The Mock Draft Machine is not perfect. Not even close. Every week there seems to be some elite, top 10 draft prospect falling into the late 1st (this week, Isaiah Simmons and Jerry Jeudy seem to be the choice.) You can make some bat shit scenarios, like this week I had two insane scenarios right after each other, the best overall prospect in the draft Chase Young fall all the way to Denver, and had a scenario where both Isaiah Simmons and all three of the top receivers were available at 15. But what The Mock Draft Machine does do is allow me to talk about some unique scenarios.

Part I - The Free Agents

Cut Joe Flacco

We're just on the waiting list for Flacco to clear his medicals before we can cut him. Cool Joe was a huge disappointment this year, and the team is Drew’s. Broncos can get a much cheaper backup QB that can provide us the same skillset.

Re-Sign Justin Simmons, Derek Wolfe, De'Vante Bausby, Jeremiah Attachou, Casey Kreiter, and all RFAs & ERFAs

Simmons is going to be re-signed or tagged, easy. Between all the options for us during free agency at defensive line, re-signing Wolfe might look questionable. How I look at it is that we’d be very likely to end up overpaying for someone like D.J. Reader or Leonard Williams, with Derek Wolfe we’d be able to get good value in his contract, and still get a great player. Wolfe is no longer a spring chicken, and he does have injury concerns, which could bump that contract price down. Wolfe has been an exceptional fit in Fangio’s scheme, was super productive when he was healthy and is a great locker room presence. Attachou, Baubsy, and the RFAs/ERFAs are all good depth options for us. Getting competition for the back-up roles during training camp is important, one of the most important things for a team ready to compete to have is depth.

Sign Robby Anderson

I know the mindset has been very locked in on targeting defense in free agency and drafting offense. Here’s the issue though, I can’t see Elway letting such a huge need as Wide Reciever being left alone during free agency. Elway traditionally loves filling those huge holes in free agency and then letting the board come to him. Robby Anderson is a great fit for the Broncos offense and a fantastic compliment to Sutton. Anderson’s main strength is his speed, he would be able to stretch the field for Denver and can make defenses look silly with huge plays. He does have some, uh questionable off-the-field concerns, but compared to some of the players allowed to continue playing across the AFC West, he isn’t nearly as bad. Signing Anderson could really give this offense some juice, and get some more veteran leadership in the locker room. And signing Anderson doesn’t shut the door on us drafting Jeudy, Lamb, or Ruggs. Without how many 3 receiver sets Shurmur’s scheme uses, it would make a lot of sense to still target a third receiver in the draft.

Sign Prince Amukamara

The Broncos trade for A.J. Bouye threw a little (big) wrench in my original plans for this off-season. But while Bouye is certainly an improvement over our cornerback play last year outside of Chris Harris, it still doesn’t fix the issue entirely. Getting a third cornerback is important, and a lot of Broncos Beat reporters have been implying (or just blatantly saying) that we will be looking for another one in free agency. Given Amukamara's experience and success in Fangio’s system, he would be a great fit for us. Combining him, Bouye, and his former teammate Callahan would give the Broncos a better cornerback situation than a lot of the teams in the league.

Sign B.J. Finney and Mike Remmers

Key number one for a successful offense outside of a quarterback is your O-Line play. Last year we were just alright, but we got clapped by injuries. Getting depth here is important. Finney and Remmers both have played under Munachak and Shurmur respectively, and while not being amazing linemen, you’re not signing them here to start. There being signed to compete for and push the players for our backup linemen spots. Competition is good, and getting veterans in to lead the locker room is also super nice.

Sign Sam Bradford and Chris Thompson

I had a super random thought earlier this week when I was thinking about backup QBs "why not Bradford?" And it’s true, I hadn’t even considered Bradford at all, but he could make sense for a backup. Bradford is made of glass, and when he was on the field last, he looked super underwhelming. But, he was apparently highly viewed by the Vikings coaching staff when they traded a first-round pick for him, and who was made the Vikings OC halfway through the season? Pat Shurmur. Bradford has seen a lot of different systems, and I think could be a really good mentor for Lock. He’s not that great of a QB, but you’re not signing him to be that. If Lock gets injured, the seasons already pretty f***ed, so at that point, I’d rather see if you have anything in Brett Rypien. If the Broncos and Keenum’s bridge has already been burned, Bradford wouldn’t be a bad option. Thompson is a good-ish receiving back, with how much of a disappointment Freeman was this season, getting some more push from behind would be good.

