2020 NFL Draft: Denver Broncos analysis for every pick

The Denver Broncos absolutely killed it in the 2020 NFL Draft. We analyze every pick John Elway and company made from the first through seventh rounds.

The 2020 NFL Draft was outstanding for the Denver Broncos, who were expected to be aggressive in trading up for players but instead ended up staying put, taking all 10 of their picks, and making tremendous value selections.

The Broncos exploited the depth at wide receiver in this draft by taking back-to-back players the position to open up the draft for the first time in team history.

Let’s not delay any further. Let’s analyze this tremendous class of picks for John Elway and company.

Value, value, and some more value.

The 15th overall pick was certainly a nerve-wracking spot in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but it ended up being just right for the Denver Broncos who got the WR1 on their draft board.

The Broncos knew coming into the 2020 NFL Draft they had to upgrade at receiver, and Jerry Jeudy is a massive upgrade. What I love the most about this pick is that Jeudy is not just a WR2 for the Broncos, but he’s got WR1 abilities and is going to not only be able to be featured but open things up for everyone else in the offense.

How can you not be excited about the Jeudy pick when you hear Drew Lock’s message to him?

Jeudy has speed. He is a tremendous route runner. He has big-time playmaking ability at all levels of the field.

Simply put, he’s a dynamic presence at receiver that is difficult for opposing teams to keep track of.

This pick, considering Jeudy’s status as a potential top 10 player in this draft, gets an A+ from me and the Broncos’ offense gets a significant boost with Jeudy coming into the fold.

Imagine trying to guard Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, and KJ Hamler with one of Melvin Gordon or Phillip Lindsay in the backfield.

The Denver Broncos thought all Thursday night into Friday about that possibility leading up to day two of the 2020 NFL Draft when they held the 46th overall pick.

As usual, there were rumors that the Broncos could move up for someone, potentially a cornerback or lineman or really anything but a wide receiver. No one expected the Broncos to stay put at 46 and go with another wide receiver, but they did.

KJ Hamler is a dynamic threat with and without the football. He can blow the top off of a defense and claims he has legit 4.2 speed, which we didn’t get to see at the 2020 Scouting Combine but will undoubtedly get to see on the field as soon as sports are back.

It’s hard to imagine the Broncos would actually pull this kind of move, but I absolutely love it.

They went back-to-back receivers and it’s magical.

This draft, in case it wasn’t clear with the top pick of Jerry Jeudy, is all about putting the best possible roster around Drew Lock.

Hamler’s blazing speed, after the catch abilities, inside-outside versatility, and toughness make this pick extremely exciting.

Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, I thought there was a decent chance the Broncos could use their first-round pick on a cornerback in case things didn’t go the way they had planned at wide receiver.

As it turns out, they waited until round three and still had their shot at a number of players I felt could have been solid picks in round two.

They passed on all of them.

Although Micahel Ojemudia wasn’t highly ranked on consensus big boards across the NFL Draft world, that doesn’t really matter. We’ve talked about Ojemudia before as an ideal fit for Vic Fangio’s defense, and that’s exactly what he is.

Ojemudia is physical and aggressive in run support, a requirement for Kirk Ferentz’s defenses at Iowa. Iowa also plays a ton of zone coverage, so Ojemudia will have no issue transitioning that part of his game to Vic Fangio’s defense in Denver.

Fangio noted he really liked that Ojemudia “plays good” and I don’t know that there could be a greater compliment paid by the head coach.

Ojemudia will compete for a starting job in 2020 and it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins one. The Broncos have AJ Bouye at one of the cornerback spots but every job beyond that is up for grabs despite the fact that the team would obviously love to have Bryce Callahan back for 2020.

Lloyd Cushenberry could have been the Denver Broncos’ pick at 46 overall.

Heck, no one would have been shocked with Cesar Ruiz going in the first round if Denver would have traded up a few spots in the second round to get him.

They got him with the 83rd overall pick.

It’s hard to believe that the Broncos were able to stay put with all of their picks on the first two days of the draft and come away with all of Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, and Lloyd Cushenberry.

So what does this kid bring to the Broncos?

Well, he’s going to be an instant starter at the center position after spending the last four years at LSU, where he was the anchor for their offensive line and the guy making all the calls at the line of scrimmage.

Aside from the mental aspect of playing center, Cushenberry has a high ceiling physically with great size already and long arms. As he adds functional strength, he’s only going to be tougher to get by in the middle of the offensive line.

One of the best notes on Cushenberry:

This is a player the Broncos are going to be able to trust and he reminds me of Dalton Risner from a year ago in terms of a player you can be confident plugging into the lineup from day one that he’s going to get his job done.

It wouldn’t be a top 100 for the Denver Broncos without a defensive lineman, would it?

The Broncos closed out their day two selections with the former five-star recruit who had a productive four seasons as a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Agim has played both defensive end and interior defensive line throughout his time in college, but most who have watched him more extensively feel like he was miscast for the majority of his four seasons and will be a better pro than college player with an NFL coach identifying his ideal fit.

