The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is complete and teams will now set their sights on day two of the selection process which will include the second and third rounds.
After not having a pick in the first round, the Broncos (barring a trade up) will finally get to make a selection toward the end of the second round.
Thus far, several quality players have been selected but basically, all of the players that figured to be available to the Broncos when they go on the clock in round two are still available and could have a chance of ending up in Denver.
George Paton has sat back for several hours and watched how his board would shake out and he has to be happy with a number of players who he could still have the option to take in this draft.
If all five of the following players are still available to the Broncos at pick No. 64, it would be tremendous for the team and they would have their pick of the litter. Many of these players have been projected to go well ahead of the 64th pick which is exactly why the Broncos would have to run that card up to the podium. That said, there are over 30 selections to be made in the second round before the Broncos take the stage.
If even one of these players is still on the board at that spot, the Broncos must make that selection.
Broncos prospect at No. 64: Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
Perrion Winfrey is an interesting prospect that began to really start to land on draft radars during Senior Bowl week. He was a standout during the practices before the annual college All-Star game and he ended up being named the game’s MVP after collecting two sacks in the game but if you watched that game, you saw just how dominant he could be.
Winfrey has a quick burst off the snap and gets into the offensive backfield on a fairly routine basis as he racked up a slew of tackles for loss.
The Broncos could use some help along the defensive line and Winfrey could be a guy who could come in and be a nice rotational piece in the beginning stages of his career before becoming a long-term starter.
Chad Muma is an excellent prospect who I have discussed in this position before. He should be selected right around this range and if he is still there at No. 64, the Broncos should absolutely take him.
The team did re-sign Josey Jewell this offseason but Alexander Johnson and Kenny Young, at least for now, remain without a team. That leaves the Broncos with just Jewell, Alex Singleton, Jonas Griffith, Justin Strnad and Barrington Wade at the inside linebacker position.
The team seems to intend to move second-year linebacker Baron Browning to the outside.
The Broncos could use a three-down linebacker on the inside and Muma fits that role.
He is a tackling machine, leading the entire country in that category this past season and he can drop back into pass coverage.
There’s also the fact that he has local ties to the Colorado area that would make him an instant fan favorite in Denver.
The Broncos have not prioritized drafting an inside linebacker with a high pick for quite some time and that could be part of the reason why it has been a weak spot for the team for some time, at least in terms of the kind of pass coverage the team gets from that position.
Muma could come in and help fix all of that.
While Muma could certainly be off the board by the time the Broncos pick, Drake Jackson is a guy who could definitely be there. And he would provide solid value at that spot.
Jackson is quite young, having just turned 21 years old a couple of weeks ago. His ceiling is high and his potential is yet to be close to being fulfilled at such a young age.
But he shows off all of the physical and pathetic traits you would love to see for a player at this stage in his career. He was a Second-Team All-Conference pick in each of his three years with the Trojans.
“Twitchy” is a word that draft analysts love to use with players like this nowadays and Jackson is all of that due to his incredible quickness off the snap.
If you look at his college statistics and see that he had just 12.5 sacks in three seasons, you will immediately jump to the conclusion that he is inconsistent, but he also played in multiple defensive schemes while in school.
His potential upside is more than intriguing and if brought into the right system and coached up properly, should be a far better pro than he was a college player.
The Broncos could use more outside pass-rushing to help aid Bradley Chubb and the newly-signed Randy Gregory. While Jackson may not be an immediate contributor, he could be an absolute force in the future.
Placing Trey McBride here is likely wishful thinking but you never know how the draft will fall. However, if you watched the ESPN telecast on Thursday night, you may have heard Mel Kiper mention McBride’s name during the latter stages of the first round as a player he expects to talk about on Friday.
Louis Riddick chimed in by saying something to the effect of it likely not being too far into Friday before his name is called.
That is because McBride is easily the top tight end in this draft and he would be a fantastic fit in Denver.
Like Muma, McBride is also a local prospect but he would be a great fit for any team looking for a tight end. He can get open across the field and be a weapon in the passing game but he is no slouch as a blocker either.
He could even be used in some formations as a fullback to give the Broncos some interesting options to throw teams off on defense.
The Broncos do have Albert Okwuegbunam ready to take over as the team’s top tight end but there is not a whole lot behind him. Selecting a player such as McBride would be a major win for the Broncos.
However, if the team really wanted him, it would likely take a trade up in the second round as he will almost certainly be off the board by pick 64.
David Ojabo has to be on this list simply because if not for a torn Achilles that took place at his pro day, he was a first-round pick in all likelihood. How far will that injury knock him down the board?
Ojabo was one of the nation’s best pass-rushers in 2021, netting 11 sacks. Though he was overshadowed by his own teammate, Aidan Hutchinson, his efforts were still a big reason why the Wolverines made it to the College Football Playoff.
The team that drafts Ojabo is obviously going to have to be patient as his rookie season could be a quiet one between rehabbing his injury and then acclimating himself to his new surroundings once he can retake the field.
It is difficult to predict where Ojabo will be drafted as many teams may be completely scared off by his injury while others will feel they have the time and the players in place in order for him to wait and develop.
The Broncos could potentially have Ojabo replace Chubb, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Unless Chubb has a massive year, the Broncos could be willing to move on. A healthy Ojabo could be an interesting option to take his spot.
If still on the board at No. 64, the Broncos would have to at least have the conversation. Getting a player with first-round talent that late would be a steal, but the team would have to be 100 percent confident in his recovery.
The flip side of that coin is that if he falls that far, every team will start to wonder why he’s falling like that and it could be a complete freefall. Not long ago, another player from Michigan, Maurice Hurst, was a projected first-round pick but a heart defect that was diagnosed at the scouting combine scared everyone off and he fell all the way to the fifth round.
Ojabo won’t last until the fifth round, but will be still be on the board at 64?