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Broncos 2020 mock draft: Playmakers for Pat Shurmur

By Sayre Bedinger

BOULDER, CO - OCTOBER 06: Laviska Shenault, Jr #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball in the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field on October 6, 2018 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
BOULDER, CO - OCTOBER 06: Laviska Shenault, Jr #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball in the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field on October 6, 2018 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Patrick Queen NFL Draft
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Patrick Queen #8 of the LSU Tigers celebrates a huge defensive stop against Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

If you follow me on Twitter or have read anything I’ve written regarding the linebacker position within the last year or so, you know that this is a bit of a surprising pick if I’m GM-ing the Broncos.

The idea of cutting Todd Davis is kind of a tough one for me to navigate. On the one hand, Davis was an incredible find by the Broncos in 2014 who has grown a ton as a player and is one of the top run-defending linebackers in the NFL today.

On the other hand, I think the Broncos are set to make a lot of moves in free agency including signing some of their own players back, and here’s the scenario I see…

The team has a legit top player at linebacker in Alexander Johnson, who emerged in 2019 in a big way.

The Broncos also have Josey Jewell, a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft who was slated to be a starter next to Todd Davis before an injury and subsequent Wally Pipp situation with Johnson relegated him to mainly special teams work.

Jewell is still a player I think the Broncos can rely on as a starter if need be, and saving $5 million by releasing Davis opens things up at the linebacker position both in free agency and in the NFL Draft.

And Patrick Queen would be a haul in the second round.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1216359676264112128

Not only is Queen an exceptional tackler with range, he can cover. This is what the Broncos desperately need, right?

The defensive MVP of the National Championship game vs. Clemson, Queen’s stock is very high right now and he could be one of the top off-ball linebackers in this class with his combination of range and coverage ability.

If the Broncos go with a receiver in the first round, I think their options are pretty wide open in the second. Taking a playmaker like this who could fit Vic Fangio’s defense perfectly is as good of an option as any.

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