Denver Broncos shocker of a target with the 9th pick in 2022

How open are the Denver Broncos’ options with the 9th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft? Don’t count this particular prospect out…

If you were to take a poll of Denver Broncos fans and ask whether any position on the roster should be ruled out for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, my guess is that wide receiver would probably be up there on the list of positions to avoid.

I’m here to challenge that thinking.

Now, before you go flipping a gasket, I think it’s important to consider all of the details that could lead to this potential fit in the 2022 NFL Draft. One of the details? The player himself.

Denver Broncos shouldn’t rule out Treylon Burks at pick 9 overall

Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks is quickly rising up everyone’s 2022 NFL Draft board. While he may not be a consensus WR1 type of prospect, it’s possible that he will wind up the WR1 of the 2022 NFL Draft class and he could very well end up being the best overall player on the board when the Denver Broncos are on the clock at pick nine overall.

At Arkansas, Treylon Burks did a little bit of everything. Some are comparing him to Deebo Samuel of the 49ers while others are comparing him to AJ Brown of the Tennessee Titans.

One way or another, Burks is stylistically a very different type of player to anything the Denver Broncos currently have on their roster. People might look at his size and just assume the Broncos would be adding another “X” receiver when they just re-signed Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick.

Others will look at the Denver Broncos’ current roster at wide receiver and see players like Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler behind Sutton and Patrick and think that the idea of a receiver is ridiculous.

I’m here to tell you — it’s not.

Let’s just address KJ Hamler quickly because there’s not much to discuss there. Is Hamler a player with exciting and game-changing speed? Yes. However, Hamler is also coming off of a major injury and there is no guarantee we’re going to see the same explosiveness from him in 2022.

He has multiple major knee injuries, a long history of hamstring injuries, and for the final two years of his rookie contract, any contributions the Denver Broncos get from him should be considered a huge bonus.

As far as Jerry Jeudy is concerned? That is a bigger can of worms that many Denver Broncos fans may not want to open up.

First off, we need to remember that Jerry Jeudy was not a George Paton draft choice. Does that mean that Paton doesn’t like Jeudy’s talent? Absolutely not. Perhaps Paton and the Vikings would have taken Jeudy over Justin Jefferson if given the chance in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that chance never came to pass.

In his first two NFL seasons, Jeudy has dazzled with his route running prowess but he has been a major disappointment when it comes to dropped passes. He’s also made a couple of comments via social media about his role on the offense that sort of make you raise your eyebrow, like saying he got his “conditioning” in during his rookie season or deleting a post about having 0 touchdowns in 2021.

Are we excited about Jeudy’s continued progression and ability to win as a route runner? Yes. Am I saying he’s a bust and the Broncos should trade him to the highest bidder? Absolutely not.

Am I saying that the Denver Broncos and George Paton should consider drafting a playmaker like Treylon Burks and getting maximum value for Jeudy later on? I think they should absolutely consider that.

Right now, I don’t know how much you can even consider KJ Hamler as part of the wide receiver equation. He’s only under contract for two more years, and unlike Courtland Sutton coming off of an ACL injury, Hamler doesn’t have a Pro Bowl season under his belt already.

Tim Patrick signed a three-year extension so he’s firmly in the fold, but everyone knows in the NFL nowadays that three-year pacts can be cut to two just like that, and Patrick’s deal has virtually no dead money on it after the 2022 season.

As tough as it is to see right now, the makeup of the Denver Broncos wide receiver position could be drastically different by 2023 or 2024, and right now, do the Broncos really have a great reason to pass on the potential of a guy like Treylon Burks?

It’s not like there’s a consensus right now about a quarterback at pick number nine. There may not be a better tackle or EDGE player on the board than Burks, who is expected to blow up the Scouting Combine with speed and explosiveness at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds.

Given the fact that Burks does not have to be in a specific position on your offense — he’s not strictly an outside receiver or slot — I think this idea has a lot of merit, even if you decide to keep Jeudy and Hamler for the 2022 season and just load up.

One of the top arguments against taking a receiver will be that the Broncos don’t utilize the playmakers they already have, and that’s fair, but that was also with the previous coaching staff. And we also have no idea at this point who is going to be throwing these guys passes.

If the Broncos don’t get a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, then the offense needs offense creators and Treylon Burks is just that.

The San Francisco 49ers could be a model for the Denver Broncos to follow if they are unable to acquire an MVP candidate at the quarterback position, and what do the 49ers do best? They build their offense around playmakers that can create.

Jerry Jeudy can certainly be part of that equation, but when is the last time you heard George Paton call Jeudy a core player? He’s certainly said that about a number of other guys.

When George Paton addressed the media after signing Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick to new deals, he said, “You can’t have enough weapons,” and I think that is absolutely true.

Treylon Burks is a dynamic blend of size, speed, and explosiveness. He’s an offense creator who can give your quarterback an outlet at every level of the field and also open everything up for other playmakers in the offense.

He creates after the catch, he produces in the red zone, he has strong hands, he can take the ball out of the backfield. The sky’s the limit with this guy.

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Could we see George Paton take a similar approach at wide receiver in 2022 as he did with cornerback in 2021? It shouldn’t be discounted at this point. Burks could wind up being the top player on Paton’s board when he’s on the clock at pick number nine.