One of ESPN’s analytics czars, Mike Clay, released his post-draft NFL predictions on Twitter, and Broncos fans should be thrilled with what he foresees for them.
Post-draft 2020 NFL team projections and playoff teams + 2021 draft order. #ClayProjections pic.twitter.com/UxFbUPAGy7
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 4, 2020
Clay’s model has the Broncos finishing the season roughly at 9-7 (8.7-7.3 to be exact) and has them as the sixth-seed in the AFC playoff picture, where they would travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts. In his model, an upset victory over the Colts would send Denver to Kansas City for the divisional round, barring a Browns upset.
While Clay might be sold on the Broncos, he’s definitely not sold on their highly-anticipated additions on the offensive side of the ball. His predictions has Denver as the league’s 21st-best offense and predicts them to average just 21.3 points per game.
Clay also projects Denver’s quarterback room as the sixth-worst in the league in 2020. If that ends up being the case, it might mean the end of the Drew Lock experiment in Colorado.
Fortunately for the Broncos, Clay believes the team will make up for an improved, yet still subpar offense with an elite, lights-out defense.
He views the Broncos’ new defense, with Vic Fangio at the helm, as the league’s third-best, behind only the Steelers and Saints, two of Clay’s top-four teams overall. While Lock’s attack is only projected to score 21.3 points per game by Clay, he has Denver’s Orange Crush forfeiting 20 points per game, so get ready for some nail-biters.
Also, Clay believes all three of Denver’s top position groups are on the defensive side of the ball. On a 0-to-4 scale, Clay gives the Bronco safeties a 3.5 (fifth-best), their edge-rushers a 3.3 (seventh-best), and their retooled defensive line a 3.1 (eighth-best). The top position group on offense isn’t trailing far behind though, as Clay gave the Melvin Gordon, Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman backfield a 3.0 (ninth-best).