.
First up is quarterback Matt Corral out of Ole Miss. Operating in Lane Kiffin’s RPO-heavy system makes Corral a tough evaluation, and might make his transition to the NFL a difficult one. However, he makes up for it with a solid athletic profile and nice arm talent. None of his physical gifts will be elite at the next level, but he’s one of the more physically gifted athletes in the class. The speed of his release and ability to process those simplified RPO looks standout.
In this series, we discussed Andrew Booth Jr., a top corner from Clemson, but there’s another corner we were unable to spotlight.
Derek Stingley Jr. is a supremely talented prospect, that could be near the Kyle Hamilton tier, but he hasn’t been quite the same player since his freshman season. During his true freshman year, LSU won the National Championship, and Stingley was a major reason as to why.
In a cornerback room that featured two upperclassmen that were soon to be second-round draft picks and successful NFL players, Stingley was LSU’s least targetted corner. Teams avoided Stingley like the plague, and yet still, he tallied six interceptions. Since then, he hasn’t been quite the same player, in part due to LSU’s toxicity, his own motor running cool at times, and a foot injury.
It would be a gamble, but the positives with Stingley are too strong to ignore. Surtain has the potential to be the best cornerback in football, and yet it feels fairly obvious that Stingley’s ceiling is even higher. He was an excellent feeling for zone, and his instincts are on full display. His elite athleticism shows up in man coverage, as he’s nearly impossible to shake. Plus, his ball skills are elite for a defender, as he has the hands of a wide receiver.
Stingley might fall far enough for Denver to target him, and if he does, he could form one of the most special cornerbacking tandems we’ve ever seen alongside Surtain if you get the good version of Stingley.