Denver Broncos: Undrafted rookie spotlight on OL Drew Himmelman

The Denver Broncos chose only one offensive lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft, and that was a move that surprised a few.

That decision looked even worse when Ja’Wuan James went down for the season during a workout away from team facilities right after the draft had concluded. Of course, it’s easy to say that after the fact.

The Broncos drafted Quinn Meinerz in the third round but he projects as an interior lineman, either at center or guard. The Broncos don’t have much at the tackle position following the injury to James, meaning they will likely be looking outside the organization for help.

The Broncos did bring in an offensive tackle by the name of Drew Himmelman following the draft as a free agent. Himmelman is not a name many will talk about much, but there is an opportunity for him as things currently stand.

Himmelman is a massive prospect at 6-foot-9 and 320 pounds. He was athletic enough in high school to play defensive end and tight end, where he helped a very good Geneseo high school football team.

Still, he was offered only one scholarship and that was to Illinois State. He accepted then rather than attempting to walk on at a bigger school and he played quite well for the Redbirds, showing patience as a pass blocker and strength in the running game.

He comes to the NFL with nothing but raw potential and though he has a lot of strides to make, it is intriguing to see what a coach like Mike Munchak could do with a guy this size.

Chances of making the final roster (1-10 scale): 4

Himmelman will earn a higher score here than most of the undrafted free agents on the roster simply because the team has no depth at tackle as of this writing. If the Broncos were to add a veteran free agent at that spot, this number would go down to a one or two.

But that’s not a knock on Himmelman.

The chances of an undrafted offensive tackle coming into the league and starting as a rookie are slim to none and the Broncos likely would never put him in that position. But because there are only three other natural tackles currently on the roster (and healthy), there is a major opening for Himmelman to burst through.

If he shows well this summer, he could absolutely make the practice squad and even get a chance to dress for some regular-season games if there are any other injuries.

Though he came to the team needing about as much development as any of the rookie free agents the team signed, he happens to play a position where the team has a major hole at the moment.