I can’t imagine a better crew to help find a permanent home for Agim than Vic Fangio and Bill Kollar, the Broncos’ defensive line coach.

This kid is explosive off the ball and his combination of quickness, strength, and length can absolutely overpower interior offensive linemen, especially smaller guards and centers, but he can get engulfed at times as well if he comes out of his snap too high.

For me, this is a solid developmental selection and I love the strategy more than anything. The Broncos always take a defensive lineman or edge player in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, and this year is no different.

Last year, the Broncos used their third-round pick on Ohio State defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones. Maybe by 2021, both Jones and Agim will be full-time starters on Denver’s line.

This pick in the fourth round by John Elway is a gutsy one.

Okwuegbunam was considered a bit of a wild card in this draft at the tight end position after he scored 23 touchdowns in just three seasons at Missouri and then followed it up by running a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash.

There were plenty of smart evaluators who didn’t love Albert O’s tape at Missouri, but there’s plenty to like.

He can obviously run really well, and there were not many tight ends better than Okwuegbunam in college football over the last three years at making contested touchdown catches and just finding their way to the end zone in general.

Another huge bonus? This kid is ‘brothers’ off the field with Drew Lock and the two connected for 17 touchdowns on it in two seasons together at Missouri.

Especially considering the team already has an athletic mismatch in Noah Fant at tight end, this pick is exciting because now the Broncos can spell can’t or split this kid out as a big slot.

I love the traits and the fact that he has history and chemistry with Drew Lock.

For those not familiar with Justin Strnad, be prepared to take quite a liking to him after you watch some of his games at Wake Forest.

This kid can really play.

He didn’t test among the elite linebackers at the Scouting Combine, but this is a guy who diagnoses, plays fast, and just glides around the field with a nose for the football.

He missed the second half of his senior season at Wake Forest with a biceps injury, but he’s back healthy and offers the Broncos a versatile weapon who can play all three downs and do what Broncos fans have been calling for — cover.

Strnad has huge upside as a special teams ace immediately, but there’s no question one of the most attractive parts of his game for Denver is the fact that he can drop into coverage.

When I watched Strnad play, I saw a lot of the same things in his game as I saw in Fred Warner coming out of BYU a couple of years ago.

Over his career at Wake Forest, he racked up 244 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 10 pass breakups, four interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

I like this guy’s chances to not only make the team but potentially crack the starting lineup by year two.

In the sixth round, the Denver Broncos took a shot on an oft-injured but ultra-talented offensive line prospect, Netane Muti from Fresno State.

Muti has missed most of the last two seasons with Achilles and Lisfranc injuries, but he’s expected to make a full recovery.

His lack of tape was certainly the primary reason why he wasn’t taken higher than this, but there are plenty of people out there who felt that Muti was among or the best interior offensive lineman in this class.

When you watch him play, it’s easy to see why.

This guy has tremendous play strength and a mean streak like no other. He threw up 44 bench press reps at the 2020 Scouting Combine and if the Broncos can get him on the field, he could force his way into the starting lineup sooner rather than later.

This is the kind of shot you take late in the draft on guys who have struggled with injuries. It’s a dart throw anyway, so the Broncos getting a guy that many thought was a top 50 or top 75 player is really nice here.

The Broncos should have considered having LeBron James announce their first seventh round pick in the 2020 draft.

“Not one…Not two…”

The Broncos drafted three wide receivers and in a draft this deep, why not?

The third and final receiver for this stellar class is Tyrie Cleveland, a traits-based prospect whose traits are very nice.

At 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, Cleveland has speed to burn running a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash with a 39.5-inch vertical jump. He was called up to the Senior Bowl this year, so obviously scouts have had their eyes on this guy despite the fact that he was one of a large group in a target share at Florida.

He only caught 79 passes over the course of his college career, but Cleveland was a consistent big-play threat, averaging over 16 yards per grab.

He could be a practice squad or end-of-roster type for the Broncos who also has return capabilities.

7b. Derrek DTuskz

7b. Derrek Tuszka, EDGE, North Dakota State

Watch this kid go out and make the team.

Everything you would draw up regarding a small-school pass rusher, Tuszka is it. A lot of draft people liked him way better than a late 7th-round pick. As a matter of fact, Dane Brugler had him ranked 188th on his final big board.

Brugler praised Tuszka for his quickness and ‘maniacal’ play style, and that kind of effort — if you can give it on every play — will undoubtedly win you a roster spot in the NFL.

Typically, one of the big questions about small school guys (and as far as small schools go, let’s be real — NDSU is as legit and prestigious a program as you will find) is athleticism, but that’s not the case with Tuszka at all.

Tuszka is a plus athlete in every important category, and if you can overlook the fact that he has shorter than ideal arms, this pick is bound to make the Broncos look good.

This guy reminded me when I watched him of Maxx Crosby with the Las Vegas Raiders as another smaller school prospect coming out in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Take it to the bank — Tuszka’s making the squad.