The Denver Broncos are pretty loaded on defense even if some players leave in free agency, but adding strong defensive players is never a bad idea.
When the Denver Broncos lost 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the American Football Conference Championship, it was due to the lack of offense in the absence of starting quarterback Bo Nix.
Sure, saying the outcome would have been different with Nix under center instead of backup QB Jarrett Stidham sounds like an excuse, but most think the Broncos would have put up a better fight with the guy who got them there.
But even when Nix was healthy, the Broncos offense looked like it needed to add another offensive playmaker or two to truly be a powerful offense. Even though Denver was 10th in total yards per game (342.6), their 23.6 points per game ranked in the middle of the pack.
The Broncos could benefit from bringing in a dynamic wide receiver to pair with Courtland Sutton and give Nix another reliable target, but it’s more likely that this will be done in free agency rather than the draft.
Speaking of the draft, it’s mock draft season, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. just published second first-round mock. He made some tweaks to this one compared to the one he did in January, but one thing that stayed the same was that he has the Broncos selecting a defensive player with the 30th overall pick.
In January, that player was Florida’s defensive tackle Caleb Banks. This time around, Kiper predicts the Broncos will draft Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, saying it might not be an impactful pick right away, but neither was the Jahdae Barron pick last year.
“The Broncos have two solid safeties in Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, so this pick might not reap immediate rewards,” Kiper wrote Tuesday. “Denver is planning ahead in the secondary and building something there, as coach Sean Payton focuses on keeping this defense strong.”
Although the Broncos are set to lose several starters on defense, especially in the secondary, that side of the ball is loaded with talent and is still in a good spot moving forward. Barron wasn’t used a ton early in the season and logged under 400 snaps during his rookie season, but the Broncos are extremely excited about his upside.
Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton praised Barron’s playmaking ability, IQ, versatility, instincts and much more after he was drafted. Pro Football Focus didn’t give him a generous grade as a rookie but the Broncos are still happy with their pick.
Kiper believes McNeil-Warren is a sleeper pick and would be higher on draft boards if he played at a more prestigious football school.
“McNeil-Warren is a bit of a sleeper right now, but I think he could have been a top-15 pick had he played for a Power 4 team,” wrote Kiper. “His performance against Kentucky at the beginning of the season got my attention. He had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in that game. His tape shows real speed to the football, and he has five interceptions and 12 forced fumbles over his four-year career.”
I could see the Broncos looking to upgrade at tight end with this pick, seeing that veteran Evan Engram was mediocre in his first season with Denver. Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq has been mocked to the Broncos in the past, but Kiper has him being selected earlier than 30th and he has been rising on draft boards.
Adding more firepower to the defense is never a bad idea, and it could be a “best player available” scenario at the end of the day.