Denver Broncos: Identifying the Perfect Draft Replacement for Julius Thomas

Julius Thomas was just one of the key free agents whom the Denver Broncos lost this offseason. With him, Thomas took the 108 receptions and 24 touchdown passes that he caught over the course of the last two seasons.

The Broncos were able to soften the blow when they signed Owen Daniels away from the Baltimore Ravens. Daniels has played under new head coach Gary Kubiak in each of his nine seasons in the league.

However, Daniels is 32 years old, and the team needs a player who can develop in its system for the next several years, the same way Thomas did.

Thomas went from being a relatively unknown player to one of the most difficult tight ends to defend in the entire league. Much like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, Thomas was a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses due to his skill set.

In the upcoming NFL draft, the Broncos need to find a tight end who will create these kinds of mismatches.

You've all heard about guys like Maxx Williams of Minnesota and Clive Walford of Miami, arguably the top two tight ends in the draft. Instead, I'm going to identify a different player whom the Broncos can replace Thomas with.

And he's not even a tight end at all.

But Devin Funchess can play tight end. He can also line up as a wide receiver. The best tight ends in the NFL today are the ones who can line up anywhere, creating the types of mismatches that offensive coordinators love to exploit.

Funchess can go up and attack the ball in the air. He is tough to bring down once he has made the catch. As a route-runner, he can find the soft spot in the defense on a fairly regular basis. He will likely draw some negativity due to the 4.70-second 40-yard dash that he ran at the scouting combine, but Thomas wasn't the fastest player either, running a 4.68 40 at the 2011 combine.

In the video below, Funchess catches a pass on a quick bubble screen (a play Denver loves to run) and then shows his athleticism by hurdling a defender before getting a big chunk of yardage.

Despite the fact that he doesn't have blazing speed, Funchess displays very fluid movement as well as a huge catch radius. He did have some issues with drops in college, but if his hands improve, he could be a dominant player.

On this play against Air Force, Funchess catches what amounts to a jump ball from former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. The play goes for a 30-yard score, and Funchess made it look easy.

While at Michigan in college, Funchess caught 126 passes for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns. What stood out then and still does now is the ability he has for a player his size.

At 6'4" and 232 pounds, Funchess can bully a smaller defensive back and be too quick for a linebacker. This would be similar to what the team had with Thomas and even Shannon Sharpe back in the 1990s.

The best thing for Funchess would be the fact that he could sit back an learn from Kubiak and tight ends coach Brian Pariani. The Broncos wouldn't need him immediately, as they'll be able to start the season with the combination of Daniels and Virgil Green.

Slowly, Funchess could be worked into games, depending on the situation, to do exactly what he'll be drafted to do—create a mismatch.

After becoming acclimated to the team and being shown how to best make use of his talents, Funchess could be elevated over Daniels and unleashed upon the rest of the league in the same way that Thomas was after he sat behind veterans Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen.

Where the Broncos would draft Funchess would be key. Grabbing him at No. 28 in the first round may seem a bit early, but the team would be gambling if it hoped to get him at the bottom of the second round.

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Julius Thomas is gone. The Broncos looking for a replacement, Mills and the Broncos take WR/TE Devin Funchess from Michigan at #28!

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) March 27, 2015"

The Broncos have solid weapons on offense at the wide receiver and running back positions. Bringing in a player with the game-changing talent possessed by Funchess makes a lot of sense for the long term in Denver.