With the 83rd overall pick, the Denver Broncos selected Lloyd Cushenberry III from LSU.
John Elway decided that it was time to give some more protection to his quarterback in the back end of the third round. With the loss of Connor McGovern, the Broncos’ offensive line looked shaky at best. They decided to pay Graham Glasgow the big bucks to fill the need of a center, but apparently, Elway had other plans.
Llyod Cushenberry is considered by many as the best pure center of the 2020 class. At 6-foot-3 and 318 pounds, Cushenberry comes to the league with a body ready to confront any tackle.
The question marks for Cushenberry lie on his agility and balance. If the defensive tackle gets to his side he struggles a little too much to recover his coverage, usually causing a quarterback hurry at best. This translated to his final year at LSU, where he aligned 100 percent of his snaps (1039) as a center since he was no more trusted at the guard position.
Fortunately, the Broncos needed exactly that. Cushenberry will get the starting role as Drew Lock’s center, and newly acquired Glasgow, who has experience playing as a guard, will move to the side of Cushenberry on the football field.
Former first-round pick Garret Bolles as now stands, will continue to block on the left side, regardless of his accountable holding penalties. Alongside him will be Dalton Risner, who is entering his sophomore year and showed great potential as a rookie.
2019 did not come as good as expected for the offensive line. Ja’Wuan James never got fit enough to play and his replacement, Elijah Wilkinson, allowed 10 sacks, fourth-most in the league.
More from Predominantly Orange
- Broncos chances of landing Sean Payton dwindling, but not gone
- Denver Broncos dream coaching staff for DeMeco Ryans
- Denver Broncos: “Sleeper” David Shaw checks every box
- The Broncos’ coaching search likely has not gone to plan
- Special Chiefs Suck Offer: Bet $5, Win $150 if Joe Burrow Passes for ONE YARD vs KC
But now, James should be ready to provide his services as a right tackle, the last piece of a much improved offensive line for the Broncos.
As we know from football, not everything relies on the numbers, there are subjective traits that can boost or regress a player profile, and Cushenberry is on the right side of that equation. He was considered a role model at LSU, with the guts to stand tall and motivate the rest when times are down.
Mike Munchak has a very capable offensive line to work with. Bolles, Risner, Cushenberry, Glasgow, and James complete an offensive line that should be among the top in 2020 and in years to come. Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay won´t have any problem finding and exploiting holes.
The Broncos used three of their first four picks to provide sophomore-to-be Lock the necessary tools to maximize his ability and take them to the top of the AFC West. It sure isn’t an easy task, but it seems that the Broncos are raising the stakes, with no sign of folding.