Denver Broncos 7-round mock draft: Sifting through latest rumors

The 2021 NFL Draft is just over three weeks away, and new Denver Broncos general manager George Paton has had a chance to get his feet on the ground at a number of major pro days across the country.

Paton has gone north, south, east, and west in a quite literal sense, getting through a circuit (that we know of) including:

• North Dakota State
• BYU
• Ohio State
• South Carolina
• Penn State
• Notre Dame

The Denver Broncos also have had representatives with various scouts or coaches at a number of other pro days across the country, and Paton has shown early on in his tenure as general manager that he has a good relationship with his coaching and scouting staff.

The 2021 NFL Draft effort for the Denver Broncos will undoubtedly be collaborative, but George Paton is instilling his own culture and building the team his way. How will that look come time for the 2021 NFL Draft?

At this particular point in time, there seem to be really two primary directions the Denver Broncos could go.

1. They can continue to load up on picks and set things up for Drew Lock to re-audition in 2021 with more favorable circumstances, or;

2. They can take one of the two quarterbacks left after the top three selections (Jaguars, Jets, 49ers).

At this particular point in time, trading for Sam Darnold remains a possibility. How likely does it feel? In a word, not. You would think if the Denver Broncos wanted Darnold in their program, they would pay the price the Jets wanted in order to acquire him, because acquiring Darnold would likely mean he’s your starter for 2021.

The Denver Broncos’ openness to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft does not seem to be getting mistaken by insiders for aggressiveness in pursuit of one of the top-four guys. While it’s entirely possible that George Paton has asked the Atlanta Falcons (4th pick) and Cincinnati Bengals (5th pick) what their asking price to move down a handful of spots would be, he has obviously not been as aggressive as John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, offering multiple first-round picks to get up for a specific guy.

The latest rumors floating around a tight-lipped George Paton operation are exactly what Paton has stated to the media — he likes Drew Lock and likes his potential. Does he like it enough to pass on a Justin Fields or Trey Lance if they are sitting on the board at pick 9? That’s where the rubber would have to meet the road.

For this mock draft scenario, we’re going to look at what could happen if George Paton does some serious wheeling and dealing around the draft board.

After all of the trades, we ended up with eight selections overall, including six in the first three rounds (two in the first, one in the second, three in the third).

After trading down with both the New England Patriots (15) and Chicago Bears (20) while accumulating a bounty of day two picks in 2021 and a couple in 2022, we finally settled on a player at pick number 20 overall.

That player is Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis, who has been routinely going on day two or later of many mock draft simulations.

I wrote on NFLMocks.com a while back that Davis could be a sneaky first-round option for the Denver Broncos or any other team, and the buzz on him has him firmly in that top 32 discussion.

Depending on how much you buy into George Paton’s pro day circuit, it’s clear that the Denver Broncos are seriously considering taking linebackers early on in the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, they have been ever since Vic Fangio became the team’s head coach in 2019.

The Broncos nearly selected Devin Bush with the 10th overall pick in 2019 before trading down so the Steelers could take him. They also nearly traded up in 2020 to take LSU linebacker Patrick Queen.

Even though the team has Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell under contract for 2021, this is a position I think the Denver Broncos could pursue upgrades (yes, plural).

Although Paton himself did not attend Kentucky’s pro day, there is no question he’s seen the tape on Jamin Davis and heard about the performance he put forth.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1377308308768428041

For a linebacker (or any position group) these are absolutely freakish numbers. The Denver Broncos know they need to have better overall team speed defensively to keep up with other teams in the AFC West, and selecting Jamin Davis helps them accomplish that.

Fans have been clamoring for a linebacker that can cover for years down, and Davis also represents an upgrade over anyone on Denver’s roster right now in that regard. Coverage is not just about being fast or quick, but route recognition from the linebacker position and combining that route recognition with being able to play fast.

A linebacker with this type of size, range, and three-down ability in Vic Fangio’s defense could be absolutely lethal.

I told you in the previous pick that the Denver Broncos could be looking for “upgrades” at the linebacker position and I want to make good on that promise here.

After trading down in the first round of this mock draft to accumulate picks, I jumped up 14 spots here from the 40th pick (2nd round) to the 26th pick with the Cleveland Browns in order to double up on the linebacker position.

The Denver Broncos, along with the rest of the NFL world, just saw what having a ton of speed and athleticism at the second level of defense can do for you against the best of the best, and when you look at the way Vic Fangio’s defense has played against Kansas City you can’t help but wonder if these kinds of assets could be the missing pieces.

Baron Browning is a ridiculous talent at the linebacker position athletically, right up there with Jamin Davis.

When you talk about explosiveness, quickness, range, instincts — this guy’s got it all.

While Jamin Davis is more of your traditional off-ball linebacker, Browning combines his off-ball skills with some excellent pass rush abilities off the edge.

He can set the edge, blitz, cover — he can do it all.

When you put him in combination with a guy like Jamin Davis? You’ve got your linebacker spots figured out for years to come, and you’ve got two guys who really don’t have to come off the field. Having a player like Browning would allow the Broncos to keep him on the field even in their nickel or dime alignment and just move him closer to the line of scrimmage, playing him as a rusher.

