In the blink of an eye, the scouting combine has come and gone. Coaches and scouts have taken their notes and stopwatches and left Indianapolis. The prospects have headed home, hoping they put their best foot forward – at least until their pro days.
For the Denver Broncos, the draft board should be full of prospects as the team has several holes to fill. In thinking of some of those prospects, here are some takeaways from the past week in Indianapolis.
1. Devin White appears to be the real deal
You’ll be able to find plenty of mock drafts where the Broncos select LSU linebacker Devin White with the No. 10 overall pick in the draft.
White put up great numbers at the combine and for a prospect that was already a potential top-10 pick, the Broncos may actually need to move up a few slots if they want to get this guy.
And it might be worth it to do that.
White would be a starter immediately and would fill a need at the inside linebacker position. Last year’s Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best linebacker, White can do it all.
He is quick, as evidenced by his 4.42 40-yard dash, but his other numbers were highly impressive too. However, it’s his play speed that sets him apart and makes him a rare find.
He also likes the idea of being selected by the Broncos:
If we’re having trouble with a tight end in our zone coverage catching a lot of balls, you can stick Devin White on him and he’ll go stop him.
That’s an assessment from White himself, not a coach. You have to appreciate the confidence, but he can back it up, too. A linebacker who can cover tight ends? That would be nice to finally have in Denver.
2. The TE problem could be solved on offense, as well
Though it would be unconventional to pick a tight end in the first round, there are a pair of them from Iowa worthy of a selection in Round 1.
Noah Fant ran a ridiculous 4.50 40-yard dash while putting up 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench and posting a 39.5-inch vertical leap.
His former teammate, T.J. Hockenson, looks just as good. He had a 4.70 40-yard dash, 17 benchpress reps and a 37.5-inch vertical leap. It was Fant who truly turned heads, but Hockenson is probably the better professional prospect.
Either guy would help open up the Broncos’ passing attack, one that has lacked a receiving tight end for years. For that reason, both of these players should be considered.
The Broncos met with several tight ends at the combine, including Fant, who might even slip to the second round.
3. A quarterback can wait
Kyler Murray didn’t participate in drills at the combine and of the other quarterbacks who did perform, none of them scream savior if you’re a Broncos fan.
It’s been well documented that next year’s draft is full of better prospects and with the Broncos obtaining Joe Flacco and possibly keeping Case Keenum, there isn’t any reason to reach for one of these guys this year.
Let one of the other teams desperate for a QB make that choice.
4. WR may not be a major need, but D.K. Metcalf . . .
The Bronco have Emmanuel Sanders as well as some talented young pieces in Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton, but after absolutely blowing it out of the water at the combine, D.K. Metcalf should be on the radar of nearly every team.
He was the star of the show during this year’s combine, amazing scouts with his unbelievable combination of strength and speed.
Metcalf posted a 40-yard dash of 4.33 seconds while also tying a combine record for wide receivers by benching 27 reps of 225 pounds. If that wasn’t enough, he then hit a 40.5-inch vertical leap.
He should be skyrocketing up draft boards due to these results and honestly, which team wouldn’t want a player with that kind of athletic ability and potential?
