Denver Broncos keep building around Drew Lock in 7-round 2021 mock draft.
‘Twas the first of Drew-cember and all throughout Broncos Country questions of Drew Lock’s future have the team in a quandary.
Where do the Denver Broncos go after the three-ring circus that has been their 2020 season? Do they fire the coach? Keep continuity? Chalk this season up as one giant learning experience?
Do they make sweeping changes? If sweeping changes are necessary, should John Elway be out with the bathwater?
There are a lot of fair questions to ask about the Denver Broncos moving forward, especially regarding the quarterback position.
The Broncos have won seven of Drew Lock’s starts, and in games he’s played the whole way through, they have a 7-5 record. That means that in games Drew Lock doesn’t play or doesn’t finish at quarterback, since the start of 2019, the Broncos have a record of 4-11.
Although Lock is certainly not directly responsible for every one of those victories, he’s shown enough to be worth looking at again in 2021 barring an unexpected superstar prospect falling into the Broncos’ laps in the 2021 NFL Draft.
John Elway said that he’s been “excited” about Lock and Elway thinks he’s going to keep getting better with every snap he takes on the field.
With all of that in mind, there is merit to the idea of continuity in the 2021 offseason and using the 2021 NFL Draft to continue building around Lock.
That’s what we’re going to do in this mock draft scenario.
First round: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
You might be asking yourself how a cornerback helps build around Drew Lock, and the answer is quite simple.
The Denver Broncos have not been creating turnovers defensively at a high enough rate. If it weren’t for Justin Simmons, the Broncos would have just 10 interceptions over the last two seasons combined.
There are a number of factors that go into that, but the Broncos definitely need some young playmakers in the secondary and Jaycee Horn is one of the players who matches their need at corner beyond 2021 as well as their position (12 overall) in this particular draft class.
Horn is the type of tough defender the Broncos love adding, and he has versatility as both a nickel and outside cornerback.
The son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, Jaycee has football in his blood and he has excellent size to match up with bigger receivers.
Along with Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey, he could give the Broncos a home-grown trio of starters to build around at cornerback.
The Denver Broncos just re-signed Garett Bolles to a four-year contract extension.
That has certainly diminished the team’s “need” for an offensive tackle early in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the possibility still exists that the Broncos could pursue someone in the first three rounds at the position.
Ja’Wuan James missed most of the 2019 season due to injury. He then opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns over COVID-19.
The Broncos have cycled through so many right tackles in the last five years, but they have truly gone through more players at that position in the last 12 months than probably any other team in the NFL.
Even with James projected back at a $13 million cap number in 2021, the Broncos need to start thinking about alternatives for beyond 2021.
Alex Leatherwood has been a starter at left tackle and right guard for Alabama, showing off his versatility. If he presents himself in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft like he did in this simulation, the Broncos would have to think hard about letting him past.
At the very least, the Broncos have proven how crucial it is to have depth on the offensive line, and his versatility as a tackle/guard could make him an even more valuable piece to this particular roster.
The 2021 season will be a contract year for veteran Kareem Jackson. His fit in the Vic Fangio defense has been obvious, but with his age and playing style, can the Broncos already plan on re-signing him?
Even though he could potentially be a cap casualty next year, it’s likely the Broncos bring back Jackson who has been a tremendous fit, but they might draft his eventual replacement in 2021.
Jevon Holland out of Oregon might be one of the more ideal replacement options in college football.
Holland is a downhill striker just like Jackson. He can play safety or nickel and his versatility reminds me a bit of Jackson since, prior to coming to Denver, Jackson was a full-time outside cornerback. He also had nine interceptions in two seasons for the Ducks, showing off his playmaking ability.
The Broncos could look as high as the first round for edge defender help.
There are reasons not to do that as well, however.
Von Miller is still under contract for 2021 and the team should undoubtedly be looking to make him a Bronco for life with one final long-term contract.
Even if that doesn’t happen, the Broncos can keep Miller in 2021 and keep rolling with 2019 undrafted free agent Malik Reed, who has developed into a starter-quality player off the edge in Vic Fangio’s defense.
Reed’s every-down ability doesn’t necessarily negate the need for edge help, but the Broncos don’t have to reach for an edge thanks to his emergence, and they could reasonably wait for the best value at that position in the 2021 class.
Shaka Toney of Penn State is one of many talented edge defenders with speed, quickness, and bend off the edge. He has been a consistent player for Penn State for four seasons and is enjoying his best year yet for the Nittany Lions, even if the team has stunk overall.
His ability to win with speed off the edge along with players like Derrek Tuszka hopefully continuing to improve gives the Broncos some fun options.
This is one of my favorite mid-round mock draft projections for the Denver Broncos, and will continue to be so as long as it remains a possibility.
Alaric Jackson lines up at left tackle for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but some view his NFL projection as a guard. The Broncos need to upgrade both their backup tackle spot and their backup guard spot, and Jackson is someone who could give them that.
Considering all of the football he’s played at Iowa, he’s going to come in and be well-coached. We also know how much the Broncos have loved the Hawkeye program in recent years.
Speaking of loving the Hawkeye program, how about getting an upgrade on Diontae Spencer?
Spencer looked a little better as a return specialist in 2019 than he has in 2020, and even though he’s an inexpensive option, he hasn’t brought enough value to the offense to justify keeping seven wide receivers on the team.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette can bring you value in the return game and offensively. He is a big-play threat anytime he touches the ball and he would be a fun upgrade for the Broncos at the back end of that receiver group with special teams ability.
As the NFL Draft process progresses, Rochell is going to price himself way out of this range.
If he doesn’t, he could be one of the top small-school steals in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Rochell has tremendous ball skills and is both aggressive and confident at the catch point. He doesn’t lose many reps and for the Broncos, he could provide some necessary depth at the outside cornerback position.
The Broncos have brought in a couple of Drew Lock’s Missouri teammates, how about another?
Larry Rountree does a little bit of everything well at the running back position and even if he wasn’t a guarantee for the final roster, he could be a nice upside shot in the later portion of the seventh round.
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Rountree has 34 touchdowns in his Missouri career and has averaged five yards per carry.