Lloyd Cushenberry provides an anchor to Denver Broncos line

Lloyd Cushenberry can become the anchor of the Denver Broncos’ offensive line.

Matt Paradis was a successful center with the Denver Broncos; however, he dealt with numerous lower-body injuries. With that said, Paradis played well in his time wearing the orange and blue. He added stability to the center position.

Paradis left in free agency to the Carolina Panthers last offseason leaving a hole at center. Connor McGovern did pretty well in a short period of time, but he too left in the 2020 off-season to the New York Jets, thus leaving another void at center.

Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, the interior offensive line was a need for the Denver Broncos as much as any position. This is where Lloyd Cushenberry entered the discussion.

Cesar Ruiz was the best center in the draft next to Cushenberry and he went in the first round to the New Orleans Saints. After Ruiz was selected, the question became — what’s the landing spot for Cushenberry?

Despite the addition of McGovern, the Jets still needed offensive line help and Dallas more then any other team needed a center specifically due to Travis Frederick’s retirement. In order for Denver to get Cushenberry, he had to go through both of those teams. After Cushenberry got past both of those teams in the third round, Denver selected their new starting center.

This pick might go down as one of the biggest steals in the NFL Draft.

Cushenberry is one of the most intelligent prospects at center in the NFL Draft. One of the strongest traits for a center is high IQ. A center must relay protections and blocking schemes to other offensive linemen.

With offensive line coach Mike Munchak here in Denver, this seems like a huge home run. Cushenberry is a strong leader in the locker room and can be a voice players could listen too. He is capable of being a true leader.

Cushenberry is a strong body in a gap blocking scheme and proves to add a great anchor to the offensive line. Another trait for Cushenberry is tremendous balance and recovery ability. When presented with a counter from a defensive lineman he can stand in there tall like a blockade.

An offensive line with Cushenberry is a stable one. With this addition, and due to his strong intangibles that can translate to the next level, questions of weaknesses are very few. There are more positives to his game than anything else and Cushenberry is more than talented enough to drop anchor becoming the center for Denver for many years to come.