Denver Broncos 2021 NFL Draft position determined
Denver Broncos 2021 NFL Draft position determined after Week 17.
The Denver Broncos dropped their Week 17 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in heartbreaking fashion, but the consolation prize is not so terrible.
The Broncos blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Raiders, letting Derek Carr and the Las Vegas offense march right down the field after Jerry Jeudy’s spectacular 92-yard catch and run for a touchdown.
Leading up to the game against the Raiders, the Broncos were projected for the 10th overall spot in the 2021 NFL Draft.
After the game and after everything else unfolded throughout the Week 17 slate, the Broncos are now going to pick 9th overall with a record of 5-11.
The Broncos finished as one of three teams with a record of 5-11, but their opponent winning percentage was the highest, so they get the lowest slot in the draft.
This will be the third time the Denver Broncos have a selection inside the top 10 of the NFL Draft since John Elway took over as the lead decision maker of the team (2011, 2018). The Broncos also held the 10th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, so all-in-all this will be Elway’s fourth top-10 pick with the Broncos.
What are the Broncos going to do with these high picks in each round?
We’ll have a few months to discuss that but there is no doubt the team will place a heavy emphasis on the defensive side of the ball after going hard for offense in 2019 and 2020. The defense needs an infusion of youth at all three levels, but the priorities will likely be the secondary and linebacker/edge positions.
With competition for quarterbacks expected in the top 10 of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Broncos stand a pretty good chance of landing one of Penn State’s Micah Parsons, Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, or Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II.
Any of those three would be instant impact players for Denver’s defense in 2021.