Denver Broncos upgrade at LB, draft Josey Jewell from Iowa

The Denver Broncos drafted Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Josey Jewell with the 106th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, upgrading their depth…

The Denver Broncos have made a big time selection to start day three of the 2018 NFL Draft, taking Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Josey Jewell with the 106th overall pick.

The Broncos are getting an incredible value in Jewell, who in my opinion, is one of the best defensive players in the entire draft.

If you have read Predominantly Orange for any length of time, you have read more about Josey Jewell than any other non-quarterback prospect.

Jewell took an official pre-draft visit to Denver, along with a number of other players at that position, but this presented undeniably the best value.

I have watched Jewell from the first day he stepped onto the field on Saturdays with the Iowa Hawkeyes. This guy is a playmaker at the linebacker position, a leader, a hard worker, and someone the Broncos are going to be able to rely on as a starter in the near future.

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When you watched Iowa over the past four years, you couldn’t help but notice number 43 on defense, because he was constantly around the football.

Jewell’s instincts at the linebacker position are exceptional, and they help him make up for his lack of first round athleticism, which is the reason he’s being picked in the fourth round.

Other linebackers might have better speed or vertical jumps, but Jewell just fills up stat sheets.

So many Broncos fans are wondering how he is in coverage. There were times when Jewell was out-matched athletically at Iowa, but he still had six interceptions in his career and had a number of game-changing picks for an Iowa defense that was one of the country’s best while he was leading the pack.

He also had 26 pass breakups in his four seasons with the Hawkeyes. If he’s in position, he’s very good at making plays on the football.

Jewell is best, however, reading plays and attacking the line of scrimmage. He racked up 433 tackles in four years at Iowa, along with a whopping 28 tackles for loss.

That’s a lot for an off-ball linebacker.

This is a great pick by John Elway.