The Denver Broncos have addressed needs through free agency and the focus is now on the 2021 NFL Draft.
In many ways, free agency helps fans whittle down NFL Draft options in terms of positions the team could address, but in other ways, it makes things all the more confusing.
Since the Denver Broncos and new GM George Paton have essentially filled out the roster by addressing primary needs in free agency, the options early on in the NFL Draft are pretty wide open. With that being said, there are players Paton might avoid in his first year on the job as GM.
Paton has stated he’s going to be aggressive in his managerial style without being reckless. There are players in the 2021 NFL Draft class that, depending on the case you want to make, could be viewed as reckless investments. At a minimum, they might just not be great fits for where the Denver Broncos are currently at.
What players fit into the category of “Players the Denver Broncos should avoid” in the 2021 NFL Draft?
Let’s take a look through 10 of them.
10. First-round edge players
This is a bit of cheating to start things off, but one position group the Denver Broncos should avoid in the first round no matter if they stay at pick number nine, trade up, or trade down is off the edge.
This would include players like:
- Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
- Jaelan Phillips, Miami
- Gregory Rousseau, Miami
- Kwity Paye, Michigan
- Jayson Oweh, Penn State
Every single one of these guys comes with a “risk/reward” tag attached and a number of question marks. Furthermore, you have to look at scheme and overall fit when you’re talking about taking one of these guys in the first round.
Azeez Ojulari comes with concerns about his size and ability to set the edge against NFL players. Jaelan Phillips is a supremely talented player with major injury concerns. The sample size on Gregory Rousseau and his fit off the edge might not be there long-term.
Kwity Paye is a project in terms of his overall skill set despite having plenty of physical tools.
Jayson Oweh is a major projection with elite traits.
There is no Chase Young in this draft. There is no Bosa brother. There’s not even a Josh Allen or Brian Burns type in this draft. For those who have been evaluating the draft for a while, this crop of edge players is much more in the Jason Pierre-Paul realm.
On one hand, the Denver Broncos seem to be in a decent position to take on a bit of a project off the edge. On the other hand, they have other areas they could be addressing early on rather than prioritizing someone here who might be the fourth option in 2021 at best.