Part II - Draft Time

15. Javon Kinlaw, DE, South Carolina

I didn’t get "Javon Kinlaw stan" written in my Twitter profile for nothing, I f***ing love Kinlaw. You look at his film, and the dude is just such a wrecking ball on the interior, he didn’t have the greatest college production, but that’s because he spent a lot of plays double, or even triple-teamed. And if you’re looking for him off the field, he’s one of the classiest acts in this entire class. Watch this video of him and tell me you don’t love the guy. And on top of ALL that, he’s also an exceptional fit for Fangio’s scheme. I know right now we want to target offense high during the draft, but Kinlaw transcends all that for me. He’s BPA (honestly he is a top 10 player in this draft class, no cap) and would give our roster such a powerful force on the line.

WATCH: Take two minutes out of your day and listen to @JavonKinlaw share more of his story at the NFL Combine.



He then goes on to give his 11-year-old self some advice.



"People might pick on you because you don't have much clothes... but something greater's ahead of you." pic.twitter.com/A4V9ccfDXp — Cam Gaskins (@CamGaskinsTV) February 27, 2020

46. Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

The only thing more controversial than drafting a defensive player with our top pick is drafting TWO defensive players with our top picks. But again, BPA at a position of need. Murray realistically should not fall out of the first (I’d be shocked if he makes it past the Ravens at 28 as a minimum.) Murray is what you’re looking for in a linebacker, he’s fast, a willing tackler, good production, a leader on Oklahoma’s defense, and a great person off the field. Johnson, Murray, and Davis would be one helluva defensive trio for us at linebacker, a position that is steadily becoming more important in the modern NFL. Linebacker isn’t our biggest need by a long shot, but it’s also not a huge strength.

Kenneth Murray so far. pic.twitter.com/xAC5EaeROW — Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2020

77. Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU

Let me preface this by saying, I in no way, shape, or form believe Reagor will fall to the third round, hell I don’t even think he will fall out of the top round. But if (and that’s a big if) he falls, the Broncos should pounce. For someone that was being mocked to Denver at 15 a couple of weeks ago, Reagor’s stock collapsed during the combine. Relatively disappointing times on the 40, and bad agility. But this is a scenario of not sweating because of workout warriors. Reagor has drops on tape, but he also showed speed and talent and combining him with our signee Robby Anderson would give Lock talent to look for everywhere across the field. If 31 GMs overthink Reagor for the first two rounds, Elway better pounce.

83. Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State

Of all the biggest risers out of this combine, Ezra Cleveland might be one of the biggest (literally, badum tss.) While some reports show that Cleveland could be a late 1st-early 2nd rounder, I'm not quite ready to definitely put him there. Still, I can’t imagine Cleveland lasts here. Cleveland tested extraordinarily well, and of his three years starting for Boise State, he only missed one game. Cleveland is a fantastic fit in a Zone blocking scheme, which we primarily will be using next year. If Cleveland can hit his potential, we’re looking at a franchise tackle just sitting here in the third. He won’t be starting over Bolles or James his rookie year, spending time as the team’s swing tackle could be beneficial for him.

#CombineNotes



5. Boise State OT Ezra Cleveland (6’6", 311) is the prospect that had scouts/evaluators whispering. He’s definitely a name that’s in Rd. 2 consideration. Running a 4.93 40-yd. dash and a 4.46 shuttle were great for him. Keep an eye on this name. — Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) February 29, 2020

95. Nick Harris, C, Washington

While on the topic of offensive linemen, let’s get another one back to back. Nick Harris’s stock was steadily increasing towards the end of the season, but after a horrific Senior Bowl, it plummeted. He had a really good Combine, so he can steadily work his way back towards being a second round pick. Harris is another lineman that fits really well in a Zone blocking scheme, but unlike Cleveland, he could actually start his rookie year. He’s a very athletic, but a little undersized center that more than makes up for it with his football IQ and experience at both center and guard.

108. Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa

With the trade for Bouye, and Prince being signed in free agency, Cornerback gets knocked down our needs in the draft by a whole lot. We should still look to find one in the mid or late-round picks. Ojemudia is a smart, physical cornerback who can blossom into a starter. His speed will affect how we use him, but for a defensive scheme that looks for physical, aggressive cornerbacks, Ojemudia is a great fit.

161. Terrell Burgess, S, Utah

Burgess is the player in this draft with the most inconsistent draft stock. The Draft Network has him as a sixth rounder, while some media members have him going in the late second. Burgess was a starter for the first time this season for Utah. Burgess is a versatile Strong Safety that can also play at Nickelback. He’s an intelligent playmaker, period. He could perhaps turn into a future stud, but for a 6th rounder, you can’t ask for much more.

214. James Proche, WR, SMU

With how stacked this class is at receiver, good players will fall. Proche is a rather unathletic receiver, but he has a really good catch radius, good routes, amazing hands, good footwork, and can be used on special teams. He’ll be stuck behind the rest of our current receivers this year, but he could develop into a good slot receiver.

Part III - What I Loved and Didn't About This Draft

Loved - Value

Kinlaw is a top 10 pick, Murray is a first round pick, and Reagor, Cleveland, and Harris are all second round picks. Gotta love that value.

Didn't - Back to Back Defensive Players to Start the Draft

Nothing screams let’s purchase a defense, build an offense like using our two top 50 picks on defensive players. Now look, the value is there for the picks, and both of them would be starters, but it is still kind of suspect going after that. The third round gives us exceptional value for our offense, but that being so good doesn’t completely justify the first two picks.

Loved - Kinlaw

PLEASE GOD ALMIGHTY GIVE ME KINLAW AT 15 PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Alright man, I think I've seen enough.



Javon Kinlaw is DT 1 in this year's class for me. Alabama has future NFL guys up and down that offensive line and NONE OF THOSE guys could handle Kinlaw. You couldn't say the same thing about Brown when he went up against Alabama… ‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/lxtn4btn8x — KingCodais (@CodyLac) February 17, 2020

Part IV - Depth Chart

QB - Drew Lock/Sam Bradford/Brett Rypien

RB - Phillip Lindsay/Royce Freeman/Chris Thompson

FB - Andy Janovich/Andrew Beck

WR1 - Courtland Sutton/Tim Patrick

WR2 - Robby Anderson/DaeSean Hamilton

WR3 - Jalen Reagor/James Proche

TE - Noah Fant/Jeff Heuerman/Troy Fumagalli/Andrew Beck

LT - Garrett Bolles

LG - Dalton Risner

C - Nick Harris

RG - Elijah Wilkinson

RT - Ja'Wuan James

Swing Tackle - Ezra Cleveland

OL - B.J. Finney/Mike Remmers/Patrick Morris/Jake Rodgers/Calvin Anderson

WLB - Von Miller/Jeremiah Attaochu

ILB - Alexander Johnson/Todd Davis

DE - Derek Wolfe/Dre'Mont Jones

NT - Mike Purcell

DE - Javon Kinlaw/DeMarcus Walker

ILB - Kenneth Murray/Josey Jewell

SLB - Bradley Chubb/Malik Reed

CB - A.J. Bouye/De'Vante Bausby/Michael Ojemudia

CB - Bryce Callahan/Isaac Yiadom/Davontae Harris

NB - Prince Amukamara/Duke Dawson/Terrell Burgess

FS - Justin Simmons

SS - Kareem Jackson/Trey Marshall

K - Brandon McManus

P - Colby Wadman (gotta get one as an undrafted free agent)

LS - Casey Kreiter

PR - Diontae Spencer

Part V - Final Thoughts

Have I mentioned how much I really like Kinlaw? I know how much we need to give Lock weapons through the draft, but if you want the Broncos to be contenders next year, I think this has a better shot compared to my draft from a couple of weeks ago. Giving Fangio Kinlaw and Murray shouldn’t be legal. Anderson, Reagor, and our O-Line picks would give Lock plenty of help on offense. These Broncos would be downright fun to watch