Best Offseason Options for Broncos to Fill Void at Fullback

The Denver Broncos need to find a fullback. Under new head coach Gary Kubiak, the Broncos will need a fullback to help blast open holes for C.J. Anderson in the zone-blocking system.

Kubiak is known for building strong rushing attacks. As an offensive coordinator with the Broncos (1995-2005) and Baltimore Ravens (2014) and head coach of the Houston Texans (2006-2013), Kubiak’s running backs have rushed for over 1,000 yards 16 times—including a 2,000-yard season from Terrell Davis (1998).

In front of those successful running backs were players such as Howard Griffith, Kyle Juszczyk, Vonta Leach, Greg Jones and others.

Fullback is a dying position in the NFL, but there are a few standout players at the position who can be impact players—even if they rarely make it into the box score.

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, only nine fullbacks have been drafted in the last seven drafts. This year, we should see a small handful of fullbacks selected during the three-day event.

The list of free-agent fullbacks via Spotrac has a few names the Broncos could consider. With limited salary-cap room, how much will the Broncos be willing to spend on the position?

In this article, we are going to look at the 2015 NFL draft and free agency to find fullbacks who could fit the Broncos needs. Here is a list of some of the best offseason options for the Broncos to fill the void at fullback.

Jalston Fowler

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Arguably the best fullback in the 2015 NFL draft, Alabama’s Jalston Fowler could draw interest from the Broncos. Even though he’s listed as a fullback, Fowler can also play H-back if needed.

He didn’t get a chance to carry the ball much for the Crimson Tide, but Fowler made some plays as a receiver out of the backfield. He only carried the ball 32 times over the last two seasons with zero rushing touchdowns. In that same time, Fowler caught 18 passes with seven receiving touchdowns.

At the 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl, Fowler impressed me during the week of practice. He measured in at the weigh-in at 5’11”, 264 pounds. On the field, Fowler showed well in pass-protection drills. Any fullback under Kubiak needs to be well-rounded as a runner, receiver out of the backfield, lead-blocker and pass-blocker.

Renowned draft analyst Matt Waldman, author of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio, compares Fowler to former Falcons utility back Jason Snelling. Like Snelling, Fowler is a capable runner with determination to run through arm tackles regularly. Fowler is more agile than one would think for such a big man, and that helps him when in one-on-one situations with a linebacker in the hole or in space outside.

He was clearly underutilized at Alabama, and some team could get a valuable player for a good price in the draft.

Fowler is currently rated as a fourth- or fifth-round pick by NFLDraftScout.com.

Connor Neighbors

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If the Broncos want to add a fullback with a late-round pick or undrafted free agent, then Connor Neighbors could be their guy. The Bayou Bengals of LSU are famous for having an incredible rushing attack, and Neighbors helped blast open holes for guys such as Kenny Hilliard, Terrence Magee and Leonard Fournette.

Neighbors is an aggressive player who arrives at defenders with natural violence. He does a good job of staying low and driving his legs after contact. Neighbors has the functional strength and understanding of leverage to regularly move his man out of the way.

I watched Neighbors closely during the week of practice for the 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl earlier this year. At the weigh-in, Neighbors measured in at 5’10”, 242 pounds, and he looked like a tank on stage.

Neighbors comes from a great bloodline of football players. His dad, Wes, was All-SEC at Alabama and played in the Senior Bowl back in 1987. His grandfather, Billy, is in the College Football Hall of Fame after dominating as an All-American for Alabama back in the early 1960s.

At this time, Neighbors is rated as a  sixth- or seventh-round pick by NFLDraftScout.com.

Jerome Felton

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NFL.com's Ian Rapoport recently reported that Minnesota Vikings fullback Jerome Felton sent in his notice of intent to void the rest of his contract. Heading to Spotrac.com, you can go over the list of available fullbacks this offseason.

Felton sits at the top of the list for a reason—he had the highest cap hit (a little over $2.1 million) of any fullback available as an unrestricted free agent. He’s still near the top of his game, and adding Felton is going to take a similar commitment.

Originally a 2008 fifth-round pick for the Detroit Lions out of Furman, Felton is a smart and athletic player who showed a nose for the end zone in college. Felton is a native of Germany and a former professional gymnast who is incredibly agile for a man who measures in at 5’11”, 241 pounds.

He stuck with the Lions until 2010. Then, Felton failed to make the Lions roster in 2011 but the Carolina Panthers claimed him off waivers. He lasted only a few months with the Panthers, was waived and was then picked up by the Indianapolis Colts.

In 2012, Felton found a home—and plenty of success with the Minnesota Vikings.

That season, Felton was the lead blocker for Adrian Peterson as he rushed for over 2,000 yards. For his efforts, Felton was named to the Pro Bowl after that season.

In 2013, Felton was suspended for three games for violating the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. That year, Peterson had another 1,000-yard season behind Felton, rushing for 1,266 yards.

Felton has only 46 carries for 163 yards and one rushing touchdown in his career. During that time, he’s also chipped in with 43 catches for 352 receiving yards. He barely touched the ball with the Vikings, but Felton enjoyed his greatest success.

His price tag may be higher than the Broncos want to spend at the position, but Felton is arguably the best fullback available through the draft or free agency.

John Conner

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If the Broncos want a cheaper option than Felton, they could have interest in John Conner. Originally a 2010 fifth-round pick for the New York Jets out of Kentucky, Conner is essentially a human version of a bulldozer.

There is little nuance to Conner’s game, and he’s not as versatile as other players in this article. Conner is an old school, hard-nosed football player who loves to punish opponents. At 5’11”, 245 pounds, Conner can easily blast open holes for running backs behind him. He has no fear when taking on linebackers in the hole, and Conner doesn’t seem to wear down as the game goes on.

As a rookie in 2010, Conner blocked for LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene as they combined for over 1,600 yards rushing. That same combination of running backs rushed for over 1,200 yards in 2011. Conner experienced an injury setback during the 2012 season, and the Jets ended up releasing him.

Over the next two seasons, Conner bounced from the New York Giants to the Cincinnati Bengals before returning to the Jets in 2014.

The Broncos are going to feature C.J. Anderson in 2015, and he could put up 1,500 yards rushing in the Kubiak system. If Denver wants a fullback who rarely touches the ball, easily blasts open holes and comes at a good price, then Conner fits the bill.

Juwan Thompson

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Is the Broncos answer at fullback already on the roster? The answer could be yes if they want Juwan Thompson to play fullback in 2015.

Thompson is a team-first guy who played multiple positions (including linebacker) at Duke University. During his time with the Blue Devils, Thompson lined up as both a running back and a fullback. He already has the skill set and the size to be effective at the position if the Broncos desire.

In fact, there were a few times in 2014 that Thompson did line up at fullback. Another player to see time in the backfield at the position was tight end Virgil Green. With the Kubiak system, Green should see a larger role as a receiver, so for this slide we’ll just focus on Thompson.

If Thompson played fullback for the Broncos in 2015, he could catch 25-30 passes out of the backfield. He runs with a ton of power, and he could be an option for the Broncos when they get near pay dirt. Thompson is not as quick or elusive as C.J. Anderson, but his power and determination make him a battering ram that can soften up the defense.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com. NFL draft grades are courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com.