Denver Broncos' Draft Stock Watch: 5 Players Rising or Falling on Denver's Board
The Denver Broncos have worked diligently through free agency. With much less cap space than most teams in the NFL, the team has overcome the challenges of the salary cap to add quality talent at multiple positions.
While navigating through free agency, the Broncos have also been putting together a board for the 2016 NFL draft.
General manager John Elway has built a Super Bowl champion in only five years on the job. They’ve “won now,” so as he enters his sixth season as an executive, Elway has to continue the construction of a team that can win from now on.
The NFL Scouting Combine is long in the past, and most pro days have wrapped up in recent weeks. Every team in the NFL is now holding private workouts for a small number of prospects. During these workouts, a team can get a better look at players it might select at the end of the month.
Here’s a draft stock watch for five players Denver could be considering in the 2016 NFL draft.
Stock Up: Ole Miss DL Robert Nkemdiche
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This may be the best defensive line class we’ve ever seen enter the NFL. With so much talent to choose from, a player who is standing out during the predraft process is Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche.
The Broncos could be considering Nkemdiche in the first round of the draft because of his skill set and amazing potential. Measuring in at almost 300 pounds, Nkemdiche doesn’t have much—if any—bad weight on his frame. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage, and he’s got the strength to push around blockers on the offensive line. Nkemdiche does get lazy at times on the field, but a coaching staff with Wade Phillips and Bill Kollar could motivate him to new heights.
They lost Malik Jackson (Jacksonville Jaguars) in free agency, so the Broncos will be looking for help up front. Last week, they did add veteran defensive end Jared Crick, formerly of the Houston Texans. Crick has plenty of starting experience and could end up as Jackson’s replacement even though he’s not as good of a pass-rusher. However, Crick could just be part of a rotation that may include a talented rookie like Nkemdiche.
Stock Down: Utah RB Devontae Booker
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Sometimes a player sees his draft stock fall for reasons that aren’t his fault. That may be the case with Utah running back Devontae Booker.
The Broncos have had Booker in for a private workout this month, and he’s got the upside to be at least a decent starter in the pros. Booker is an efficient runner who rarely takes false steps and can maximize what’s blocked open for him up front. While not overly fast, overly quick or overly powerful, Booker does a good job of finding creases and following his blocks. With 80 receptions over the last two seasons, he is a fantastic receiver out of the backfield.
With the decision to match the Miami Dolphins' offer sheet for C.J. Anderson, the Broncos clearly have their lead back for 2016. There’s a chance the team also brings back Ronnie Hillman to be Anderson’s backup for the upcoming season. If that’s the case, then perhaps the Broncos won’t make a move to add an all-purpose back like Booker in the first two days of the draft.
Stock Up: LSU CB Rashard Robinson
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Teams can never have too many good cornerbacks in today’s pass-happy league. Elway is likely to add more competition in the secondary during the 2016 NFL draft, and LSU’s Rashard Robinson is on the team’s radar.
Robinson is one of the players the Broncos have brought to team headquarters for a private workout—and for good reason, as they want to get a better feel for a player who was suspended for part of 2014 and all of 2015 in Baton Rouge.
Robinson had eligibility problems early in his career for the Bayou Bengals, but he was a standout player when on the field. Head coach Les Miles suspended him in November 2014, and the team never reinstated him.
He’s got the length to be disruptive at the point of the catch. Robinson has the wingspan to break up passes and the aggressive mentality to work well in press coverage. He needs to add weight to his frame, but Robinson has speed to burn and shows no problem turning to cover on downfield routes. If his troubles are behind him, Robinson might put together a solid pro career.
The Broncos have a tremendous trio of corners with Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby. Behind those three, the team has question marks at the position. Adding a talented player like Robinson would improve Denver's depth and give it a prospect with the upside to one day be a key piece of the No Fly Zone on defense.
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Stock Down: Western Kentucky TE Tyler Higbee
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Players need to avoid trouble leading up to the draft at all costs. Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee may have moved himself off plenty of draft boards after an altercation at a bar last weekend. "Higbee was arrested and charged Sunday morning with second-degree assault, second-degree fleeing or evading police, and public intoxication," according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com.
The Broncos had an up-close look at Higbee during a private workout held earlier this month. He’s a big, fast, fluid and athletic tight end who can be a reliable receiver out of the backfield. Higbee can go up and get the ball "above the rim," and he has no problem ripping away contested catches from a defender.
This isn’t a great tight end class, but the Broncos clearly have a need at the position. With the release of Owen Daniels, the Broncos are set to begin 2016 with Virgil Green and Jeff Heuerman as their top two tight ends on the roster. Green is a great blocker but criminally underused as a receiver, while Heuerman is a huge unknown after missing all of his rookie season due to a knee injury he suffered in rookie minicamp last year.
Higbee’s a consideration for the Broncos, but this run-in with the law could turn the team away.
Stock Up: Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
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The Broncos have a large hole on the roster at the quarterback position. They only have two passers on the roster: Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian. They traded for Sanchez earlier this year, and there have been plenty of reports about their desire to trade the San Francisco 49ers for Colin Kaepernick—a move we may see unfold before the draft. The Broncos are clearly looking at the draft, and sitting at the 31st overall pick, we could see a player like Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch join the team.
Lynch was in the Mile High City this week with a chance to impress Elway and company. He’s built a lot like Brock Osweiler, but Lynch has a more compact delivery and is a better scrambler than the former Broncos quarterback. Operating out of the shotgun exclusively in college, Lynch needs to prove he can work from under center, drop back and read a defense simultaneously while getting ready to throw the ball. He may be more of a project than some like to think, but Lynch has the upside to be a quarterback similar to the Tennessee Titans' Marcus Mariota someday.
Patience is the order of the day for the Broncos when it comes to quarterback. The fanbase may be clamoring to find an upgrade from Sanchez, but Elway and company are not rushing into any decision. Regardless of what happens with Kaepernick, the team may decide to add Lynch in the draft—and it may even be willing to move up in the draft in order to do so.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.
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