The Denver Broncos made a splash trade with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire a first round selection in exchange for a 2nd and two 3rd round picks, this left Denver with 1.26, 1.28, 4.3, and 4.26 amongst a few more late round selections. Denver wanted to supply their team with a youth overload, so they decided to send their second round pick for next season to the New England Patriots for selection 3.8, ultimately giving Denver seven picks for the draft. Ahead of next season, coach Tim Tebow and Denver’s GM overlooked the projected salary. Denver is projected to have negative cap space for next season. DT Zach Allen is owed $30.5M, Garett Bolles is owed $28.7M, WR Courtland Sutton is owed $28.5M, CB Patrick Surtain is owed $26.2M, RT Mike McGlinchey is owed 23.8M, and RG Quinn Meinerz is owed $22.5M. Denver is paying $75M to three of their offensive linemen, two of which are 34 and 31 years old respectively. Denver had a plan for this draft and they executed it, but the GM will have to make some tough decisions at the end of the season because all three of those linemen are on contract until 2027 at minimum.
1.26 – WR Barion Brown, LSU:
Denver lacked a real deep threat last season, teams pressed their receivers into oblivion, often leaving one on one matchups with Evan Engram, who led the league in catches. Denver was targeting an offensive weapon with one of their firsts, in fact, they were going to package their two firsts along with a late round selection move up to the 49ers pick at 11 to take Jeremiah Love, but the deal fell apart due to Denver’s hesitancy to pull the trigger before the draft. Nonetheless, Denver selected Barion Brown, a real speed demon with 97 speed. He is a raw talent, he will need some growth in his technical skill, but Denver has no doubt that this rookie will be heavily targeted this season. Brown is expected to start aside Marvin Mims, with Courtland Sutton working in the slot.
1.28 – RT Spencer Fano, Utah:
This selection was interesting for the team, they struggled with their decision because there were 8 players left on their draft board. TE Eli Stowers and CB Deangelo Ponds were two names Denver highly coveted and were interested in drafting with this pick, but the decision to take Fano came when Tim Tebow received a text message from Bo Nix raving about Fano. After getting sacked 43 times last season, Nix begged the head coach and GM to find him some protection. Fano is expected to start at tackle, whereas McGlinchey will be pushed to the inside and take over the LG position for Ben Powers. The team could save $12M by releasing Powers immediately, but with only one year left on his contract, Denver may keep him on the team for insurance in case a linemen is injured this season.
3.8 – LG Cayden Green, Missouri:
To say this was a panic pick would diminish Green’s ability and Denver’s desire to select him. However, Denver was watching HB Dylan Edwards closely and he started to drop. Denver had met with Edwards signifying that they wanted to draft him and would potentially move him if he fell to the late 2nd round or early 3rd round. Edwards was taken by the Houston Texans and Denver pivoted their draft plan back to bolstering their offensive line. Denver coveted Green’s ability in pass protection, for a rookie, he is very polished, despite needing some work on his footwork and run blocking. Green is expected to sit behind Ben Powers/MIke McGlinchey this season, but Denver is expected to develop Green and he might even find his way on the field this season.
4.3 – LT J.C. Davis, Illinois:
Prior to the start of the off-season, Garett Bolles had a conversation with the Broncos executive team about potentially retiring, but ultimately he decided to play this season. Bolles is 31, he has had an up and down career, being one of the most penalized offensive linemen in his early years. He has since cleaned up those penalties, but the wear and tear has caught up to him. Bolles was injured last season in games, so Denver knew it had to draft his replacement. Denver was particularly impressed with the strength of Davis and his pass blocking. His footwork is one of the best in the rookie class. He is very raw in the run game, which he should be able to touch up while backing up Garrett Bolles.
4.26 – CB Kapena Gushiken, Ole Miss:
Riley Moss is on a contract year, he has been Denver’s primary slot receiver after the team drafted Jahdae Barron to start opposite Patrick Surtain first overall in last year’s draft. Moss is an instinctive zone corner, but he has struggled heavily in man coverage. He was particularly exposed against the Colts on one of the last plays in the fourth quarter that set up the Colts in field goal range. Moss had outside coverage in the slot and allowed the receiver to quickly cut up the field amassing a catch for several yards. Moss had outside help, so his lack of technique has been exposed. This caused Denver to struggle with their decision to re-sign him or not next season, but in the meantime, Denver wanted to find a potential replacement for Moss. Denver had Gushiken as a late 3rd round grade, but as he fell throughout the 4th round, Denver was pleased with grabbing themselves the last corner with “great” speed. Gushiken isn’t expected to start in place of Moss this season, but Denver is known to run a heavy DB package, it is in those formations that we expect to see Gushiken blitzing the quarterback with his blazing speed and quickness.
5.26 – LG Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon:
In the fifth round, you’re generally looking for gems that could have upside and huge potential. Despite already drafting three offensive linemen, Denver loved Emmanuel Pregnon. He was a national champion and a bonafide stud for that Oregon team. Pregnon has elite strength and is quick for a man that is 320 pounds. He is raw and low overall, but Denver drafted him with the hopes that the DDT tool may increase his development. Even if it doesn’t, Pregnon is an excellent backup, with starter potential, especially in the pass game. His 63 run blocking could get him completely bullied in the run game, so until that is increased to a respectable number, expect Denver to minimize his snaps when running the ball.
7.26 – HB Malik Sherrod, Boise State:
Denver drafts Ashton Jeanty’s former teammate in Malik Sherrod. Denver needed a partner to complement RJ Harvey since they did not resign J.K Dobbins, but they may have hit a home run with this selection. Sherrod has the intangibles to be a starting halfback in the league. Harvey was injured in training camp, so expect to see Sherrod’s first snaps in Denver’s first pre-season game. Sherrod’s ability and production in the pre-season will decide if he can contest RJ Harvey for the starting role.
