1. Offensive Line
Sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. The Denver Broncos offensive line was (to put it nicely) a mess last season. There’s no reason in God’s green earth why Michael Schofield should be playing legitimate snaps in the NFL, and yet he somehow ended up starting for the Super Bowl champions.
And we forget that Ryan Harris, a guy the Broncos jettisoned out of town four years ago, started all 16 games for Denver.
Even if Ryan Clady and Ty Sambrailo do come back healthy next season, the Broncos need more talent across the offensive line. If not, there’s no reason to believe that the offense will get any better in 2016.
If Elway were to look towards the tackle position, Jack Conklin and Taylor Decker could be viable solutions, but Kansas State guard Cody Whitehair might be the most-reliable option.
At least, ESPN’s Mel Kiper thinks so:
“He’s an immediate hole filler. Heck of a player,” Kiper said, via The Denver Post. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Whitehair be a guy that comes in immediately and starts and plays at a high level and at the end of the year is one of the best rookies in the league. I think Whitehair is a heck of an offensive linemen, he gives you tremendous versatility and he’s ready to play in the NFL right now.”
Whitehair might not fill the immediate need at tackle, but he might be the most “NFL-ready prospect” available at that point in the draft. Given that Denver has it’s eyes on competing for a Lombardi Trophy, that might end up being an important factor.
