Projecting Denver Broncos Rookie Impact in 2015
June 9, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Taurean Nixon (39) during drills at mini camp activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
7. Trevor Siemian, QB
The former Northwestern quarterback is going to need a redshirt year in the NFL, though I hope we get to see him in training camp. The Broncos liked him enough to draft him and not let him get to free agency, so there’s obviously a serious interest in keeping him around.
They drafted him also knowing he would need time to heal his knee, so I think the writing is on the wall here. Siemian is going to be a member of the Denver Broncos in 2015, but it’ll be on the practice squad. They won’t roster four quarterbacks, and probably not even three.
8. Taurean Nixon, DB
The Broncos drafted Nixon’s teammate Lorenzo Doss in the 5th round, but it might be Nixon who ends up ‘wowing’ coaches and scouts early on in his NFL career with his superior size and athletic ability.
He’s not as refined a prospect as Doss, which is why he was drafted in the 7th round rather than the 5th, but Nixon is a really interesting height/weight/speed combination that can make the Broncos as a special teamer and 11th defensive back. The challenge is going to be beating out other guys on the roster that are currently more equipped to do so.
The Broncos made clear their interest in developing Nixon by drafting him, but I’m going to project he is a practice squad player in 2015.
9. Josh Furman, Oklahoma State
The final pick of the Broncos’ draft was Josh Furman, the defensive back out of Oklahoma State. The former Michigan Wolverines transfer had a really good pre-draft workout after a senior season at Oklahoma State where he burst onto the scene as a safety/linebacker hybrid type of player.
The Broncos don’t have extensive depth at safety, and Furman’s athleticism seems to indicate he could be a really solid special teams player. If any of the 7th round picks makes the final roster, I think it’ll be this guy. I’m going to project Furman weasels his way onto the 53-man roster. If not, he’ll be a great practice squad candidate as well.