4 inside linebackers Broncos could select at No. 64

Broncos prospect: Brandon Smith, Penn State

Brandon Smith is a difficult prospect to evaluate but it does seem that his draft stock has begun to tumble since the first time he began to come across the radars of draft analysts. There was once a time when he was seen as a potential first-round pick.

In Smith, you will get the opposite of what you get from Chenal and Walker in both good and bad ways. Unlike Chenal, Smith is not physically aggressive on each snap. But unlike Walker, Smith can be terrific in pass coverage and his sideline-to-sideline speed is also hard to ignore.

Consistency will be the thing that Paton and his staff have to wonder about if they are to consider Smith. Sometimes he makes a play like he is ready to one day be an All-Pro linebacker and on the very next play, he can be completely out of position or fail to wrap up on a tackle.

He is not the most refined tackler and his hands, which he tends to keep a bit low, will be an area he must focus on.

The talent is there. The athleticism is also clearly evident. But to make it at the professional level, he will need to learn to be a bit more physical a bit more often and improve his ability to stop the ball carrier.