The Denver Broncos have the opportunity to get an elite Wide Receiver in the 1st round, but they should take a Cornerback instead with their pick.
This column will be my first one as a Predominantly Orange contributor, and what better start than going contrary to what most people say the Denver Broncos should do with their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft? I just love controversy.
With less than one week to go for the greatly awaited 2020 NFL Draft, every die-hard fan has already created a draft strategy that is “the best strategy their respective team can follow”. In the Broncos’ case, almost every single mock draft has one of the top three wide receivers falling into the 15th overall.
And to be fair, there are pretty good arguments that support this. The talent that Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs showed during their college careers was something out of this world, and the Broncos should feel very lucky only for having the opportunity to get one of those three players with the 15th pick overall.
But, something that is also very well-known at this point is that this wide receivers class is one of the deepest that has been seen in recent history. Players with legitimate WR1 potential are projected to go on Day 2, and the Broncos can and should take advantage of this opportunity.
The second biggest need of the Broncos is the cornerback position. Getting a CB to pair up with newly acquired A.J. Bouye is critical to bring back the 2015 Superbowl winning defense. Bryce Callahan can cover the slot while Bouye and *insert 2020 rookie CB here* can cover out wide.
Now, the problem with the cornerback position in this draft is that it is nowhere near as deep as the Wide Receiver class. In fact, there is reasonable doubt to think that there will be starter value outside the first 40 picks.
The Broncos though, are in prime position to draft a top three cornerback or even top two with the 15th overall selection.
And now the question arises — should the Broncos take advantage of this deep WR class and address their need at CB in the 1st round, or take an elite WR and roll the dice with the cornerbacks on Day 2?