Denver Broncos tight end preview: Who will break out in 2017?

Jake Butt is the Broncos’ newest fan favorite, but it’s more than just his name.

Coming off of another strong season at Michigan, Butt tore his ACL in the team’s bowl game against Florida State back in January. It was a crushing blow to his draft stock, but the Broncos aren’t complaining today, as they took Butt with the top pick in the fifth round.

Butt is efficient at every level of the field with strong hands and the ability to make plays after the catch. Before his injury, we were probably talking about this guy being — at worst — a second round pick.

One aspect of Butt’s game that can’t be overlooked is his mental approach to the game. He’s obviously a very good athlete with strong hands, but this is a player that has a great knowledge and understanding of what defenses are doing, and he knows how to exploit them by finding weak spots in coverage.

When he’s healthy, the Broncos are going to be able to utilize Butt both in-line as a blocker and split out as a receiver. He’s a big time weapon in the passing game and the Broncos are lucky they got him where they did.