The Denver Broncos spoke with Northern Illinois edge defender Sutton Smith after a Senior Bowl practice last month, according to Draft Wire’s Gavino Borquez.
Smith (6-1, 237 pounds) recorded 124 tackles — including 56.5 tackles for losses — and 29 sacks during his final two years with the Huskies. He played both defensive end and outside linebacker while in college.
If selected by an NFL team with a 3-4 defense, Smith would likely play as an outside linebacker (similar to Von Miller’s role in Denver).
“Smith is one of the most productive players at his position,” Borquez wrote of the defender last December. “Smith has great quickness off the snap and shows the ability to convert that initial speed to power through his hand usage. He is a constant upfield attacker and can win in a number of different ways.”
With both Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett set to become unrestricted free agents in March, the Broncos could use more depth at outside linebacker. Smith may be one of the possible targets the team is considering as a replacement.
Draft Wire predicts Sutton will be selected late on Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) or early on Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) of the 2019 NFL draft. Denver owns seven selections in the final five rounds of this year’s draft.
