The NFL rumor mill is heating up at the 2015 Scouting Combine, and the Denver Broncos are getting into the thick of things. According to the Denver Post, the Broncos spent some time this week already talking to some right tackles, tight ends, and running backs, including some players they might have to trade up to get if they want them bad enough.
Per the report from the DP, the Broncos talked to Colorado State’s Ty Sambrailo, LSU’s La’El Collins, and Utah’s Jeremiah Poutasi. They also talked to Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams and Oklahoma tight end Blake Bell, a former quarterback.
For the right tackles, Collins is a sure-fire first round and possibly top 20 prospect. The Broncos would almost certainly have to trade up in the first round to get him, and they are not averse to that, especially with a projected 10 picks in this year’s draft and probably more than that next year with all the impending free agents this offseason.
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Collins is a big, athletic, physical offensive lineman that projects well in the NFL at either tackle or guard, and that could be of significant interest to the Broncos. If they end up not having a need at right tackle as the article by the Denver Post suggests because of free agency, the Broncos could still have a need at left guard.
Sambrailo is a second or third round prospect that is someone the Broncos’ local scouts have plenty of information on, in all likelihood. He is another guy that projects well to right tackle or guard in the NFL, and has been mentioned with the Broncos for a long time due to his local ties.
Poutasi is gaining steam as a top RT/OG prospect and was compared by some to Mike Iupati. I haven’t seen enough of Poutasi to make that determination, but it’s a name to keep an eye on regardless.
At the tight end position, we had already previously relayed a report from Cecil Lammey that the Broncos were meeting with Maxx Williams of Minnesota, the dynamic pass catcher who is really coming into his own as a player. He is a bit raw, but has the ability to be the best tight end in this draft.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have Blake Bell, a converted quarterback from Oklahoma who looks really natural as a pass catcher but is as green as they come when it comes to blocking. That’s OK for him at this point. I think Bell would be a late-round, practice squad type player that has great size and athleticism that could lend to his being a nice long-term project at the position.
The Broncos could get him in the sixth or seventh round.
The other rumor that has me excited is one from Tony Pauline, in which he says the Broncos have talked to Georgia Tech wide receiver Darren Waller about converting to the tight end position. Waller, a 6-5, 241 pound wide receiver, ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash on Saturday at the Scouting Combine and having played at Georgia Tech, you know he’s already well versed in the art of blocking (they run a triple option offense).
Darren Waller/Georgia Tech told me the Denver Broncos spoke to him about a position switch to tight end.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) February 20, 2015
Waller’s positional versatility and athleticism combined with his size are freakish traits that lead me to believe he could be a high upside fifth round pick. He doesn’t have the production you want to see out of top tier WRs, but the Broncos are being creative here and could get a steal in the middle rounds.