With the draft less than a few days away, we have a pretty good idea of who the Broncos want to target and what they want to do with their war chest of draft picks.
So let’s run through one last hypothetical, to see how the draft could turn out before it finally arrives.
Round 1. Pick 8: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
The Broncos ship their first-round pick, two third-rounders (77 overall and 96 overall), and a seventh-round pick (254 overall) to Arizona in exchange for the eighth-overall pick so that they can secure their favorite wide receiver in the class.
Who that might be, is anyone’s guess, but considering the buzz around Jerry Jeudy and how well he would pair with Sutton, let’s assume he’s their guy. Jeudy is a superb route-runner with incredible polish to his game.
Out of all the top receivers, Jeudy is also probably the one least likely to bust.
Round 2. Pick 46: Lloyd Cushenberry III, C, LSU
As of now, the only center on Denver’s roster is Patrick Morris, who has appeared in just two games during his career and has never started.
The Broncos need to either add an insurance policy or a capable starter through the draft, and they opt to do the latter here.
Lloyd Cushenberry is a great athlete at center and has the character and football IQ necessarily to be the leader of an offensive line. Playing in a more pro-style offense with more professional protection schemes should ease his transition to the next level.
Round 3. Pick 83: Cameron Dantzler, CB, Miss. St.
The Broncos need more help at cornerback, at Day 2 is the perfect time to address that need with how many quality second-round corners there are. In fact, there’s so many corners with second-round grades, one is bound to fall to round three, which John Elway takes advantage of here.
Cameron Dantzler isn’t a very flashy athlete and relied on physicality a little too much in coverage, considering the NFL lets you get away with way less hand-fighting, but he still got the job done.
Starting for three years in the SEC, Dantzler was consistently matched up with the best receivers in the nation and consistently had success. In fact, no one did a better job slowing down LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase this season than Dantzler, who held the future 2021 top-10 pick to just 48 yards.
Round 4. Pick 118: Lynn Bowden, WR/RB/QB, Kentucky
The Broncos need to add more than just one offensive weapon in the draft, so why not target Lynn Bowden who can do a little bit of everything?
Bowden was a high-end receiver prospect in this year’s draft, but when the Wildcats’ quarterback went down in Week 5 against South Carolina, he sacrificed his chance to audition for NFL teams at wide receiver, to play quarterback instead. After taking over, Bowden’s incredible athleticism became even more evident as he went 6-2 as a starter, including four-straight wins to close out the season, to lead Kentucky to an 8-5 record.
Not only did that sacrifice and Bowden’s success in an unfamiliar position speak wonders to Bowden’s football character and competitiveness, but it also gave him the perfect platform to showcase his world-class athleticism. Get the ball in Bowden’s hands, and watch him make magic happen.
Round 5. Pick 178: Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU
You probably know of Patrick Queen, the hyper-athletic inside linebacker from LSU projected to go in the first round, but what about his similarly-athletic co-star Jacob Phillips?
Phillips led the Tigers in tackles this season, after taking over for Devin White in the middle of their defense. He plays smart and almost never puts himself out of position.
The big concern with Phillips is he isn’t as aggressive as you’d like to see from an inside linebacker, though Alexander Johnson has enough aggressiveness in his game for the both of them.
Round 6. Pick 181: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah
Will Parks provided the Broncos with an extremely instinctive and intelligent defensive chess piece they could line up over the top, in the slot, or in the box.
With Parks gone, the Broncos will need to fill that role and Blackmon could be an excellent bargain-bin option to do just that.
Blackmon was a defensive leader for the Utes during his time there, and was even singled out by Jaylon Johnson as the best player on that defense, which is pretty impressive considering eight members of that squad should be drafted. If not for his knee injury, Blackmon might’ve been a day two pick.
Round 7. Pick 252: Adrian Killins, RB, UCF
The Broncos choosing to sign Melvin Gordon to a big-money deal right before Phillip Lindsay’s final season under contract should send a clear message: We like Lindsay, but we’re not committed to him being the running back of the future.
Enter Adrian Killins who should be a boost to Denver’s special teams in the short-term and could replace Phillip Lindsay’s efforts in the long run. Killins doesn’t have the same toughness or vision that Lindsay does, but that’s not necessarily what the Broncos need in a partner to Gordon.
They need a pass-catching, speedy satellite back that can make big plays through the air and on third down, and Killins is much better in that regard than Lindsay has proven to be.
In fact, you could argue that Lindsay is the third-best pass-catching back currently on Denver’s roster and the numbers would agree with you.