Denver Broncos rookie spotlight: Top pick Jerry Jeudy

On to Denver

Nobody thought Jerry Jeudy was going to be sitting there when the Broncos were on the clock with the 15th overall pick.

In the early portion of the 2020 NFL Draft evaluation process, Jeudy was consistently going in the top 5-10 picks, often to the New York Jets or New York Giants as one of the first non-quarterbacks off the board.

When the Broncos were predicted to land in the top five of the 2020 NFL Draft, there were some who felt like Jeudy would be a no-brainer in that spot.

Jeudy has spent the majority of his football career playing in the south, but will now move to the Mile High City where he recently visited for the first time.

As the first Alabama player ever selected by John Elway in his tenure as general manager, Jeudy is a significant piece of Broncos history already.

As tremendous as the Alabama program has been in terms of being an NFL talent factory under Nick Saban, it’s shocking that from 2011-19, the Broncos did not use a single draft selection on any player from the Crimson Tide, much less a first-round pick.

Jeudy comes to Denver as pro-ready as any prospect has come. The Alabama program not only develops these players physically for the NFL, but mentally and in terms of their work habits.

The Alabama program is basically run like an NFL program and is full of former NFL coaches.

It will be fascinating to see how an Alabama player acclimates to Denver in that regard, and it will be great to see Jeudy lining up with Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, Noah Fant, and the rest of the Broncos’ talented offensive skill players.