Denver Broncos draft prospect: Pittsburgh OL Carter Warren

The Denver Broncos will wait until the third round to make a selection in the NFL Draft later this month but the team is currently slated to have back-to-back picks at Nos. 67 and 68. There is a decent chance that one of those picks will be an offensive tackle.

The Broncos did sign Mike McGlinchey in free agency but the team needs more depth at offensive tackle behind him and the starter on the other side of the line, Garett Bolles.

One prospect the team could have its eyes on is Carter Warren out of Pitt. To this point, teams could have met with prospects at either the scouting combine, their personal pro days, or for a top-30 visit. One of the only prospects that the Broncos have met with in at least two of those is Warren.

That could show that the team is quite interested in him and he could be available at the slot they select from in the third round.

Though he is seen by many analysts as more of a fourth-round pick, offensive tackles with the ability to become a swing tackle or even a low-end starter for a team can be quite valuable.

Warren started nearly 40 games at Pitt and he possesses a 7-foot wingspan, giving him more than the desirable length that teams want at the professional level.

When you turn on Pittsburgh games, it's easy to find the massive Warren on the field. What's most impressive about watching his game is the way he moves for a player his size. His play in pass protection is solid.

But as a run blocker, he'll certainly need some work. Warren just doesn't push guys around enough and play with the kind of strength in that area that you would like to see. While adding some muscle at the next level will help, he will need to gain a better understanding of the right angles to take and the right mentality to play with in the running game.

For a team that seems to want to employ a run-first offense this season, that could be problematic.

With that said, Warren has the tools to become a functional tackle at the next level and he has experience playing on both sides of the line. Seeing how many guys the Broncos had to plug in at right tackle last season, that could be a coveted slot on the roster.

Warren is not going to come into the league ready to go up against NFL edge rushers. He is going to need some time to develop his skills, so using a third-round choice on him might be a bit too much. But the team could see if he falls down the board and if he makes it to day three of the selection process, then he could certainly become a viable option for the team.