Denzel Ward continues to be connected to Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos could be in the market for a cornerback early in the 2018 NFL Draft, and they have been connected with Ohio State’s Denzel Ward quite a bit over the past two weeks.
A variety of reputable sources who cover the NFL, the Broncos, or the NFL Draft in general have connected the former Buckeye to the Broncos.
You know what they say: Where there’s smoke…
So what would the Broncos be getting in Ward?
Ward is one of the most physically gifted corners in the draft.
At 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, Ward has solid size for a cornerback with elite speed and freakish leaping ability. He ran a 4.32 second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, and then had a 39-inch vertical jump.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Ward to current Denver Broncos star Chris Harris Jr.
If Ward goes to the Broncos, would they have to take him with the fifth overall pick, or would they be able to trade down and still get him?
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That’s the big question right now. If the Broncos decide to try and trade down off of the fifth overall pick, it’s likely they will miss out on most of their top targets, which at this point would seem to include the top quarterbacks in the draft, Saquon Barkley, Quenton Nelson, Bradley Chubb, and perhaps Ward along with Roquan Smith.
The Broncos know they need to get an impact player in the first round, but if they move down with a team like Buffalo, they might ensure themselves two high impact starters instead of just one.
But moving down as far as 12th overall could also put the Broncos too far down the board to acquire a talent like Ward, who is one of the best defensive players in the draft.
If the Broncos want Ward bad enough, they might not be able to trade down very far. As a matter of fact, Ward has a top 30 visit with the Buccaneers this week, who pick seventh overall and need a cornerback too.
There are still a ton of scenarios in play at this point but there has been far too much speculation about Ward and the Broncos to ignore at this point. The Broncos could very well view him as a replacement long-term for Aqib Talib, and they could look to re-create the No Fly Zone with a pair of former Buckeyes as the young cornerstones.