Julién Davenport drawing serious interest from Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are in desperate need of help at offensive tackle. Could Julien Davenport be exactly what they need?
Offensive tackle and 2017 NFL Draft prospect Julién Davenport is about as unique as they come in a given year. The 6-7, 318 pound tackle is looking to be the first player drafted from Bucknell in the modern era, and the first Bison to make an NFL roster since 2006.
The Denver Broncos are among the teams interested in the tackle prospect, which should come as no surprise given their current need along the offensive line.
We pegged Davenport to the Broncos in our latest seven-round mock draft as a third round (101st overall) selection. Whenever he is selected, it will be an historic moment for Bucknell, and a huge step forward for Davenport himself.
As a four-time All-Conference selection in the Patriot league and a first-team All-American in 2016, Davenport was selected to participate in the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he flashed his dominant abilities at offensive tackle.
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NFL teams are no doubt intrigued by this young man, whose arms are longer than almost any other player in the entire class of 2017. The Denver Broncos have met on multiple occasions with Davenport, and he told us in an exclusive interview that he had a formal meeting with the team (among four others) at the Scouting Combine.
“They were one of my five formal interviews at the Combine,” Davenport said. “I sat down with the head coach (Vance Joseph), a whole bunch of other coaches, and the GM (John Elway) all in the room. We had a real good interview. I think they really like me. They have some interest, it’s definitely there…You never know how things are going to pan out once draft day comes around.”
This year’s class of offensive tackles isn’t particularly strong, but Davenport presents interesting upside. His size and length are going to get any offensive line coach excited, and it sounds right now like Denver’s new offensive line coach Jeff Davidson has taken a particular liking to the Bucknell star.
The interview process will be critical for Davenport, having played four years at a smaller school against a lower level of competition. He said the interview process with NFL legends is unlike anything he’s ever experienced.
“You have to be on your game. It’s definitely a great experience being in a room with John Elway and the rest of the staff. It’s definitely out of the ordinary. It’s not something everyone gets to do. I felt like I was responding effectively to everything they asked me, and I felt real good about it.”
If the Broncos were able to land Davenport in the third round, it would allow them to focus three of their four top selections on playmakers, potentially all on the offensive side of the football. It’s not John Elway’s style to have an offensive dominated draft, but we could very well see that in 2017.
Davenport could be the ideal fit as Denver may not want to have a rookie starting at left tackle this season. He could take a year to learn underneath someone, find out what the NFL is all about, and come out ready to start in 2018.
We’ll see what happens as this process continues to play out, but this guy could be the Denver Broncos’ left tackle of the future.