Garett Bolles to visit Denver Broncos this week, per report

Garett Bolles, the top ranked lineman in this year’s draft by NFLMocks.com, is visiting the Denver Broncos this week according to a report…

The Denver Broncos have certainly been hosting a lot of big men in the days and weeks leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. Utah’s stud lineman Garett Bolles will reportedly visit the Broncos’ facility this week:

At this point in the process, Bolles visiting Denver is not a smokescreen. It’s not a feigned interest by the Denver Broncos. It’s an interview for a prospect the Broncos will seriously consider in the first round of this year’s draft.

Despite being just 297 pounds, Bolles dominated the Scouting Combine athletically, ranking in the top tier of most of the drills he participated in…

Here are some quotes from Bolles’ pro day workout, where he performed again in front of NFL scouts and coaches. The Broncos were represented at the workout:

The biggest ‘issue’ analysts have with Bolles at this point is age. He’s going to be 25 years old as a rookie, but when you’re talking about a possible stud at left tackle, no one really cares. The risk in taking Bolles at the age of 25 is no different than taking a kid who is 20 years old, who needs five years of seasoning to even become a decent player.

Bolles, to me, is NFL ready, especially as a pass protector. He has great feet and plays with a nasty disposition. He’s the best tackle in this draft, and despite what a lot of media has said, it’s not as bad of a class on the offensive line as you’ve been led to believe.

There are some really good players in this class, and Bolles is one of them. In fact, he’s the 11th ranked player on my big board overall.

At this point, it would be shocking if Bolles were on the board at pick no. 20 overall, which means the Broncos could look to trade up to get him. Yes — trading up to get a tackle is on the table.

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I wrote back in February why I think Bolles can be the Broncos’ left tackle of the future, and despite the depth of this draft, the Broncos are in desperate need of a left tackle and they may be stuck between a rock and a hard place here. They may need to go up and get someone like Bolles, provided the price to do so is reasonable.

What will the Broncos be looking for at this pre-draft visit?

With only one year of major college experience, Bolles’ athleticism will be put on hold and his mental aptitude for the game will be put to the test. More than likely, Bolles will get to meet with John Elway, Vance Joseph, Mike McCoy, Jeff Davidson, and other Broncos personnel who will grill him on the whiteboard and see if he’s able to pick up on things quickly.

Bolles isn’t recognized as such, but should be considered one of the hardest working players in the draft. After being out of football entirely, he’s worked his way back into the top 20 discussion and has a great passion for putting defensive players in the dirt.

We’ll see if the Utah product is putting guys like Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa in the dirt in the near future…