So an important note about this article is that I wrote this before free agency, and it will probably get invalidated very quickly because of our signings, but I'm going to publish it anyways. I did not use The Draft Network for this since I don't own TDN Premium, and I wanted to include a trade.

Part I - Draft Time

TRADE

Denver Broncos send 15 to Indianapolis Colts for 34, 44, and 2021 4th





With the Colts trading out of the 1st, it's possible that they could get thirsty for a prospect like Jerry Jeudy or Jordan Love, who are generally still on the board in most TDN Mock Draft Machines I ran, I could see Chris Ballard wanting to move up for one of these elite talents. Elway could be looking at the various holes this team has, and view having multiple early 2nd round picks as more valuable than getting one of these elite prospects. The Broncos can still get elite prospects in that range.





34. Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor

Denzel Mims was a sleeper player for a while, with plenty of Broncos draft writers swearing by him. His stock blew up at the combine. In a super crowded Wide Reciever class, Mims could fall into the early second. Mims isn’t the traditional "burner" receiver many of Broncos Country has been thirsting for, but what Mims brings us is a prospect that has some of the best body control in the draft, good routes, and really shows his athleticism. In the Broncos scheme, Mims would fit best as our Z receiver with a lot of potential to blossom into a 1B to Sutton’s 1A.

Denzel Mims is a 1st round player. Big body, great hands, smart WR on routes. Limited on routes but he excels in what he does. https://t.co/iQcoIxAe0Z — FUTURES DRAFT SCOUTING (@draft_futures) March 15, 2020





44. Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan

If Elway's wants to build an offense in the draft, establishing a solid line for Lock should be near the top of the priority list along with giving Lock more weapons. The interior of our line could still use improvement even with the signing of Graham Glasgow. Ruiz is my favorite O Line prospect in the draft and would lock the center position down. Ruiz is an extremely powerful athlete, he’s got good mobility, good balance, and most importantly, has a lot of experience starting for Michigan. Playing 31 games (26 of them at Center), Ruiz displayed a lot of football IQ. Ruiz would give the Broncos a day 1 starter, and combined with Risner and Glasgow would make our interior a position of strength rather than weakness.

Cesar Ruiz, IOL, #Michigan:



• Sandbox Bully (+)

• Vice grip hands

• Center/Guard versatility (++)

• Excellent short pull blocker

• Constantly scans for work (++)

• High level anchor strength

• Constant communicator upfront pic.twitter.com/6RQPb3smH7 — Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) February 22, 2020





46. Lucas Niang, OT, TCU

How’s this for giving Lock some help? After back to back pickups for our offense, Elway grabs one more. Niang is a prospect that needs a lot of work to reach his upside as a tackle. Niang is a great fit in Zone blocking schemes, which the Broncos primarily run. Niang has good length and size for a tackle, has a good anchor against bull rushes, but Niang needs to work on his footwork and hips for the pros. Niang could serve as the swing tackle his rookie year, and move to a starter in year 2. Giving Munachak Ruiz and Naing would give him a lot of moldable clay to transform the look of our Broncos O Line.





77. Troy Dye, LB, Oregon

Now that the Broncos have looked at filling a lot of holes on offense, the focus should rotate towards adding depth and potential starters for our defense. Linebacker has been our most "meh" position the last couple of years. Alexander Johnson was a shot in the arm last year, and Todd Davis was just okay. The Broncos could move on from Davis next year, and Dye could potentially be his successor. Dye did a good job leading the Duck’s defense and was super productive across multiple years. Dye has great athleticism, excellent range, and good instincts. Dye needs to work more on his football IQ and anticipating plays rather than reacting to them. Having a coach that has a history of getting the most out of his linebackers in Fangio doesn’t hurt either.

Oregon ILB Troy Dye:



- Elite athlete for the position

- The ideal sub-package linebacker

- Good ability in coverage

- Sheds blocks consistently

- Shoots gaps with explosiveness

- Has vines for arms

- Tough as nails

- Hot motor

- Fluid athlete



pic.twitter.com/H85pfDjmFN — Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) March 11, 2020





83. Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia

An unfortunate injury ended Bryce Hall's college career early and had it not we could be talking about Hall at 15 more than we would for him in the third or second. Hall is a very long, physical corner that fits very well on Fangio's Zone scheme. He's very assertive in his tackling and has excellent ball skills. Hall isn't the most athletic cornerback at this range in the draft, and he needs to work on his footwork. Giving him some time to simmer under Bouye and whatever FA CB we sign (probably Amukamara) could be the best-case scenario for Hall to succeed. It would also give the Broncos more room to work with more DB prominent sets.

