It’s absolutely no secret that the Denver Broncos are going to be one of the top teams in this year’s draft in terms of those getting in line for offensive line help. John Elway stated that the O-line would receive a significant makeover at the end of the 2014/15 season, and up to this point, there hasn’t been a ton of activity.
The Broncos signed guard Shelley Smith, who is familiar with Gary Kubiak and his scheme, and they similarly traded for Ravens center Gino Gradkowski, a former third round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft that backed up Jeremy Zuttah this past year in Baltimore where Kubiak was the coordinator and Rick Dennison was in charge of the offensive line.
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On paper, at least, the Broncos have a two-deep on the offensive line that is pretty good in terms of guys who have experience starting in the league, but it leaves something to be desired in terms of getting the most favorable results.
That’s why we have the draft.
The Broncos know that with their first two or three picks, they need to get guys that can come in and have an instant impact. That hasn’t been the case, necessarily, in the last couple of seasons.
One guy that could possibly have an impact right away is Duke guard Laken Tomlinson, who exerted himself at this year’s Senior Bowl and sort of proved to everyone that he belonged among the draft’s elite players this year.
So much so, that the NFL invited him this year to attend the draft in Chicago, which he will do, apparently.
Tomlinson is widely considered a second round prospect, but it’s not unheard of to find him on the back end of the occasional mock draft in the first round. He’s a technically sound blocker with great size and was a first-team All-American and All-ACC performer this past year while starting every game at right guard for the Blue Devils.
The Broncos also have some significant ties to that program, in case you didn’t know that.
Head coach David Cutcliffe has done a phenomenal job developing NFL caliber talent from Duke in recent years, and the Broncos currently have two players (Juwan Thompson, Kenny Anunike) as UDFAs on the roster. To get Tomlinson, they’d probably have to take him in the first round or at least trade into the early portion of the second round. Here’s NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s view on the Duke star:
“Intelligent four-year starter who sees and responds quickly to twist games up front. Plays with low pad level. Generates torque through hip snap and lower-body power. Has enough sand in his pants to drop anchor against bull rushers. Brings impressive level of power against like-minded phone-booth warriors. Generates push as an in-line blocker. Didn’t allow a sack over the last two years. Will give teams his best brand of football when highlighted in straight-ahead power game.”
Now, not all is perfect with Tomlinson. He is apparently not the most athletic or agile lineman, something that seems to be a pre-requisite for Kubiak’s offense. If you can’t move around and zone block, you’re not going to start in this scheme for long. Here’s another piece of Zierlein’s evaluation.
“Tomlinson has treated defenders like a squat rep at times, but getting defenders centered and jacked will be tougher in the NFL. His lack of athleticism is a major concern and will cause problems winning initial engagements as defenders will get into him first. What Tomlinson lacks in second-level ability he makes up for in straight-ahead power and an ability to stalemate power players. His success in the NFL could be predicated on scheme and landing spot.”
The zone scheme has made stars on the offensive line out of seemingly nobodies, so you’d think a talent like Tomlinson could figure out a way to make it work.
The reason I bring this guy up as an option is because I find it really intriguing that he’ll be attending the draft. It’s not out of the ordinary for people attending the draft to get picked in the second round, though. You may have heard of one Cody Latimer. The interesting thing here is that the need seems to match the situation for the Broncos so don’t be shocked if at pick number 28, this guy is under serious consideration.