Clayton: OTA boycott may impact Broncos first-round pick
Apr 14, 2021, 1:43 PM | Updated: 2:03 pm
While the Broncos personnel office watches the Justin Fields’ workout Wednesday, there is still time to reflect on how Denver’s OTA boycott affects this draft.
There is a big impact on the first round. If the offseason is virtual and nothing is done on the field as the players want, the Broncos will have a harder time getting a lot out of their first-round pick. The reason is so many of their options are players who didn’t play in college last season.
The Broncos could draft an offensive lineman. Three of the top five offensive linemen — Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater and Teven Jenkins — opted out last year. That doesn’t damage the Broncos. Right tackle Ja’wuan James is still on the roster. He opted out last season, but he could still handle the right tackle job.
It’s going to be tougher for an opt-out rookie blocker to get up to speed by the start of the season if they aren’t on the field until training camp. It would help if the players can accept a minicamp and some virtual meetings before going on the field in June. The opt outs haven’t been on a football field since 2019.
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons might be able to make a quick transition if the Broncos take him. His game is speed and range. Still, he opted out and hasn’t played since 2019.
Then there are the quarterbacks. It’s possible Fields and Trey Lance could fall to the Broncos, who have the ninth pick. Clearly, taking one of these quarterbacks doesn’t answer what Broncos management is seeking. They want a quarterback to compete against Drew Lock. How well can they compete if they don’t step on a field until late July? That won’t be easy.
Where the Broncos are fortunate, they don’t have to have immediate impact from a rookie. They are great on defense and solid on offense. They can take the best player available and take time to develop him. They could also trade down and get more value in the draft.
What needs to happen is the NFL negotiate something to salvage the offseason for coaches and preparing for the season. At the moment, you get the feeling that most of the players on teams are going to boycott.