#UVA CB Bryce Hall (6-1, 200) will definitely be a popular name in 2020. Big, physical corner, who led the nation in pass breakups last year (22). pic.twitter.com/ewg7phsQsd — Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) April 30, 2019





95. Jordan Elliott, DL, Missouri

Games are won in the trenches, and even after adding D.J. Reader or another free agent D-Linemen, the Broncos should look to add more depth in the draft. Elliott has a great build, good strength, good speed, very explosive, and flexible. What Elliott needs to work on is his tackling radius, finishing tackles, and will need time for the game to "slow down" for him. Elliott is a raw, unfinished product. Give him enough time to work on his technique and mental processing, and Elliott can show up as a potential starter down the line.





118. Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis

Weapons, weapons, weapons. Getting Lock weapons is an absolute priority. Gibson is an ascending prospect at running back, but he also can get work in as a receiver. Gibson is a very smooth runner with great cuts. What Gibson isn’t is a powerful runner like Royce Freeman is, what Gibson offers us is receiving work and tantalizing potential. Gibson can be a chess piece for our offense with the ability to keep defenses guessing.





178. Lynn Bowden, WR, Kentucky

Bowden is one of the more interesting prospects in the draft. At Kentucky Bowden played receiver primarily until his quarterback went down, Bowden picked up the mantle and played the position himself. He is a dynamic player, good speed, great vision, good frame, and good body control. The overall issue might be that his year playing QB hurt his development as a receiver. More work needs to be done on his routes and overall adjustment to the receiver role in the NFL. Bowden can give us another offensive chess piece with Gibson, with Bowden being able to run the Wildcat offense, which is also fun to watch.

Lynn Bowden is a tough projection, but get the ball in his hands and he is dynamite. pic.twitter.com/qqUzFS3keX — Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) February 25, 2020





181. Antoine Brooks, S, Maryland

Defensive depth is always super nice, especially in such an important area as the defensive backfield. Antoine Brooks has good tackling, good acceleration, great anticipation, and he’s explosive. Brooks is a super emotional team leader for Maryland with great versatility. Brooks needs to work on his deep coverage and ball skills. Brooks could see time playing our nickel back spot, but worst case scenario we could get a good depth option from him.





237. Bryce Perkins, QB, Virginia

I’m of the mindset you should always try to draft a QB in the 7th or look for one as a UDFA, with how unpredictable QBs can be as prospects, a "can’t-miss" prospect could be god awful, and a 6th rounder could be the GOAT. Perkins is your traditional untraditional QB, with good athleticism, Perkins kept defenses on their feet in college with his dual-threat ability. Perkins really, really, really needs to work on his passing ability. He’s often erratic with his throws and has trouble locking in on his first read. Perkins could work well in our training camp and fight whatever veteran QB and Rypien for the backup spot.





252. Josiah Coatney, DL, Ole Miss

Get that D-Line depth boy! Coatney actually interviewed with the Broncos at the Combine and is a big boy. Coatney is destined to play 3-tech even though he isn’t the most dominant run defender. Coatney needs to work on his ability to shed blockers and mobility. Coatney is a good tackler with average pass rushing ability. Don’t expect much out of Coatney, but again, getting more depth is crucial for this team’s success.





254. Braden Mann, P, Texas

I don’t need to tell you how f***ing awful Wadman was for us last year. He needs to be out immediately or at least challenged for the starting spot. Mann has a big ass leg, and that’s about all the scouting I’ve done on him

Part II - What I loved & Didn't About the Draft

Loved - Flexibility

We got so many flexible players in this draft. Gibson and Bowden have so many options to be used in our offense in so many different ways. Hall and Brooks offer a lot of position versatility for the defense, something Fangio loves in his defense.





Didn’t - Hit or Miss Prospects

Ruiz is the only prospect in this draft I’d be confident stepping in day 1 and starting for the Broncos. Mims, Niang, Hall, Dye, Elliott (especially Elliott,) Gibson, Bowden, and Perkins all need time to get acclimated to the NFL before they can reach their potential. I feel pretty confident Mims, Niang, Hall, and Dye can get up to speed during their rookie years, but this is a lot of commitment to risky players. This could be one of Elway’s best drafts, but it also just as easily could go down like Elway’s 2017 draft.





