The NFL draft kicks off in a matter of days and the Denver Broncos hold the No. 10 overall pick in the first round. Through a variety of mock drafts you can find, you won’t find a consensus pick for the team.
Many analysts feel that the best players in the draft as on the defensive side of the ball while many others are in the camp that the team still needs to find a quarterback for the future.
Which direction will the team go in? That question will be tackled here as will the other seven picks the team has in the draft.
The list of team needs is deep and the Broncos must hit on several of these picks by finding impact players. This mock will not account for any potential trades.
1st round, No. 10 overall: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
There will be many options at this pick, including a quarterback or talented Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson. Devin White from LSU is a guy fans would love to see the Broncos be able to land, but there is a high probability that he will be gone by this pick.
It’s Vic Fangio’s first draft as a head coach after decades in the league and he should get the most athletic linebacker he can find in this draft and take Bush out of Michigan.
He will be a Day 1 starter and add an element to Denver’s defense that it hasn’t had in quite some time.
2nd round, No. 41 overall: Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame
Love possesses the kind of cover skills that rival any player in this draft. He is a technical cover corner who will also bring tremendous ball skills. He’s a shade under 6 feet tall and won’t be the fastest guy on the field, but he can handle playing the slot or on the outside and will transition well to the next level.
The Broncos need more depth at the cornerback possession, particularly if they see Kareem Jackson as a safety so this would be a great pick in this spot.
3rd round, No. 71 overall: Khalen Saunders, DT, Western Illinois
Saunders was the standout star of Senior Bowl week and as a result, he has shot up draft boards.
Another position the team is extremely thin at is defensive tackle. Saunders is more athletic than you would think and has the ability to consistently split double teams and get after the quarterback.
He would be a rotational piece to begin his pro career, but one with more than enough ability to become an eventual starter.
4th round, No. 125 overall: Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn
For those believing the Broncos need to take a shot at a quarterback in this draft, Stidham is a popular choice.
After beginning his career at Baylor, he transferred to Auburn and in two seasons, passed for nearly 6,000 yards and 36 touchdowns.
He is an accurate passer and has the ability to throw the ball well on the run. He has a good history of making smart decisions as he threw only 11 interceptions in two seasons at Auburn.
Perhaps most important is his big game experience playing in the SEC Conference as he had multiple games against tough Alabama teams and several other nationally ranked schools within the conference.
5th round, No. 148 overall: Ross Pierschbacher, OL, Alabama
Ready for a great value pick? Here’s one.
The Broncos need more depth on the offensive line, perhaps much more, but Pierschbacher is the kind of player who might be able to knock out two of those birds with one stone.
Coming from one of the top college programs in the country, he started multiple games at both guard positions to begin his college career and then moved to center as a senior, starting 15 games there.
It just so happens that the Broncos could use a versatile swing lineman who can play guard and center.
Pierschbacher would be a solid selection in this spot and his experience playing in big games should make him a viable option early on in his career.
5th round, No. 156 overall: David Sills, WR, West Virginia
Sills is a developmental prospect to be sure, but one who could turn into a viable piece of an offense at some point down the road.
He comes with a unique story. As an eighth-grader and playing quarterback, he was offered a scholarship by Lane Kiffin, who was coaching USC at the time. A broken knuckle during his junior year in high school forced him to change his throwing motion and suddenly, he wasn’t much of a prospect at quarterback anymore.
He moved to wide receiver and took to the new position like any great athlete would, shining for the Mountaineers. His 15 receiving touchdowns in 2018 were second-most in the nation.
He isn’t going to be fast enough to separate from NFL defenders and he’ll definitely need to add some muscle to his thin frame, but he has great ball skills and a good pair of hands. His height (6-3) allows him to go up and make plays on the ball and he has a nose for the end zone.
6th round, No. 182 overall: Karan Higdon, RB, Michigan
In Higdon, the Broncos find their second pick out of Michigan in this mock draft.
A straight-ahead, powerful runner, Higdon averaged 5.6 yards per carry during his college career and scored at least 10 touchdowns on the ground in each of his last two seasons at Michigan.
He’s tough to bring down and doesn’t fumble the ball. Higdon is the kind of back that can come in and pick up first downs on short-yardage situations. He won’t add much as a receiver but could find a defined role with the team.
The Broncos have a bit of an uncertain backfield situation with Phillip Lindsay coming off a serious wrist injury and Devontae Booker being a bit of an underperformer to this point in his career.
7th round, No. 237 overall: Alex Wesley, WR, Northern Colorado
The Broncos would love to get another receiving tight end in this draft but the chips didn’t fall that way in this mock. Down this low, they decide to take a shot on a local prospect from Northern Colorado.
Wesley is a relatively unknown prospect, but he has skills that can translate to the NFL level.
He has above-average ball skills but it’s his world class level track speed that sets him apart. As a part-time track athlete, his 400-meter dash time of 45.91 seconds was 14th best in the entire country.
That’s impressive.
Broncos scouts should be quite familiar with his game and they may have even looked at him more than any other team. At this point, there are less than 20 overall picks remaining in the draft. The team could do a lot worse than Wesley.
