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Broncos NFL draft: Robert Nkemdiche a realistic option?

By Sayre Bedinger

Oct 3, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (5) looks on prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (5) looks on prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Denver Broncos NFL draft: Is Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche a realistic option for the Denver Broncos at the bottom of the first round?

Broncos NFL Draft —

With the Super Bowl in the rear-view mirror, the Denver Broncos have to now turn their attention to the offseason. While a lot has to transpire between now and the end of April, there’s no question that NFL teams are thinking about the 2016 NFL Draft. For the Broncos, the draft has been the most critical area in building this team for a Super Bowl run.

Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams, Bradley Roby, and Shane Ray. Each one of those players have at least two things in common: They were top draft choices by John Elway, and they played critical roles in the Broncos’ victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

Currently, the Broncos don’t have a legitimate in-house option to replace Malik Jackson should he leave via free agency. They could certainly go shopping and try to find someone effective but cheaper in the free agent market, or they could re-sign Jackson and go all out in the 2016 NFL Draft by doing something they have consistently done in John Elway’s tenure as the decision maker for this team — find incredible value with their top selections.

By all accounts, Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche is a polarizing player. Some call him overrated, some call him the most talented defensive lineman in a class full of good ones. There are opinions all over the board, but what can’t be questioned is his potential value to the Broncos should he fall to the bottom half of round one.

As was proven in the Super Bowl, you can never have enough great defensive line play. The Broncos know that as well as anyone, since the defensive line was a major problem for so many years before Elway came back to the organization.

Nkemdiche is an athletic 300-pound man who has been inconsistent, but is also a freak of nature athletically and given the level of play we saw from the Broncos’ defensive line under coaches Bill Kollar and Wade Phillips this past season, there’s no reason to think Nkemdiche wouldn’t flourish with this group that’s already in place.

Here are some highlights of Nkemdiche, which obviously don’t tell the whole story, but they certainly provide you a picture of what he does really well…

The Broncos will have some decisions to make this offseason, and probably more important than any others will be the decisions they make on the defensive front with Von Miller and Malik Jackson. They have drafted really well over the last five years, and rewarding those players is important, but you can never have enough backup plans and options, especially when it comes to the defensive side of the football down in the trenches.

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