Which Denver Broncos are under most pressure after the draft?

After the Denver Broncos made their selections in the 2022 NFL Draft, it became clear that certain players are now under the most pressure to perform.

Going into the 2022 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos were in a very good position.  They could have easily selected the best player available with each of their selections and been fine.

The team did target some needs on the roster, though, and some of those needs were partly due to current players not performing up to the level they need to.

Many teams who draft players do so to simply replace them.

For example, Malik Willis was drafted to ideally eventually replace Ryan Tannehill.

Evan Neal was drafted to the New York Giants to replace either Andrew Thomas on the left side or Nate Solder, a former failed experiment on the right side for New York.

Other selections are subtle jabs at players, a kick in their pants if you will.

While not outwardly replacing them immediately, these rookies could easily be in line to replace them in the near future.

For the Denver Broncos, I think there were three players that were given this treatment during the NFL Draft.

These players are now under a ton of pressure to perform up to a level they were once at.

Which three players are now under the most pressure after the conclusion of the NFL Draft?

Three Denver Broncos under most pressure after NFL Draft

1. Bradley Chubb

Obviously, Bradley Chubb is under a ton of pressure.  The signing of Randy Gregory, the movement of Baron Browning to the edge, and the drafting of Nik Bonitto would all indicate that Denver is trying to get much better off the edge and that Bradley Chubb, a former fifth overall pick, was not performing well enough.

Chubb nearly broke the rookie sack record back in 2018, missed most of 2019 with an injury, had a Pro Bowl season in 2020, and missed games this season with an injury as well.

He’s been either/or so far in his career, with this year, if following the pattern, set to be a decent year for Chubb.

However, as a former high draft pick, he hasn’t been good enough when on the field at any point since 2018.

The draft pick of Nik Bonitto could also very well be his replacement for 2023 and beyond if he doesn’t have a good enough season to warrant an extension.

Bradley Chubb is under a ton of pressure to perform in 2022, and with the rebuilt defensive line and additions of other edge rushers, Chubb should theoretically have a much easier time being able to get to the quarterback.

Sacks don’t tell the whole story, but they do tell a big part of it.

Chubb is expected to start the season opposite Randy Gregory, giving Denver a viable pass-rush duo.

However, both Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto, who are both talented themselves, could eventually be perfectly capable of starting every week.

For his long-term future in Denver and how he’s viewed across the league, 2022 is the biggest year of Bradley Chubb’s career.