Denver Broncos: Analyzing every 2021 undrafted free agent

The Denver Broncos have a long, rich history of developing undrafted free agents, really on an annual basis at this point.

In fact, if you were to put together a list of the top 40 or 50 undrafted players in the last 30 years or so, the Denver Broncos may dominate that list.

Because so many undrafted players have had success with the Denver Broncos, the players they sign after the draft bear monitoring and analyzing every single year. Even among undrafted players that do not initially sign with the Denver Broncos, it’s obvious that there’s something about undrafted players finding their way in Denver.

Let’s look through the entire crop of undrafted free agents for the Denver Broncos in the 2021 rookie class.

DeVontres Dukes, WR, South Florida

A big-bodied receiver prospect at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, it’s a wonder the Denver Broncos had enough notes on DeVontres Dukes to actually give him a call after the 2021 NFL Draft in the first place.

Dukes played in just 20 collegiate games and caught 30 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns. The majority of that production (24 receptions and four TDs) came in this past season for the Bulls.

He had a pair of touchdowns — his only multi-touchdown game at USF — against the UCF secondary which just put a few guys into the NFL in Richie Grant, Aaron Robinson, and Tay Gowan, though Gowan did not play in 2020.

Dukes’ height and weight make him one of the biggest receivers on the Denver Broncos roster and he certainly has shown, even in limited reps, how he can use that size to his advantage in contested catch situations and after the catch. Physically, this guy is impressive.

Dukes doesn’t have elite quickness or track speed, but he’s explosive and has some nice build-up speed, and takes long strides.

Ultimately, for the Denver Broncos to prioritize this particular player with as small of a sample size as he has is as telling as anything.

Adam Prentice, FB, South Carolina/Colorado State

Adam Prentice looks like he was cut out of a 1990s football player ad.

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has stated that fullbacks have left the modern NFL offense and has been replaced by a wide receiver, but obviously, Pat Shurmur still has an interest in using one in his offense from time to time.

My idea of using Netane Muti out there as a fullback is apparently not being taken seriously by Shurmur. Oh well.

Prentice is essentially a specialist with the title of “fullback” attached to his name. Of course, he excels as a lead blocker and in the traditional fullback role, as you can see here:

A captain at Colorado State, Prentice will give the Denver Broncos some legitimate competition for incumbent fullback/special teams ace Andrew Beck.

Beck has been considered a valuable special teams player for the Denver Broncos, but the problem is, the special teams have stunk.

Prentice followed Mike Bobo from Colorado State to South Carolina and played his role as fullback masterfully, doing the dirty work and making plays wherever he was asked to do so, even if they don’t show up on the stat sheet.

Although the fullback is not a widely utilized position in today’s NFL, there is a place for guys like Prentice who can lead block, catch passes, and go out there and be an asset to your special teams unit.

For a guy listed at 6-feet tall, 251 pounds, Prentice posted an impressive pro day workout with a 4.75 in the 40-yard dash, a 35.5-inch vertical jump, and 21 bench press reps at 225 pounds. He’s been working at getting his master’s in engineering and is obviously a guy who’s not going to get cut in the NFL for lack of work habits or effort.

Nolan Laufenberg, OG, Air Force

The Denver Broncos brought in another local prospect in Air Force left guard Nolan Laufenberg after the 2021 NFL Draft.

Laufenberg will be of major intrigue throughout the offseason given the fact he is a Castle Rock, CO native and had an outstanding career playing the guard position for Air Force.

PFF chose Laufenberg as an All-American selection over eventual first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker, second-round pick Aaron Banks, and a variety of other prominent (and drafted) players.

This speaks to Laufenberg’s ability to block, especially in the running game. PFF notes in the link above his prowess as a run blocker, which you’ve got to be good at to start for Air Force.

Earning first-team All-Mountain West accolades in 2019, Laufenberg is built with NFL-ready size at 6-foot-4, 314 pounds.

Dalton Risner is no longer the only Colorado kid at left guard on the team who grew up a Denver Broncos fan.

This guy does such a good job of getting his body out in front of defenders, sealing them off, and dictating with his hand strength and power. He’s certainly an intriguing name to watch for more than just his local ties.

