Denver Broncos: Confidence level for each position post-NFL Draft
Quarterback: 7
Drew Lock showed in his five games that there’s not a lot (or perhaps nothing that he’s seen yet) that pressures him to the point of no return.
Just like he said a while ago, the thumb injury he sustained in the preseason was the best thing that ever happened to him. He had time to learn the offense while not feeling the pressure to perform immediately.
It was like he took control of the offense as soon as he stepped foot onto the football field for his first game action.
Sure, it may be crazy to have this high of confidence in a guy who played five games, but it’s not like he stunk it up.
The Broncos wisely moved on from Joe Flacco after just one season, but maybe could have tried adding a more reliable backup than former Lion Jeff Driskel.
Running Back: 8
Both Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon have shown that they can be really, really good running backs in this league. They have a couple of 1,000-yard seasons between them, with Lindsay having two, and Gordon with one, and an almost-1,000-yard season (997 in 2016).
They both have missed a little bit of time during their careers due to injury, but the hope is that this won’t be an issue anymore because of the shift in workload. Gordon is expected to see a significant snap count percentage, keeping Lindsay fresh.
On paper, this duo can be one of the best in the league, with Lindsay’s shiftiness and Gordon’s ability to catch the football out of the backfield. Denver’s 2020 opponents better watch out.
Wide Receiver: 7
The Broncos already had a 1,000-yard receiver (1,112) in Courtland Sutton. They needed to upgrade their depth outside of Sutton and they did that in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Last year, if I were doing this rating system, I’d give them a five, maybe a six. Now they added speed to the group and that’s an important factor in this rating.
Jerry Jeudy will automatically become the team’s number two receiver on the other side of the field, while K.J. Hamler will be their slot receiver (something they desperately needed to address).
While this position group was a huge weakness on the team just last year, the team certainly made an effort to address it.
Is eight a high rating for this group? It’s entirely possible. They will need to prove that they are worthy of that rating, but I honestly am very confident that they will do so.
Offensive Line: 6.5
The Broncos need stability across the offensive line. Garett Bolles improved over the 2020 season but apparently not enough to make the team confident enough to pick up his fifth-year team option. He also will be challenged by Elijah Wilkinson for the starting job.
The Broncos have another new starting center as Connor McGovern bolted to the Jets. They drafted LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry who is expected to start.
Ja’Wuan James, after not playing a lot in 2019 due to injury, is a question mark. His potential is there but he needs to stay healthy.
The only stability across the offensive line is at left guard, where they have second-year player Dalton Risner. Risner was a big highlight from the 2019 season.
Tight End: 7
For me, this is a tough one to evaluate. Aside from Noah Fant, Nick Vannett, and Albert Okwuegbunam, there is competition at the position. That is if the Broncos keep four tight ends—which seems likely in my opinion.
The top performer at tight end for the Broncos last year was Noah Fant, who was just a rookie.
Outside of Fant is Jeff Heuerman, Albert Okwuegbunam, Jake Butt, Austin Fort, Troy Fumagalli, Andrew Beck, and Nick Vannett.
The Broncos could keep Beck due to his ability to play the fullback position when called upon.
Fant showed a lot of promise as a rookie and quickly made it known that he would become the team’s No. 1 tight end.
There will be a battle for the other one or two roster spots at the position. Who will step up? It is going to be one heck of a battle.