Broncos Training Camp: Predicting The 53-man roster

Dec 14, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Denver Broncos guard Louis Vasquez (65) on the bench during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line (10)

Ty Sambrailo (LT), Ben Garland (LG), Gino Gradkowski ( C ), Louis Vasquez (RG), Chris Clark (RT), Shelley Smith, Max Garcia, Michael Schofield, Ryan Harris, Matt Paradis

The offensive line will be the most watched position in training camp for the Denver Broncos. The five men that will be selected to start will be responsible for protecting Peyton Manning, so it is important that the five best players are selected for the job.

With the season-ending injury to Ryan Clady, Ty Sambrailo will be forced into the starting role early as a rookie. A tall task for a rookie to protect Manning’s blind side, I do think he can get the job done. He played left tackle at Colorado State, so this should not be new to him.

Ben Garland has come a long way and his hard work and determination should be enough to leap fron Shelley Smith for the starting left guard position. A former defensive line player, Ben Garland switched over to offense sometime after joining the Broncos from his two year tour in the Air Force. He fits the zone blocking scheme well and should excel this season.

Gino Gradkowski will have to fend off Matt Paradis for the starting center position. That will not be a cakewalk either. This is one of the positions that will not be solved for some time. Both are pretty even with each other, and it should be an interesting battle.

Louis Vasquez is a lock for the right guard position. No one else will be able to compete. He will return to that spot after spending the last half of 2014 as the right tackle, an unnatural position for him. During the 2013 season, Louis Vasquez earned all pro honors at right guard.

Right tackle will also be a spot that will not be decided right away. Chris Clark’s experience gives him the edge over everyone else, but he was booted from that position last season. Now he has a lot to prove with Michael Schofield and Ryan Harris breathing down his neck. It probably will not be until the end of Week 3 of the preseason before that spot is decided.

Next: Defensive Line