ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay predicts the first three rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. He thinks the Denver Broncos are going big in the first round…
ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay put on his general manager hat for a day, and predicted the first three rounds for each NFL team.
For this exercise, it’s important to remember that McShay isn’t basing this particular three-round mock draft on any intel he has for teams, but on his own personal assessment of need and where players rank on his big board.
Thus, like with the real draft, there will be surprises and twists and turns that perhaps you don’t see coming. Here are McShay’s picks for the Denver Broncos:
1. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
2. Curtis Samuel, WR/RB, Ohio State
3. Kendall Beckwith, LB, LSU
4. Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn
And here are McShay’s explanations for these selections…
"The Broncos can’t feel good about either of their tackle positions right now. I don’t have a first-round grade on Robinson, but he was durable in college, starting all 43 games for Alabama the past three seasons. Samuel has great versatility, along with the potential to develop into a good slot receiver who gets a few carries per game as a running back. Beckwith is coming off a torn ACL, but when healthy, I love the physicality he plays with in the run game. Lawson’s durability issues could cause him to drop, but he’s worth a flyer in this range. He plays hard."
There’s no surprise with the Broncos’ first pick in this mock draft. In fact, unless Christian McCaffrey is on the board, I would be quite surprised if the Broncos passed on a tackle in the first round of the draft.
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Of course, the right player has to be there, and there’s no guarantee the top offensive tackles will be on the board with the 20th overall pick, but taking Robinson makes a lot of sense. Even though he has some inconsistencies, there’s no questioning Robinson’s raw talent and power. He could wind up being a nice value at no. 20 overall even.
In the second round, the pick of Curtis Samuel is the type of ‘juice’ the Broncos desperately need to add to their offense. Samuel has shown signs of his game-breaking ability at Ohio State, but none more so than last season. He should develop into a stud slot receiver and occasionally carry the ball out of the backfield.
In the third round, the Broncos beef up the second level of defense with Kendall Beckwith out of LSU and Carl Lawson out of Auburn. Lawson is the more well-known prospect of the two, showing incredible athletic measurables at the Scouting Combine and an ability to rush the quarterback.
If the draft looked like this for the Denver Broncos, it would be a really nice haul.