Drew Himmelman, OT, Illinois State

Money talks when it comes to undrafted free agent signings, and it speaks pretty loudly with former Illinois State offensive tackle Drew Himmelman.

The Denver Broncos clearly think highly of Himmelman, giving him a $25,000 signing bonus and $125,000 guaranteed part of his base salary, per Aaron Wilson.

Considering you used to be able to tell how much the Denver Broncos loved an undrafted player based on whether they got a $25,000 guarantee in general, it’s clear that George Paton and his scouts felt like Himmelman was borderline draftable based on those figures.

So what’s up with this guy?

Although he was listed at 6-foot-10 in college, Himmelman is a mere 6-foot-9 after official measurements were taken 323 pounds with nearly 34-inch arms.

He certainly has the size, but does he have what it takes on the field?

An All-American in 2019, Himmelman played only four games in the FCS’s abbreviated Spring 2021 season and opted out when it came time for the 2021 NFL Draft.

A former tight end, Himmelman is strong and powerful with the ability to get out in space and make blocks.

He’s a tremendous developmental option for offensive line coach Mike Munchak and the Denver Broncos to work with and based on the contract he was given after the draft, it would be shocking if he wasn’t at least a practice squad player for the Denver Broncos in 2021.

Branden Mack, WR, Temple

Listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Mack is one of a number of massive wide receiver prospects the Denver Broncos have been bringing in this offseason to go along with some of their smaller, faster players.

Although he’s bigger, Mack is not the strongest wide receiver prospect and concerns scouts have with him include his inability to beat press coverage as well as a habit of not running the crispest routes.

Over the course of the past three seasons, Mack had 15 touchdown receptions and it’s notable any time a player at Temple is picked to wear a single-digit jersey, which are awarded to the toughest players on the team. Mack switched from no. 88 to no. 1 in 2019 and became one of the leaders of the Temple team.

A jack-of-all-trades coming out of the high school ranks, Mack actually didn’t play the wide receiver position until he got to Temple.

Despite his lack of experience at the position maybe compared to other prospects coming out, Mack has tremendous downfield ball-tracking ability and he has a massive catch radius, which he knows how to use to his advantage.

The wide receiver room is going to be a tough one to crack in Denver, but Mack’s size and history on special teams could give him an intriguing edge for a practice squad spot.

Curtis Robinson, LB, Stanford

You want to talk about intriguing? Former Stanford linebacker Curtis Robinson is exactly that.

In his last 15 games at Stanford (four in 2020, 11 in 2019), Robinson racked up a total of 92 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, four passes broken up, and two forced fumbles.

At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, that kind of production will certainly draw your attention. If that doesn’t do it, Robinson’s pro day workout will.

In terms of size and athleticism, Robinson has a 99 percent comp to 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, who has obviously developed into a star in the NFL.

Let’s not be too hasty here — Robinson is not necessarily going to come into the NFL and just be Fred Warner, but the size, athletic profile, and productivity in all phases certainly lead you to believe he could be a diamond in the rough.

Like a number of other draft picks in this Denver Broncos class, Robinson was a very highly touted high school recruit, a five-star prospect in 2015 who chose Stanford over basically any other possible school.

He had a blocked punt early on in his career, so there is some special teams intrigue and upside here as well.

Overall, Robinson is one undrafted player Denver Broncos fans should be pretty excited about if he can stay healthy.

Mac McCain, CB, North Carolina A&T

North Carolina A&T cornerback Mac McCain is one of the more intriguing players the Denver Broncos picked up after the 2021 NFL Draft from a pure production standpoint.

As a freshman, he earned All-Conference honors after picking off six passes in 12 games and breaking up 14 total with 50 tackles. In 2018, he picked right back up where he left off with 37 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and a pair of interceptions in eight games before suffering a torn ACL.

Working his way back from injury in 2019, McCain took some time to get up to speed and played in only nine games as he made his way back onto the field. He still had 26 tackles, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble, but he didn’t have any interceptions.

He wasn’t able to show what he looks like fully healthy again in 2020 as the season was canceled, but he had a very good workout at his pro day, running a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds.

McCain’s early production at North Carolina A&T is certainly nothing to be scoffed at, regardless of the level of competition he faced.

