The Denver Broncos received a mixed bag from their 2020 rookie class.
The Broncos surprised many this past spring when they elected to take a wide receiver with each if their first two draft picks, but it became clear that the idea behind it was to give Drew Lock as much firepower as possible for the 2020 season.
Though those picks didn’t generate as much on-field success this past season as one would have liked to see, it was nice to see the Broncos address their biggest need going into the draft, which was easily the wide receiver position.
The Broncos did not play well at all in 2020, but many of the members of this year’s draft class could help shape the team’s future for years to come. As we look back on how each of these players performed this past season, we will hand out a letter grade for each.
If you missed our letter grades for each of the team’s positional units this past season, make sure to check it out.
Undrafted free agents
The Broncos had a few players contribute this past season as undrafted rookies. Historically, this team does a great job in finding players after the seven-round selection process.
LeVante Bellamy, RB: Undrafted out of Western Michigan, many fans thought that if any undrafted player made this year’s roster, it would be Bellamy. He suited up for five games but was mainly just an extra back while the team dealt with injuries to Phillip Lindsay.
He carried the ball four times for 11 yards and had one reception, so the stats don’t show much for his rookie season. That said, he could be a guy the team still has plans for down the road.
Grade: I (Incomplete)
Kendall Hinton, QB: Though technically a wide receiver, Hinton’s lone game this season came as a quarterback and it is a game Broncos fans will never forget for all the wrong reasons.
When the team lost all four of its quarterbacks due to not following protocol related to COVID-19, Hinton was called up from the practice squad and thrust into the starting role based on limited experience as a quarterback in college.
Predictably, it was disastrous. Hinton completed just one of nine passes and had two of his pases picked off by the New Orleans Saints. It wasn’t a successful performance, but it was one that still landed the wristbands that Hinton wore in the game in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Grade: I (Incomplete)
Essang Bassey, DB: Bassey was a guy who made the team’s 53-man roster and he played in 12 games before an injury cut his rookie season short. He still ended up playing significant snaps for the team and finished the year with 23 tackles, one interception and a fumble recovery.
Bassey has all the makings to be a strong contributor on defense for years to come.
Grade: C+
Seventh-round picks
Tyrie Cleveland, Wide receiver
The Broncos had two picks in the final round of the draft and used the first on a wide receiver out of Florida named Tyrie Cleveland. Because the team chose wide receivers in each of the first two rounds of the draft, Cleveland was considered a long shot to make the team.
But he impressed right out of the gate in training camp and went from a guy on the bubble to a guy who was definitely going to make the squad.
He played in 10 games this past season and though he only caught six passes, he showed that he could be a contributor on kickoff returns as he averaged 23.4 yards per return on the season.
Cleveland may never be a top-three wide receiver on the team but he could carve out a long-term role in Denver based on his versatility and ability to come through when called upon.
Grade: C
Derrek Tuszka, Linebacker
Derrek Tuszka was the team’s second choice in the seventh round, taken as one of the last players off the board.
The Broncos ended up having a crowded linebacker corps and Tuszka was used sparingly as a rookie, though he did suit up for nine games. He will need to show something to stick around beyond just one season with the Broncos.
Grade: C-
Sixth round
Netane Muti
Netane Muti is a player the team likely has high hopes for in the future and there was enough confidence this past season to give him his first career start.
Muti played in four games this season but got the start in Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers when the team was missing Graham Glasgow. He played quite well in that game.
Injuries prevented Muti from being a higher pick in the draft but when the Broncos got him in the sixth round, it was widely believed the team got a steal if he could stay healthy.
The Broncos have Glasgow and Dalton Risner at guard so the team should be good there for some time, but Muti made some blocks against the Panthers that will make it tough to leave him on the bench.
If he continues to show himself to be that kind of player, the Broncos may look to get him more involved but at the very least, Muti has what it takes to be the Broncos’ top rotational lineman off the bench.
With all that in mind, there wasn’t much to grade Muti on during hos rookie season, so the optimism surrounding what he could turn into as a player likely drives this grade up.
