You can make the case that the Broncos couldn’t have predicted the season-ending injuries to Ryan Clady and Ty Sambrailo. You could also make the case that the Broncos were ill-prepared to protect Peyton Manning with a shoddy and thin offensive line. Either way, the outcome is the same: The Broncos offensive line was a mess last season.
In no way, shape or form should a guy like Michael Schofield ever have been starting on a Super Bowl winning team; the only good thing he did last season was be so bad he took the spotlight off the deficiencies of the four other lineman on Denver’s offense.
Remember, the Broncos’ starting left tackle was a guy who the Broncos let walk five years earlier.
This offseason, though, John Elway has taken strides to ensure that no quarterback, whomever he is, faces what Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler were forced to endure last season. With the signings of Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson, the Broncos now have the flexibility and depth to shore up their porous first line of defense.
Still, it’s not enough.
As we saw last season, Denver needs to be prepared for the worst. They need to have a backup plan. If Stephenson or Okung go down, nobody wants to see Schofield getting significant snaps again — nobody. Not to mention, we’re not even positive Okung is fully healthy; there’s a reason why his contract can be voided entirely if he’s not healthy enough to start the season.
So with that said, here are five offensive lineman the Broncos could realistically be targeting in this year’s draft and how they could end up getting them:
5. Jason Spriggs
Experience: Senior
School: Indiana
Height/Weight: 6-6/301 LBS
Projected Round: 1st/2nd
Jason Spriggs is easily the best player on this list, but he’s also the least likely to be drafted by the Denver Broncos. You don’t sign two tackles in free agency if you’re going to draft another a few months later.
If Okung were to look more injured than the Broncos had originally thought, though, then maybe drafting a tackle at the backend of the first round starts to become more reasonable. In that case, Spriggs is the guy.
A former tight end, Spriggs has the size and athleticism to be able to dominate as a pass blocker, and he’s a solid run blocker, too. Strength is an issue, though; Spriggs is definitely more of a finesse player. Going up against grown men in the NFL who know how to feast on inexperienced and underdeveloped lineman could be a shock to Spriggs’ system.
Still, in Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking system, he could grow into a long-term solution at tackle.
4. Cole Turner
via gocrimson.com
Experience: Senior
School: Harvard
Height/Weight: 6-5/306 LBS
Projected Round: 4th
Any time you seen an Ivy-League guy getting NFL consideration, you know he must have been impressive on tape; it takes a lot to get scouts believing an Ivy-League player can dominate against NFL competition.
And in Cole Toner’s case, that’s exactly what he’s done. With NFL-level strength and athleticism, Toner was dominate in the Ivy Leagues, and when he went to the Senior Bowl, he showed that he could stand up to increased competition.
While he probably couldn’t be a day one starter, there’s plenty of upside with Turner, and in the fourth round, that’s better than many. Not to mention, it never hurts to have an overly intelligent guy on your offensive line; the fact that Turner is an elite athlete is just a bonus.
As a swing tackle, adding depth to Denver’s injury-prone offensive line, Turner could make a lot of sense in the mid rounds.
3. Kyle Murphy
Experience: Senior
School: Stanford
Height/Weight: 6-6/305 LBS
Projected Round: 3rd
Anytime you hear Stanford and lineman in the same sentence, your ears have to perk up, right? I mean, they produce linemen like Alabama produce running backs. And while Kyle Murphy isn’t one of the best to come out in the last few years, he’s pretty darn good.
Really, the only thing holding him back from being a day-one or early-day-two selection is elite athleticism. While Murphy has great quickness, and he’s got the strength to dominate in the run game, he can be beat, especially by speed rushers on the outside.
Likely, any team that drafts Murphy will end up moving him back over to right tackle, where he played before his senior season, or even inside to guard. Still, that’s not a horrible option for the Broncos. In all likelihood, they’d be looking for the type of guy who could swing between multiple positions, and if he could increase his foot speed even slightly, he could become an extremely effective right tackle.
Even still, he’s the type of guy who looks significantly better in game than in practice. During the Senior Bowl, Murphy consistently got beat on one-on-one drills during the practices leading up to the game, but once it mattered, he played great.
Getting a “gamer” in the third round would not be a bad pick by the Broncos.
2. John Theus
Experience: Senior
School: Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-6/313 LBS
Projected Round: 3rd
John Theus is a plug-and-play player. Not that he’ll blow the top off the NFL, but he’s about as experienced, durable and tested as any lineman in this draft.
Having played in all 53 games of his collegiate career, and going up against SEC defenses week in and week out, Theus knows what it feels like to face elite competition. He may not be an elite athlete himself, but he knows how to stop them.
The one concern with Theus would be going up against some of the top-tier speed rushers in the NFL, and that’s why he’ll probably end up playing on the right side. Still, he’s a versatile blocker with a ton of experience. He’s the type of a guy a defending champion who’s looking to compete right now would love to get in the third round.
1. Germain Ifedi
Experience: Junior
School: Texas A&M
Height/Weight: 6-6/324 LBS
Projected Round: 2nd
Drafting a tackle in the second round might be a bit of a stretch, but it makes some sense, too. Whomever is playing quarterback, they need to be protected a lot better than Manning and Osweiler were protected last season. And while Okung and Stephenson will make a big difference, the Broncos need more than just a first line of defense.
If the Broncos are looking for a guy who can swing back and forth between left and right tackle, develop for a year behind Okung and then eventually become Denver’s left tackle of the future, it’s a guy like Germain Ifedi.
Ifedi’s largest weaknesses are ones that can be fixed with a year or two of NFL coaching; he’s messy. The things you can’t teach — size, agility and power — are all there.