His overall athletic profile is slightly above average and there’s reason to believe based on his ball production that he could really excel as a cornerback in Vic Fangio’s scheme involving a heavy dose of zone coverage.

McCain is the grandson of the late Franklin McCain, a civil rights activist who was part of the Greensboro Four.

Overall, I feel like the Broncos got one of the top FCS prospects in the country here, certainly someone whose family history is highly interesting and historic, and a guy who could be really underrated because of the lack of a 2020 season.

Shaun Beyer, TE, Iowa

Unless the Denver Broncos swing some kind of trade for a veteran, former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Shaun Beyer may stand the best chance of any undrafted player at making the roster based simply on the fact that the Denver Broncos tight end position has no clear third guy in the mix at this point.

Depending on what you classify Andrew Beck as, that is. Beck did not play much tight end for the Denver Broncos last year and the combination of Nick Vannett and Troy Fumagalli is no longer on the roster.

Shaun Beyer was once college teammates with current Denver Broncos TE1 Noah Fant, and understandably struggled to find significant playing time early on in his college career since he was buried behind a pair of future first-round picks (Fant, TJ Hockenson) on the depth chart.

With that being said, Beyer is not unlike many of the other underrated tight ends to come out of Iowa before and after the duo of Fant and Hockenson. He is gifted athletically, he has soft hands, he can block, and he’s got better pro potential than we saw in college based on Iowa’s poor quarterback play.

A converted wide receiver, Beyer has soft hands and some intriguing ability at the catch point, tracking the ball deep downfield, as well as after the catch. Although he was used primarily as an outlet for the Hawkeyes, I think there’s significant potential here with Beyer getting the ball on some drag routes, seam routes, and cashing in on defenses focusing on other players in red zone work.

This quote from Beyer might excite some people.

Is a TE3 role in Beyer’s near future? We’ll see, but barring any roster moves, it looks like he’s got a good shot of sticking.

Andre Mintze, EDGE, Vanderbilt

The Denver Broncos have no shortage of intriguing late-round or undrafted pass rushers to watch this coming offseason.

Andre Mintze out of Vanderbilt had an outstanding pro day workout at Vanderbilt after a very solid four years playing there.

Mintze was definitely docked for his size here — he’s not big enough to consistently play defensive end — but he will be an outside linebacker/edge defender with the Denver Broncos and will do a lot of what he did at Vanderbilt standing up and rushing the passer that way.

His 40-yard dash was clocked as low as 4.56 and there are plenty of times when that elite burst pops off the tape.

When Mintze is able to convert his speed to power, it’s a lot of fun to watch.

With former seventh-round picks Derrek Tuszka and Jonathon Cooper also vying for a spot behind Bradley Chubb, Von Miller, and Malik Reed, Mintze faces some stiff competition this offseason but he seems like an ideal candidate to stash on the practice squad if possible.

Warren Jackson, WR, Colorado State

Of all of the undrafted players the Denver Broncos signed in 2021, the fan base was not nearly as excited for any one player as they were for former Colorado State star Warren Jackson.

As of 2019, Jackson appeared to be the next in a fairly long line of CSU Rams receivers making their way to the NFL, but the effects of the pandemic in 2020 were far reaching.

Jackson looked like a draftable player in 2019 with 77 receptions for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a contested-catch machine for the Rams and at 6-foot-6, he’s in the 99th percentile at the wide receiver position in terms of height.

Despite a lack of truly elite athletic traits by comparison to other wide receivers, Jackson has a pretty distinct advantage over other undrafted players of having spent the last year training at Loren Landow’s facility in Denver.

Landow, of course, is the Denver Broncos’ head strength and conditioning coach, so it’s likely that Jackson already has a rapport with at least a few coaches and teammates, and that scouting report as far as his personality will be an easy one to verify.

If you thought Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton were big, the 6-foot-6 Jackson is a weapon out there.

Denver Broncos 2021 draft: Analyzing instant impact for every pick

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Do not be shocked to see this guy contend for a roster spot. He will have to prove his worth on special teams and he’s basically going to have to catch everything thrown his way, but his size is rare and Jackson has tremendous hands. He could be an immediate asset in the red zone and the Broncos could get creative with him even as a rookie.