Denver Broncos seventh round pick and penultimate selection of the 2015 NFL Draft Josh Furman is the mystery man of this year’s class.
A talented ‘athlete’ coming out of high school, Furman spent three years as a backup in Michigan after redshirting his first year on campus. He then decided that, instead of spending another year as a backup at Michigan, he’d transfer to another school where he could find more playing time and a chance to impress NFL scouts with his ability on the field and not just as an athlete.
And impress, he did.
In one season at Oklahoma State, Furman established himself as the ‘star’ linebacker in the Cowboys’ defense, playing sort of a safety/linebacker hybrid role.
He finished last year with 64 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. He also added four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and his first and only career interception, but it seems like Furman is just starting to come into his own as a football player.
This is a stellar athlete at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds that runs a 4.47 40 yard dash with a 38-inch vertical and a laundry list of excellent athletic numbers.
But Furman proved in 2014 with Oklahoma State that he’s more than just an athlete. He proved that he’s a good football player. But how does he fit in with the Broncos’ loaded secondary? Furman was the final selection in a draft where the Broncos took three defensive backs, and they added him to a unit of safeties that includes starters T.J. Ward and Rahim Moore along with backups and special teams aces David Bruton and Omar Bolden.
In all reality, Furman couldn’t have asked for a better year to join the Broncos’ secondary. They lost Rahim Moore in free agency and didn’t draft a safety until they picked him in the seventh round. The only player added at the position this offseason was Darian Stewart, and Bolden was moved (at least on the roster) from cornerback to safety — again.
It took a lot of time and energy to dig up any game film on Furman at Oklahoma State, but I was finally able to track down some full game footage which I had to continually rewind once I found Furman on the field.
As was mentioned before, he plays a bit of a hybrid linebacker/safety spot for the Cowboys’ defense, but his hope is to play safety in the NFL. I don’t think the Broncos plan on using him as a linebacker per se in their defense, but he’s certainly capable of playing in the box and blitzing off the edge.
I think Furman showed enough to be a key special teams player as a rookie and eventually develop a role in the rotation. He’s going to need some seasoning and development as he’s had just one season of starting experience in college with significant playing time.
The Broncos can afford him that, but at the same time, he’s just an injury or two away from having his new number 41 called upon.