Grade: B-
Fourth and fifth rounds
Justin Strnad, LB
Fifth-round pick Justin Strnad was a player many fans were excited to see take the field this season but that chance never came.
As much as any rookie outside the two wide receivers taken early, it seemed that Strnad was drawing a buzz and there was a lot of hype around what he could do on the field. Had the Broncos finally found that disruptive force that could also drop back and cover a tight end?
The answer to that question will have to wait as a wrist injury before the regular season even started landed Strnad on injured reserve.
Grade: I (Incomplete)
Alfred Okwuegbunam, TE
Albert Okwuegbunam’s season ended prematurely due to injury as well, but at least he was able to get on the field.
Okwuegbunam’s connection to Drew Lock seemed apparent in the four games he appeared in this season. The two were college teammates at Missouri and Lock targeted him 15 times in those four games.
For the season, Okwuegbunam caught 11 passes for 121 yards and he scored his first career touchdown. But he tore his ACL in November and fans will have to hope he makes a full recovery in time for next season.
Grade: B-
Third round
McTelvin Agim, DT
Though he possesses a ton of promise, McTelvin Agim wasn’t used much as a rookie as Vic Fangio preferred to go with more experienced players on his defensive line. Agim dressed for 10 games but made just a handful of tackles on the year.
Hopefully he is given more time on the field in 2021.
Grade: I (Incomplete)
Lloyd Cushenberry, OL
Taken in the third round after helping LSU to a national title. Cushenberry came into Broncos camp looking to be the team’s starting center, though some felt he may need to sit behind Patrick Morris for a season.
He ended up overtaking Morris rather quickly and started all 16 games at center, showing that he could be a long-term answer at that position.
Grade: B
Michael Ojemudia, CB
Michael Ojemudia was pressed into action more quickly than the team likely wanted him to be due to an injury in the season opener to A.J. Bouye. He still flashed some good potential but also made some poor plays and got burned in coverage as well.
In the season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, he was able to force two fumbles. But he also got beat on the deep ball as he did a few times during the season.
Ojemudia showed himself to be a tough, scrappy corner but he’ll need to tighten up his coverage technique and not let guys get behind him with so much separation as often in year two.
Of all the rookies on the team, Ojemudia probably had the most up and down season.
Grade: C
Second round
K.J. Hamler
If any rookie on the team left fans wanting more this season, it was second-round pick K.J. Hamler.
Many fans were shocked that the Broncos took a wide receiver in the second round after taking one in the first, but it was hard to deny what Hamler brought to the table. His straight-line speed and big-play ability had fans licking their chops.
Injuries slowed him to start the season and he never seemed to get full traction as a rookie. He finished the year with 30 catches for 381 yards and three touchdowns and for a second-round pick, you would be expecting much bigger numbers.
Hopefully, those numbers will come.
He did have a two-touchdown performance against the Panthers. One of those was a 49-yard score on a deep ball from Lock. That play was the exact kind of play the front office had in mind when Hamler was selected.
His other touchdown reception, the first of his career, is one he’ll never forget.
It was the game-winning score in a wild comeback over the Los Angeles Chargers. He managed to free himself in the corner of the end zone before snagging a 1-yard touchdown pass with no time left on the clock. The Broncos won the game 31-30.
Grade: C+
First round
Jerry Jeudy
Like Hamler, fans were likely happy with what they saw from Jeudy, they just felt there would be much more.
As a rookie, Jeudy caught 52 passes on the season, which was good for second-most on the team. But he hauled in less than half of the passes that were thrown his way and he had some atrocious drops.
Going forward, you can only expect that Jeudy will get much better. He seems to have developed a strong connection with Lock, who clearly trusts him and looks his way often. Jeudy runs tremendous routes and has above-average speed.
He just needs to make sure he catches the ball, the thing he is primarily paid to do.
That should come in time as Jeudy works out the kinks in his game. He responded to what was probably the worst game he had in his life at any level against the Chargers by catching five passes for 140 yards and a touchdown the very next week against the Raiders.
That included a 92-yard touchdown grab that we selected as the team’s play of the year.
I would expect Jeudy to have a much better second season, especially with Courtland Sutton back and able to take some of the attention away from him.
Grade: B-