Denver Broncos mock draft: Adding to the stellar foundation

First round: Dexter Lawrence, DL, Clemson

If you take Todd McShay’s word as gospel, the Broncos will have no shot at Dexter Lawrence in this year’s draft.

Lawrence has 38 college starts under his belt, so he’s not a four-year player like many of the guys Denver drafted in 2018, but he’s got a ton of experience and has played on one of the best defensive fronts in all of college football over the past three seasons.

He has shown over the course of those three years that at 6-foot-4, 340 pounds he is capable of disrupting games in a variety of ways.

He can line up as the 0-technique and play nose tackle, or he can line up in a 3-technique position and get after the quarterback.

There’s a lot to like about Lawrence’s game but in a time where pass rush is so highly valued, could he actually be a top 10 pick like McShay predicts? I’m not sure, but perhaps Lawrence will blow people away at the Scouting Combine with his athleticism that they have no choice but to draft him that high.

If he sneaks to the middle of round one where the Broncos are currently slated to pick, he could be an ideal choice for a team that is losing some significant beef up front on that side of the ball.

Domata Peko and Zach Kerr are both slated for free agency and the Broncos could perhaps lose one or both.

Even if both guys were to come back on reasonable contracts, Lawrence is an every-down player who can help create opportunities for the Broncos’ other pass rushers from the inside out. Thinking of a defensive front five of Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, Dexter Lawrence, Adam Gotsis, and Bradley Chubb would be terrifying for opposing offenses.