Isaac Yiadom was a third-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2018.
The cornerback has had his fair share of struggles since then and should be traded as a result, according to the latest (ESPN+ subscription required) from ESPN’s Field Yates.
Yiadom will be entering his third year in Denver but his confidence has to be shaky at best. In 29 career games, Yiadom has 61 total tackles, one interception and seven pass deflections. But he has often looked lost on the field and has yet to show any reason why he should have been a day two draft pick.
According to Yates’ trade proposal, the Broncos would give up a cornerback to get one in return. Josh Jackson of the Green Bay Packers was drafted the same year as Yiadom and was actually an even higher pick, taken in the second round.
Jackson has probably been an even bigger overall disappointment than Yiadom. Though he was one of the best defensive backs in the country at Iowa in 2017, that has not carried over to the next level. In Green Bay, he has just 60 career tackles and 10 pass deflections. He is still looking for his first career interception.
This appears on paper to be a swap of draft busts, but Yates claims that a change of scenery could be what is best for both players.
The Broncos need more reliable depth at the cornerback position as there is an argument that it is the team’s biggest weakness. But Yiadom at least has a year of Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme under his belt and most of Jackson’s career stats were posted during his rookie season.
That season didn’t look too bad for him, but he hardly saw the field last season aside from being used on special teams. That’s not what you want out of a second-round pick.
Though the Broncos could use an upgrade at the cornerback position and few would be sad to see Yiadom sent packing, there’s nothing to suggest that Jackson would be an upgrade at all.