Denver Broncos: James Daniels will take official visit
The Denver Broncos will host Iowa Hawkeyes center for a pre-draft visit. With Matt Paradis in a contract year, this could be a look toward the future…
The Denver Broncos have addressed their needs on the offensive line this offseason by adding a bunch of players, but are they all long-term answers?
The team is going to cover all of its bases, and apparently has serious interest in Iowa Hawkeyes center James Daniels, a projected first or second round pick and thought of highly by many in the scouting and NFL Draft community.
Daniels’ pre-draft visit, like many, is likely to occur in April. He reported the Broncos visit himself:
James Daniels said he has on-location visits set up in April with the Cowboys, Broncos, Rams, 49ers, Bears, Panthers and the Eagles. He said he had more but those the ones he could think of off top of his head.
— Rob Howe (@RobHoweHN) March 26, 2018
Daniels played in the 280-285 range at Iowa but checked in at the Scouting Combine at 6-foot-3, 295 pounds, and already has the functional strength to step in and start at center right away in the NFL. This is one of the younger players in the 2018 NFL Draft, but Daniels left school early as a center because he’s an exceptional prospect at that position.
Iowa always does a good job of getting offensive linemen to a point of NFL-readiness, but rarely do they leave Iowa City early. Daniels is a special talent.
With his movement skills and functional strength, he won’t be limited to any certain schemes at the next level. The Broncos could be looking at Daniels as a center of the future, and perhaps a guard right away.
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Matt Paradis is entering a contract year, and some ridiculous money is being handed out to centers right now. If the Broncos draft Daniels, they could even look into the possibility of trading Paradis for great value, or plugging Daniels in at right guard.
There are a number of options here because the team seems to be proceeding with Connor McGovern as a projected starter, so if Daniels were drafted, it would open the door for McGovern to start at either center or right guard (right guard would be more likely) and Daniels to start at the other position.
While drafting heavily on one side of the ball is not always the Broncos’ style, they really need the help offensively and if they can flip Paradis for help on the defensive side of the ball whether via draft pick or veteran in a trade, they could use their top three picks on a quarterback, James Daniels, and perhaps a running back like Rashaad Penny in round three.
Daniels will be a starter wherever he goes year one. The Broncos are wise to bring him in and see how he might mesh with Sean Kugler. If the Broncos for some reason decide to move off of the number five overall pick and trade down with say, Buffalo, they could realistically draft Will Hernandez and James Daniels in round one and get a quarterback on day two, solidifying their line for years to come.