Denver Broncos mock draft: Adding depth, eventual starters

The Denver Broncos will have Javonte Williams taking most of the carries in 2022 with Melvin Gordon not expected to return. The two split carries in 2021 and had identical statistics. Both had 203 carries, and Gordon finished with just 15 yards more (918 to Williams’ 903).

With Gordon’s price range not in the team’s plans, he’s likely going to be a match for another team.

Tyler Badie really impressed me as a potential second-gear to Javonte Williams. Badie would fit the Broncos’ new inside zone run scheme, which also bodes well for Williams. The two could be a very good duo. In the NFL, you need two, maybe three, running backs to help take the load off of your featured guy.

At Missouri, Badie rushed the football 513 times for 2,740 yards and 23 touchdowns. He had a breakout year in 2021, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground and rushing for 1,604 yards. Badie also added 11 touchdown receptions during his collegiate career on 126 receptions and 1,149 receiving yards.

Badie is a smaller running back, standing at just 5-foot-8, 194 pounds. His size will help him escape tacklers. He does not rank inside the top-10 in terms of speed among other 2022 running back prospects, but he can still make an impact on an offense such as the Broncos.

Cordell Volson is considered a beast when it comes down to run blocking. At North Dakota State, Volson helped the Bison rush for over 4,400 yards. Here’s a game-by-game look at the team’s rushing stats. Let me warn you, the numbers are unreal.

Volson possesses tremendous size (6-foot-7, 313 pounds) that should translate well in a guard spot in the NFL. He has the ability to take on large defensive linemen and then pick up some blitzes that may come through the middle.

Graham Glasgow could be out following the 2022 season so it will be important for the Broncos to bring in some young talent that has a chance to replace him.

Cornerback Jaylen Watson could be a late-round pick that can make an impact at some point sooner than later. As I mentioned earlier with the Mario Goodrich selection, the Broncos need some depth at corner.

Watson has tremendous athleticism, as evidenced by his Relative Athletic Score.

His size is something that is very desirable, standing at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds. Watson may not stick around on a 53-man roster, but there’s a chance that with his skill set, he’ll be able to be on a practice squad and eventually be called up.

Watson is another run-defending type cornerback, so spending time on a practice squad will help him make a better impact in pass coverage.

On special teams, Watson has been a gunner at the collegiate level and has made some tremendous plays on the punt unit. If nothing else, he could be the Denver Broncos’ next version of Kayvon Webster, the special teams ace.

The Denver Broncos finish off the 2022 NFL Draft with a speedster. They take Tennessee return man Velus Jones with the 234th pick. This is the pick the team received when they traded away Trinity Benson to the Detroit Lions.

This pick is not flashy, but he sure is. Jones had a breakout season for the Volunteers in 2021, catching 62 passes for 807 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. However, it’s not his receiving ability that could land him a spot on the team.

Jones ran a 40-yard dash of 4.31 seconds and in college, was an awesome return man.

Jones returned 122 punts for 2,973 yards and two touchdowns during his five-year collegiate career, both at Tennessee and USC. He added 18 punt returns for 272 yards.

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While the Broncos seem like they’ll plug in whoever at both returner positions, Jones could offer that big spark on special teams, something that they have lacked recently.