Even if the Broncos don’t use multiple first-round picks at linebacker, the possibility of overhauling the position with two elite athletes like this at one of the deepest position groups in this class is very intriguing.

One prospect that has been consistently connected with the Denver Broncos throughout the 2021 NFL Draft process is Central Florida safety Richie Grant.

Grant had one of the best weeks of any player at the 2021 Senior Bowl in Mobile, and it came as no surprise to anyone who watched him on tape.

Grant has tremendous versatility to play a number of positions in the defensive backfield, but not only can he play the positions, he can play them well.

For this reason, he’s been compared by many in Broncos Country who love evaluating prospects to Kareem Jackson, a former first-round pick at cornerback who has excelled in Vic Fangio’s defense as a safety.

Drafting Grant could provide the Denver Broncos with assurance beyond 2021 that the safety position next to Justin Simmons is taken care of, and would also provide peace of mind in case Bryce Callahan goes down with another injury.

Whether he contributes primarily as an injury replacement, special teams player, or dime defensive back as a rookie, I think Grant would be a great pickup for the Denver Broncos early on in the second round, especially if they have already added the type of speed like they did at linebacker.

The Denver Broncos’ situation with right tackle Ja’Wuan James is worth monitoring for the future.

James is under contract for 2021, and the team is planning on having him back and hopefully playing at a high level.

There are a couple of things the Broncos need to keep in mind, however.

First of all, even knowing that he has opted in for the 2021 season, James has not consistently been dependable to play a full slate of games as an NFL player. He has missed plenty of time due to injury including most of the 2019 season, his first with the Broncos.

Second, the Broncos can pretty easily get out of his contract after the 2021 season, and given his cap hits, they might do just that if he can’t stay healthy or doesn’t play well.

Although the team likes Calvin Anderson, who started a pair of games in 2020, I think they will draft a hedge and a talented player like Spencer Brown at some point in the 2021 NFL Draft with one eye on the future at the position.

Spencer Brown, as has become a common thread in this mock draft, is a freak of an athlete for his position.

Although Brown didn’t get the chance to play in 2020, what he’s put on tape was already on the NFL’s radar and he shined at the week of practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.

As a future starter at right tackle, he would be well worth the investment here with a third-round selection.

Although I don’t know that it’s a guarantee, I think there is a decent chance that the Denver Broncos could use a pick beyond the first round on the quarterback position in the 2021 NFL Draft.

In this simulation, Jamie Newman was on the board in the middle of the third round, and I was willing to take that shot there.

Newman opted out of the 2020 college football season after transferring to Georgia. I thought that if Newman had played this past season at Georgia, he could have potentially elevated his stock to the first round but that obviously didn’t happen.

Although he’s certainly not flawless as a prospect, there’s a lot to like about Newman with what he showed in 2019 at Wake Forest. He has a good arm, he’s athletic, and he made some really good throws downfield which is obviously important in the Pat Shurmur offense.

As Newman shakes off the rust from opting out in 2020, I think his upside is worth investing in. The Broncos obviously liked what they saw in their scouting of Wake Forest in 2019 (drafted Justin Strnad, signed Essang Bassey and Kendall Hinton) and obviously, they will have plenty of familiarity with Newman’s game as a result.

At worst, I think Newman can develop into a high-end backup. At best, I think he has plenty of starter-level qualities.

After cutting Nick Vannett, the tight end position has become an interesting one to monitor for the Denver Broncos.

Vannett wasn’t costing the Broncos enough this year that he should have unquestionably been cut. You won’t find a ton of good veteran help for the price he was costing the Broncos, so you have to think a pick at tight end in the 2021 NFL Draft is coming.

The Broncos, of course, like their top duo currently with Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam, but the latter is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and you have to get some kind of hedge there.

Kenny Yeboah is a versatile player who is a former Temple transfer that shows toughness in his blocking, strong technique, and he is a mismatch in the passing game.

Especially after the catch, Yeboah is dangerous and can win easily over the middle of the field.

This pick is as much about adding depth and insurance as it is about bringing in a player you hope can make an instant impact. The Broncos may not run a lot of traditional 12 personnel with two tight ends on the line of scrimmage, but having players like Fant, Okwuegbunam, and Yeboah would give them flexibility to run those traditional 12 personnel sets while also getting really creative in 11 personnel.

Day Three Picks

7. Khalil Herbert, RB, Virginia Tech

Running back is in play for the Denver Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft, I think as early potentially as the first round depending on what George Paton thinks about Drew Lock and the defense that has been assembled for 2021.

In this scenario, however, Khalil Herbert provides the Broncos with great value on day three of the draft (sixth round in this scenario) and a potential starting-caliber back.

He’s not only excellent as a runner but Herbert adds value on third down with some serious chops in pass protection.

He racks up yards after contact and has excellent vision.

8. Thomas Graham, DB, Oregon

If Thomas Graham is still available in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos should be leaping for joy.

I think he could be a fit either inside or outside as a cornerback and with 32 career pass breakups, he clearly knows how to make plays.

4 former Denver Broncos who still need a team for the 2021 season

There are still some former Denver Broncos players looking for new homes in the 2021 season. Where might some of them end up landing?

Here in the late portion of the draft, he is an ideal dart throw for the Broncos as someone they can coach up and bank on his college production and technique holding up in a great defensive scheme like Vic Fangio’s.