The Denver Broncos still need to bring in some reinforcements on defense, and they have no choice but to have a plan for this unit during the 2024 NFL Draft. The Broncos entered the 2024 NFL Offseason with the worst defensive front in football, and they'll enter the 2024 NFL Draft with the worst defensive front in football.
The team clearly didn't want to spend a ton in free agency, and that's even with the deeper free agent market along the defensive line. Denver did bring in Malcolm Roach, a former New Orleans Saints player who obviously had previous ties to Sean Payton. Roach is young, at least, but doesn't move the needle a whole lot.
In fact, ESPN's depth chart lists the Broncos projected starting defensive line at Zach Allen, DJ Jones, and Matt Henningsen. Not great. The team also brought along Rashard Lawrence, who played with Vance Joseph in Arizona, but Lawrence isn't more than a depth body.
Anyway, it is a bit puzzling that the Broncos didn't do much in free agency to at least try to fix the DL, as they had the cap space and a slew of quality players at their disposal. The team must attack this unit aggressively during the 2024 NFL Draft, and there could be a clear connection. The team's defensive line coach is Jamar Cain, who was the DL coach at LSU in 2022.
LSU has a few DT prospects set to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Both Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo have played for Cain before, and I would be shocked if the Broncos weren't eye-balling one or both of them. The Broncos could also try and explore a trade down scenario where they end up with a second-round pick. In the second round, they might be able to draft someone like Braden Fiske from Florida State or Kris Jenkins from Michigan.
Surely the Broncos will have a plan for this unit during the 2024 NFL Draft. If not, the team is going to be in huge trouble in 2024.