It was another cellar year for the Broncos as they finished with the lowest record in the AFC West at 5-11. The 2020 season was defined by injuries to top players and a developing offense that faced a few too many obstacles to overcome.
On paper, this team is a potential top roster when healthy. Free agency only bolstered that belief in signing Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller along with retaining Justin Simmons and Shelby Harris long-term. They do have to consider that next year Courtland Sutton is a pending free agent along with Fuller and Bryce Callahan. They are in a great spot for this draft, where they can just take the best player available. That said, you’ll note that a lot of the picks are focused on getting the defense younger moving forward.
For this mock draft, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator.
Round 1, Pick 9: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
To be quite honest, I’m fairly certain this will not happen unless Denver trades up. However, without trading back the next option could have been Rashawn Slater. That said, with the uncertainty of Drew Lock being the biggest concern for this year’s offense, this is a prudent opportunity to address the concern. Fields may be the most confusing prospect of the major five. He’s been as high as second-best to even fifth-ranked.
Fields is a great passer and has some really good athleticism to go with his game. It is hard to forget the heart he showed during the College Football Playoff as well. He should check off all of the boxes to be a potential franchise quarterback.
Round 2, Pick 40: Jamin Davis, ILB, Kentucky
Denver is in a really interesting spot with their linebacker group. Last year they rolled out Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell nearly every down and that is not their skill set. Jewell has progressed, but he is still not good in pass coverage.
They signed Mark Barron to replace the injured Justin Strnad (drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 draft). Head coach Vic Fangio is known for seldom complimenting specific players, and yet Strnad got a ton of praise from the coach. It goes to show he’s loved within the organization. Now, pairing an undersized former safety with a bigger linebacker who both have coverage upside can make for nightmares for their opponents on offense.
In the words of Cris Collinsworth, “now here’s a guy” that has shot up draft boards recently. Some even rank him the best off-ball linebacker in this class above Micah Parsons and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He’s a monster at 6-foot-four and 244 pounds with some impressive speed to him. He’s got the coverage skills that are needed to cover the bigger tight ends that he’ll have to face in Travis Kelce and Darren Waller.
Round 3, Pick 71: Hamsah Nasirildeen, S, Florida State
I’m pleased to officially announce my biggest draft crush of the 2021 NFL Draft. A monster of a man, some people say that they could see a role with him transitioning to off-ball linebacker. However, I don’t see that for him. I think the luxury of having a big safety is underrated. The fun part about Nasirildeen is you can put him in a multitude of spots on the defense.
You can play him in the box if you wanted, he can play in some slot and dime corner positions. He’s a very physical player that likes to play downhill. With Denver re-signing Kareem Jackson, there isn’t too much a worry about getting Nasirildeen on the field too much year one and that could be huge for his development as he’ll be slated to be the eventual Kareem Jackson replacement.
Round 4, Pick 114: Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
The Broncos decided to let Phillip Lindsay walk this offseason. While they still have Melvin Gordon coming off a near 1,000-yard season and he can be your bell-cow back, it’d be nice to have more depth there. Yes, Denver has Royce Freeman and LeVante Bellamy, no, that shouldn’t deter them from taking a running back. Based on how offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur attempted to use Lindsay, Sermon should be highly productive. Both Gordon and Sermon are bigger backs and Sermon excels in running between the tackles. It appears to be a good fit with Shurmur and could be good to save tread of Gordon who tends to get stronger as the year goes on.
Round 5, Pick 152: Rashad Weaver, EDGE, Pittsburgh
Let’s be honest, this isn’t an elite EDGE class. Finding value and scheme fits seem to be the best way to find the diamonds in the rough. This roster has a lot of flexibility, particularly on defense. Weaver plays with good length and is a smart rusher, but he needs to get a little stronger and more flexible. The flexibility comes with already having a core of Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, and Malik Reed. There is no need to rush Weaver to try and produce this year, which means he can focus on developing his body and maybe getting some work in with excellent mentors.
Round 6, Pick 191: Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon
Despite signing Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby in free agency, it might behoove Denver to draft a corner earlier than 191. That said, this seems to be a pretty deep corner class with some decent value later on. Lenoir was a productive corner for Oregon who has position versatility in playing in the slot and outside. That should come in handy with potential injury concerns around Darby and Bryce Callahan. His measurables make him ideal for a primary zone defensive scheme as Fangio’s scheme is. That said, if he can at minimum be a guy who is just a safety net backup, I think you’re feeling pretty good about the pick.
Round 7, Pick 237: Camryn Bynum, CB, California
Value-wise, Bynum was ranked as the 218th ranked prospect by TDN and to get him at 237 is good value. He’s not necessarily an elite athlete, and he has some physical limitations, however, he possesses good traits. Fangio seems to trust and like guys who are good tacklers. Bynum is impressive in the run game, in forcing the ball carrier back inside and he’s a strong tackler. He doesn’t have the versatility to play inside which hurts his stock, but he’s a solid backup corner to add more depth to the secondary that was riddled with long-term injuries last season.
Round 7, Pick 239: Mustafa Johnson, IDL, Colorado
Personally, there should be a rule that you should be required to take at least one player from a local school in the draft. Regardless of if that’s the rule, Mustafa would be a nice fit with Denver. He is a hard-charging lineman that’s impactful in both the passing and running game. He lined up at the defensive end spot on a three-man defensive line at Colorado.
He’s seen as a potential three-tech guy which isn’t a scheme fit for Fangio’s 3-4 base defense. However, if anyone can get the most out of a player it’s Fangio and defensive line coach Bill Kollar. It’s tough to project exactly what he can become, but if he can give you rotational snaps in the next couple of years, he’d be a big success. Denver is already sporting a very very good defensive front with Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell, and Dre’Mont Jones with some depth with DeShawn Williams and McTelvin Agim.
Round 7, Pick 253: Austin Watkins, WR, UAB
The simple answer is why not? Denver went wide receiver crazy last year picking three receivers with Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, and Tyrie Cleveland. Watkins isn’t a guarantee to make the final 53-man roster, but he’s interesting enough to take a flyer on him. He’s got good size and nice hands with the potential to be a nice big-play threat. What works against him, particularly with Cleveland as his biggest competition, Watkins has zero special teams experience. He’s going to have to show that he can provide value there or dominate training camp to make the roster this year.
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