Broncos: 3 positions the team won’t target with top 2021 pick

The Denver Broncos’ list of position groups that are truly solidified is a fairly short one.

The Broncos hold the 9th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and whether they keep that selection or not, there are at least a few position groups on the roster they should be intentionally avoiding.

So which position groups would those be?

Let’s take a look through the spots the Broncos won’t be targeting with their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, whether they end up picking at nine overall or somewhere else.

Denver Broncos positions to avoid with top pick: Tight end

The Denver Broncos’ tight end position does not require immediate attention for a variety of reasons, but even just in terms of positional value, it’s rare for traditional tight ends to be worthy of first-round selections.

Broncos tight end Noah Fant (and his Iowa teammate TJ Hockenson, now with the Detroit Lions) were exceptions to the unwritten rule and they have proven exactly why through their first two NFL seasons.

Fant has the most receptions through two seasons in Broncos franchise history. Hockenson was named to the 2020 Pro Bowl with a tremendous sophomore campaign in Detroit.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, Kyle Pitts fits more of the mold of the “positionless” tight end than the guys coming out of Iowa, who certainly move around the formation but are schooled in the ways of playing a traditional in-line NFL tight end role.

The Broncos have Fant as a building block on the offensive side of the ball, and he’s proven to be worthy of a first-round selection. It would not be wise of the Broncos to invest yet another first-round pick in the tight end position in 2021, just two years after using one on Fant.

Not to mention the Broncos used a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Albert Okwuegbunam, who in limited action in 2020 showed that he has a bright future ahead.

The combination of Fant and Okwuegbunam projects as one of the best in the NFL for years to come, meaning tight end is one of the top position groups the Broncos should avoid with their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.