Denver Broncos mock draft: Adding depth, eventual starters

Denver Broncos 2022 mock draft: 4th round picks

The Denver Broncos need some depth at the cornerback position. The team drafted Pat Surtain II out of Alabama ninth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and also have guys such as Ronald Darby, K’Waun Williams, and Michael Ojemudia.

Bryce Callahan and Kyle Fuller are still out there as free agents, but it would not surprise me if neither are Broncos in 2022. Callahan unfortunately is injury prone and Fuller, despite a pretty awesome time with the Chicago Bears, was not as advertised for the Broncos.

Enter Clemson cornerback Mario Goodrich.

In 47 games at Clemson, Goodrich started 16 games and recorded five interceptions, one interception for a touchdown, and had 40 solo tackles out of 69 total.

The Broncos could be playing quite a bit of zone coverage in 2022 and that’s something that Goodrich is best at.

Goodrich ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine. He’s said to be poor at catching up to receivers following the catch, but he’s solid when it comes to jamming up his man and also making plays in the run game.

Goodrich is quick at making tackles after the catch, and while that does not necessarily sound intriguing (allowing receptions), his long 30 5/8” arms help him in making those plays, preventing ball carriers from escaping for bigger gains and even potential touchdowns.

Adding a cornerback will be very important for the Denver Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft because the team did suffer several injuries at the position in 2021, making the group somewhat of a liability. You can’t have enough cornerbacks in the pass-heavy NFL.

Jelani Woods was not a player that wowed anyone during his time at Oklahoma State. During his three years there, he caught just 31 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns.

It was not until he got to Virginia that he stepped up his game in terms of pass-catching. In his lone year at Virginia, Woods caught 44 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.

Woods is a massive target at 6-foot-7, 259 pounds. Despite him being new to the tight end position (he played his one year following a switch from wideout), he showed that he can be a very good pass catcher.

The Broncos will start Albert Okwuegbunam at tight end but I can see the team using two-tight end sets a lot of the time, especially when running the football.

As a pass-catcher, Woods is a tough player to bring down. Unfortunately, I do think that he will take a beating with so many players trying to bring him down, but he shows quite a bit of toughness after the catch.

Woods still has some things to work on as a blocking tight end, but that’s what coaching is for. There will be some bumps I’m sure, but I feel like Woods should be given a chance by the Broncos.

With that, the Denver Broncos add another weapon for Russell Wilson to utilize in this new offense.