Loved - 12 Selections

Selecting as many players as you can is super nice in the draft since it’s essentially a lottery. The trade back gave us a lot of picks in the drafts sweet spot, and in such a deep draft, you can still get high-quality starters.





Didn’t - 12 Selections

On the other hand, teams don’t generally select 12 players for a reason. It would be a bit concerning if there weren’t any prospects in the draft the Broncos loved enough to trade up for. The Broncos could realistically trade their middle 2nd, a 3rd, and one day 3 pick to move up into the late first.

Part III - Areas for Improvement in 2021

Offensive Line (Probably)

Depending on how well Ruiz and Niang adapt to starting, the Broncos could still be looking for another member of the offensive line. Ju’Wan James has an easy out after this year, so depending on if his season gets cut short by another injury, the Broncos could also need something there (although hopefully, Niang would be stepping in there.) Niang isn’t as good of a fit at LT as he is at RT, so getting Bolles successor could also be kicked down the road.





Defensive Line

I didn’t write up free agents this go around, but the Broncos absolutely need to look at adding a few in free agency. If they don’t this is the biggest need on our roster by far. With Purcell being the only starter returning, this is a must.





Edge Rusher and Strong Safety

Not suggesting there is an immediate need here, but Miller and Jackson are creeping their way up in age. The Broncos would be wise to start looking for their successor. Chubb and Simmons could use a partner for the future.

Part IV - Other Writers Thoughts

Brandon Miller (@BMiller4614)

I love trading down in this draft. Acquiring more capital and not reaching for a player is the smart play. Even in round one, the draft is a lottery and having more tickets never hurts.

"But the Broncos don't need 11/12/13 players, they won't all make the roster" is a common complaint I see. I think we have enough needs, however, that we can find valuable players that can contribute in later rounds.

If nothing else, draft some cheap rookies that are skilled on special teams to shore up that weakness. However, the main advantage to trading down is extra capital to wheel-and-deal later (see: Drew Lock)





I've been vocal about how great Mims is, and although I doubt he makes it out of round 1, I would absolutely love to grab him in round 2. As you mentioned, his body control is off the charts and he makes catches that

should have been incompletions. That's a great tool for a sophomore QB like Lock. I'd love to see what Munchak could do with a mauler like Ruiz who can move to the second level with relative ease, especially as McGovern's future is up in the air.

Landing him and Niang would be a nice injection of talent to the OL that could eventually spell one of James or Bolles down the line.





Hall could be the steal of the draft if he returns to pre-injury form and would be a great addition to this secondary.





I also really like Elliot and Bowden, who quite simply is a Swiss army knife on offense. Gibson is really intriguing as a receiver, I need to study him more but he's a player who could turn into a solid contributor early on in his career

thanks to his pass-catching ability that has been lacking in our backfield for a while.

If we wound up with some combination of:



Jeudy/Mims

Hill/Duvernay

Ruiz/Cushenberry

CEH/Dillon

Hall/Dantzler/Johnson

Niang/Wilson/Adeniji

Elliot/Madubuike/Fotu

Dye/Bailey/ADG

Winfield/Burgess/Dugger/Wallace/Chinn



I'd be pretty damn happy. Lots of good options. — Brandon Miller (@BMiller4164) March 3, 2020





Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL)

I'm a big proponent for trading down and collecting extra picks in the sweet spot of this draft between picks 20 and 100, so moving down with the Colts would be awesome.





Now to combine that with Mims sliding all the way to 34? I'd be over the moon. His floor is a little lower because of some catch consistency, but his ceiling is right up there with the best players in this class. Then to turn around and add both Ruiz and Niang to the line in the second could give the Broncos another option inside and potential insurance against Ja'Wuan James down the road.

Dye, Hall, and Elliot are players I'm pretty intrigued by, and seem to fit a move towards reinforcing the Broncos' pass defense. Gibson is the kind of back I'd like to take a swing on with pass catching chops, and Bowden makes sense as a late flier.

Denzel Mims just ran a 4.4 40, which would put him in the 75th percentile for WRs. He's my WR4.https://t.co/gex848PEwj pic.twitter.com/bQSqJbVpek — Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) February 28, 2020

Part V - Conclusion

I liked this draft. I think if we want to accomplish "building an offense" then this would be one of the best ways to go. I don't know how much this will change with free agency, (while I was editing this we just signed Graham Glasgow) but getting Mims, Ruiz, and Niang would be excellent for Lock's development. Ruiz and Dye are some of my favorite players at their position in the draft, so getting them would make me very excited.