The Denver Broncos could be looking to upgrade their RB position in the 2018 NFL Draft with San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny, who will visit Denver…
If the Denver Broncos are going to add a running back early in the 2018 NFL Draft, they probably couldn’t do much better than San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny, who was absolutely dominant in 2017.
After sharing carries with the NCAA all-time rushing leader Donnel Pumphrey (now in the NFL), Penny was able to take the full workload at San Diego State this past season, and he more than proved himself a worthy NFL prospect.
On 289 rushing attempts, Penny ran for 2,248 yards with 23 rushing touchdowns and a fifth-place Heisman Trophy finish.
When you watch this guy play, there’s not a ton of flash to his game, but he always seems to be breaking off huge runs. It’s remarkable, no matter the level of competition, that Penny has been able to sustain a yards per carry average around 7.65.
After getting a chance to see him up close at the Senior Bowl, the Broncos have decided they want to get to know Penny a little more. He will take an official pre-draft visit to Denver, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.
The Broncos are only allowed 30 of these pre-draft visits, and with a handful of them going to the quarterback position already, the fact that they want to bring Penny in says something.
It also says something that Penny is precisely the type of back the Broncos would look to replace C.J. Anderson with — a player that can take the bulk amount of carries and provide the Broncos with a tough featured runner.
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Not that Devontae Booker cannot be that, but Booker has proven to this point to be much more valuable as a receiver than as a featured runner.
Penny is one of the best backs in this draft class. He has an ideal frame for the running back position, checking in at 5-foot-11, 220 pounds. At that size, many questioned Penny’s timed speed but he blew everyone away at the Scouting Combine with a 4.46 second 40-yard dash.
This is one of the smartest runners in the draft, a player who will probably get picked in the second or third round and be a team’s starting back almost immediately. He combines effort with great vision and an obvious nose for the end zone.
He would be a fantastic pickup for the Broncos in this year’s draft.