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Which NFL draft attendees could interest the Denver Broncos?

By Graham Tiedtke

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Garett Bolles of Utah and his son Kingston pose with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #20 overall by the Denver Broncosduring the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Garett Bolles of Utah and his son Kingston pose with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #20 overall by the Denver Broncosduring the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Twenty-two prospects are expected to attend the NFL draft in Dallas. Here’s the list of them and who could interest the Denver Broncos…

The list of 2018 NFL Draft prospects that are set to attend the draft has been released. The total number of players set to attend is 22, according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.

The list includes four of the top quarterbacks (Wyoming’s Josh Allen, USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson).

Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield is also a strong candidate to be drafted by Denver.

Also set to attend the draft (Which will be held in Dallas, Texas this year), are the following, by position:

Running Backs: Penn State’s Saquon Barkley; LSU’s Derrius Guice.

Offensive Linemen: UCLA Tackle Kolton Miller; Texas Tackle Connor Williams.

Defensive Tackle: Florida’s Taven Bryan; Washington’s Vita Vea.

Defensive End: North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb; Texas-San Antonio’s Marcus Davenport.

Linebacker: Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds; Alabama’s Rashaan Evans; UCF’s Shaqueem Griffin; Georgia’s Roquan Smith; Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch.

Safety: Florida State’s Derwin James; Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick (listed as a Defensive Back).

Cornerback: Louisville’s Jaire Alexander; Iowa’s Josh Jackson; Ohio State’s Denzel Ward.

There are a number of players attending the draft that have already piqued the Denver Broncos’ interest. Others could potentially be on the team’s radar.

As for quarterbacks, the Broncos are clearly interested in all of them. Despite signing former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, they have done their homework on the top-rated guys at the position. The order of when and where the quarterbacks will end up going in the draft remains to be seen, so it is best to study and bring in all of the quarterbacks for a visit just in case.

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When it comes to running backs, the Broncos have a couple options. They could decide to move on from starter C.J. Anderson, ship him off somewhere and draft Barkley; they could also keep Anderson while drafting a running back in a later round. There’s also the possibility that they don’t draft a running back at all, sticking with Anderson and Devontae Booker as a 1-2 punch.

I have a suspicion that they will go with Anderson and Booker, and draft somebody like Guice or Georgia’s Nick Chubb.

Denver’s offensive line issues are primarily guided back to the guard position. However, the tackles attending this year’s draft could be of interest. Miller (6’8″, 310 lbs) and Connor Williams (6’6″, 320 lbs) would be nice targets for a team whose offensive line has been a weak spot for the last couple of years.

North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb would be an excellent pick fifth-overall. While most of the team’s struggles lay on the offensive side of the football, the addition of Chubb could really boost the defense. Denver could fill their offensive needs in the later rounds with some of their seven other selections.

At linebacker, the Broncos are set, but the addition of one of the top guys at the position would be very appealing. I would be extremely happy if the Broncos took one of the top linebacker prospects.

Will Parks and Justin Simmons are two young options at both safety positions. I think that they will remain the team’s starters. The addition of former Redskins safety/linebacker Su’a Cravens (via trade) makes the possibility of drafting a safety less likely. However, there is still a chance.

Denver traded away cornerback Aqib Talib to the Los Angeles Rams, creating a need at the position. With Chris Harris Jr. locked in at CB1 and Bradley Roby in the mix for CB2, the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft could catch the eyes of the team. If cornerback is the position they want to go with at no. 5, Ward is the pick.

The draft is less than twenty days from now. With so much speculation, and the things left unknown to the public, anything can happen. All I know is that the draft will be an exciting one this year. The excitement just keeps building up and will continue to increase up until the last pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

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