Denver Broncos must cash in on tight end depth in 2017 NFL Draft

The Denver Broncos — and the rest of the NFL — had to be more than pleased with the incredible numbers posted by tight ends at the Scouting Combine…

You need a mismatch in the passing game? The 2017 NFL Draft features a plethora of options at the tight end position that the Denver Broncos absolutely must take advantage of.

John Elway, Vance Joseph, Mike McCoy and other Broncos personnel had to be impressed by what they saw on Saturday as the tight ends took the field for athletic and position drills. The star power at that position in this class is absolutely staggering.

Just watching these players run the 40-yard dash was enough of a treat, but to see them run, jump, and catch passes got me all excited about the idea that one — or more — of these players will be in Denver in the next couple of months.

What’s your flavor?

How about Ole Miss’ Evan Engram, who at 6-3, 237 pounds ran the fastest 40-yard dash that we have seen from a tight end in the last decade-plus:

https://twitter.com/WhatGoingDowney/status/838118673659260929

Engram looks so smooth as an athlete, and would obviously be an exciting player to add to an offense that already features Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. However, after the way he has shown out athletically, there’s no way the Broncos are going to be able to wait until the second round to get him. They may have to use the 20th overall pick on Engram if they feel like he’s the impact player for their offense.

How about Alabama’s O.J. Howard, who looks like he was cut by the hand of Zeus himself?

Howard is one of the most impressive physical specimen in this year’s draft. He’s also probably the most well-rounded tight end prospect I can ever remember scouting. He’s not only a mismatch in the passing game no matter where he lines up (his 4.51 second 40-yard dash was faster than most of the WRs today…), but Howard is probably a better blocker than a good number of the offensive linemen in this year’s draft.

As far as the draft goes, Howard may have officially priced himself out of the Broncos’ range unless they pay a hefty price to trade up. With the depth of this class, they can afford to — and it pains me to say this — take their time and get the player that best fits their offensive profile.

If not Engram or Howard, how about Miami’s David Njoku?

Njoku is only a redshirt sophomore, so he’s incredibly young, but he’s already proven to be a dynamic threat after the catch and looks like a future star in the NFL. He’s a physical specimen at 6-4, 245 pounds who ran a 4.64 second 40 yard dash, pumped out 21 reps on the bench press, and had a 37.5-inch vertical jump to go along with an 11-1 broad jump.

Njoku’s physical measurables are impressive, but what we saw at the Combine was merely a confirmation of what we’ve seen on tape — this kid is dynamic.

Think the well runs dry after Njoku? That couldn’t be further from the truth. The tight end class is fully stocked and on day two (perhaps even day three) of the draft, players like Virginia Tech’s Bucky Hodges:

Clemson’s Jordan Leggett:

South Alabama’s Gerald Everett:

And then there are some more sleepers like Jonnu Smith of Florida International, Adam Shaheen of Ashland, and George Kittle of Iowa. All three of those players are physical freaks who proved themselves with strong showings at the Combine.

And we haven’t even talked about Michigan’s Jake Butt, who was considered a top five player at this position prior to going down with an injury in Michigan’s bowl game…

Options abound in this year’s draft for the Broncos at the tight end position. There’s a great chance we’ll see them take someone at this position before the third round’s conclusion. I haven’t mentioned anyone in this post that I would be upset if Elway turned in a card with their name on it within those top 101 selections.

There are so many options, and the Broncos must cash in.