Denver Broncos roster prediction: Who makes it at inside linebacker?

Justin Strnad

Believe it or not, Justin Strnad is the first ‘traditional’ off-ball linebacker the Broncos have selected in two draft classes now with linebacker expert Vic Fangio as the team’s head coach.

They almost took Devin Bush, but passed. They looked into trading up for Patrick Queen, but didn’t.

Justin Strnad is the first guy at the off-ball linebacker position Fangio has picked, and that alone makes him interesting.

Some will dispute and bring up Justin Hollins, but Hollins was an edge defender in college that the Broncos felt they could utilize at all of their linebacker positions.

Strnad is a converted defensive back who wound up playing linebacker at Wake Forest, and his transition to linebacker was met with a ton of success.

He showed the ability to not only be physical in the box, but Strnad never lost his ability to cover, and offers the Broncos the coverage linebacker fans have desperately been seeking.

He will cut his teeth on special teams, but this is the type of guy I think we can look to as a future potential starter with Todd Davis coming up on a contract year in 2020.

Strnad plays with speed, instincts, toughness, and he’s got range. He makes a lot of plays in coverage and can do a little bit of everything for you.