Denver Broncos roundtable: Which players should team draft in 2021?
Sayre Bedinger’s “guy”: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
It’s an annual struggle to hone in on just one guy that I would absolutely love for the Denver Broncos to draft, but Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah of Notre Dame is going to be that guy this year.
The 2021 NFL Draft class is pretty loaded at the linebacker position and the Broncos could find good value in probably the first four or five rounds, but Owusu-Koramoah is a rare type of athlete at the position and for whatever reason, he’s not being hyped as much as he should be.
Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, one player that many Denver Broncos fans lusted after was Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons. It was easy to see why, too. Simmons played all over the formation for Clemson’s defense and looked like one of the best defensive playmakers in the entire class with his ability to blitz, cover, play linebacker, play the slot, play safety, and do whatever was asked of him and do it well.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah could be this year’s version of Simmons or a Darius Leonard type of playmaker for your defense. Although there are some legitimate questions about Owusu-Koramoah’s playing weight (under 220 pounds), Leonard himself has been something of a pioneer for a lower weight class at the linebacker position.
Leonard checked into the 2018 Combine at 234 pounds but has since decided to drop his playing weight to under 220 pounds. Why?
Leonard has been ahead of the curve. While it’s imperative that linebackers are able to make plays at and around the line of scrimmage, he understands that the majority of the plays he needs to make to be considered elite at his position anymore are in space.
NFL offensive coordinators are salivating at the chance to get a slot receiver who runs a 4.3 matched up on a linebacker that is bulky and clunky. Leonard has proven that lighter is arguably better when it comes to making plays in space.
So it is with Owusu-Koramoah, who is still able to knife through the line of scrimmage and make plays, be physical, and be aggressive. With that said, the Denver Broncos need productivity from the linebacker position in terms of coverage abilities and Owusu-Koramoah is a star in that regard.
He plays with instincts, he plays with tremendous technique, and he’s an explosive athlete with long arms and tremendous ball skills.