The Denver Broncos have finally selected an offensive lineman in the 2022 NFL Draft, but it was not an offensive tackle, a position the Broncos have chosen not to address.
Washington offensive lineman Luke Wattenberg was the Broncos’ choice at No. 171 overall in the fifth round of the draft. The Broncos traded up eight slots to make the selection.
According to Mike Klis of 9News, the Broncos gave their fifth-round pick (No. 179) and a seventh-round choice to the Green Bay Packers for the 171st pick. That shows that George Paton saw something in him and didn’t want to miss out on the chance to take him.
Broncos 2022 draft pick Luke Wattenberg was a four-year starter at Washington
Wattenberg is a guy who can play at center or guard which gives the Broncos some versatility and there does seem to be some question over who will start at center for the team this coming season.
At 6-foot-4 and 299 pounds, Wattenberg was a four-year starter for the Huskies and played a lot of football at the school. By most scouting reports, he seems to lack the functional strength and ability to hold up against professional defensive linemen.
Rated as an undrafted free agent on many boards, it is curious as to why Paton would trade up to select him.
But he does have a lot of experience and shows good hand usage in pass protection as well as some decent footwork. There was obviously some upside in Paton’s mind that Wattenberg is a player the team can coach up and work into their rotation at some point in the future.
That said, he is likely a practice squad player to begin his career and one that will require a fair bit of development before he is ready to face what the next level throws at him on a week-to-week basis.
The Broncos have gone through five rounds without selecting an offensive tackle, meaning that it will be the trio of Billy Turner, Calvin Anderson and Tom Compton who battle for the starting right tackle spot this summer.
It did seem like the Broncos would have a good chance to select Abraham Lucas, a player they were heavily connected to throughout the draft process, in the third round. But just three picks before they were to go on the clock, the Seattle Seahawks nabbed him at No. 72 overall.
The Broncos then traded their pick in that round (No. 75) to the Houston Texans.