Denver Broncos: Notre Dame duo a possibility in 2018 NFL Draft?
If the Denver Broncos sign Kirk Cousins in free agency, is the Notre Dame OL duo of Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey a possibility?
If the Denver Broncos are able to land Kirk Cousins in free agency, all of a sudden, their options in the NFL Draft open up considerably.
One option for them is to take Notre Dame’s star offensive lineman Quenton Nelson with the fifth overall pick, but what about his teammate, Notre Dame left tackle Mike McGlinchey?
Nelson and McGlinchey are best pals, and together, were a dominant duo on the left side of Notre Dame’s offensive line.
Even if McGlinchey had to flip over and play right tackle for the Broncos, would it be worth Denver looking into the possibility of acquiring both of these players in the draft?
You tell me:
This would mean that the Broncos would have to be aggressive and trade up from their 40th overall pick in the second round. McGlinchey is not going to last forever, though some are split on whether or not he is the top tackle in this year’s draft.
Last year, the Broncos made Garett Bolles the first tackle selected at number 20 overall. This year’s class lacks that true star left tackle, but McGlinchey is as worthy of top tackle consideration as anyone, I suppose.
Even if he does end up having to move to the right side, if he lasts into the 20s, it might be worth the Broncos coming up off their spot in the second round and getting him.
If you add Nelson with that top five pick, think about the line you would be putting together in front of Kirk Cousins.
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At left tackle, Garett Bolles. At left guard, Quenton Nelson. Matt Paradis — for the time being — at the center spot. At right guard, Ron Leary. At right tackle, Mike McGlinchey.
That would take this unit from highly questionable in 2016 to potentially one of the league’s best in 2018.
If the Broncos go all-in with Cousins, they would obviously have to weigh the cost of trading away valuable draft capital, but if it didn’t include their top two picks in next year’s draft, why not go for it?
If you could give up a second, third, and mid-round pick in next year’s draft to move up in the bottom half of the first round to take McGlinchey, it would be worth solidifying your offensive line for years to come.
Of course, if McGlinchey ends up being a top 15 pick, this is all moot and just a pipe dream idea. But if the Broncos sign Cousins, they should be prepared for an opportunity like this to add two of the most well-coached offensive line prospects in the draft, even if that means they have to sacrifice both of their day two picks to do so.