Mile High Monday: Could the Broncos go with a tight end at No. 64?

Apr 25, 2022, 6:31 AM

Denver Sports Analyst

It’s the week of the NFL Draft and I couldn’t be more excited! Everything has built up to this moment and I can’t wait to see how the draft shapes up.

I like the final week because everything comes to a head when Thursday hits. The “draft season” sees GM versus GM, and I think the Broncos have a great advantage with general manager George Paton running the show.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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You’ve Got to Score

The Broncos offense has been mired in not even mediocrity – but horrendousness – over the last several seasons. The offense under former coordinator Pat Shurmur was especially bad. The Broncos have struggled to average 20 points per game in a league built on offensive football.

This season under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, the offense should get a shot in the arm. It’s not only the zone-blocking system and West Coast concepts that Hackett is known for, but also the aggressiveness his team should have in the red zone. Add in quarterback Russell Wilson, and you can see how the team should have more firepower this season.

Pro Football Focus recently tweeted out a graphic about the highest scoring drive percentage in the NFL since 2020, and there are two AFC West teams (Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders) on the list. The Broncos would be near the bottom five of the league in that category during that time. I believe the pressure from the rest of this division (don’t count out the Los Angeles Chargers who should put up plenty of points) will ensure the Broncos push the ball into the end zone early and often.

Highest scoring drive % since 2020 🚀 pic.twitter.com/wx5AfkS1e1

— PFF (@PFF) April 23, 2022

Where will the Broncos rank in this category next year? They should push for top-five in the NFL when it comes to highest scoring drive percentage. Hackett’s offense ranks middle of the pack in terms of designed passing plays per game, while Wilson comes from a Seattle Seahawks team that ranked near the bottom of the league. With Hackett leaning on Wilson – perhaps more than he’s been asked before – the Broncos offense should have no problem putting up points.

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Rookie TEs Don’t Make an Impact… Until They Do

The Broncos need help at the tight end position. With the trade for Wilson, the Broncos had to move former first-round pick tight end Noah Fant to the Seahawks. That leaves Albert Okwuegbunam as the starter, but the team needs more help at the position. Okwuegbunam is larger, faster and stronger than Fant – and he can be a dangerous weapon in the passing game. However, he does struggle to stay healthy and cannot be relied on for a full season.

This is the main reason why I believe the Broncos will add a tight end in the draft – perhaps with a premium pick. I consider a premium pick to be in rounds 1-3, and I may be mocking the Broncos to get a tight end in that range. There are some who feel Colorado State’s Trey McBride will be available at the end of the second round when the Broncos pick at No. 64 overall. I don’t think that’s the case, so the Broncos will have to look for talent elsewhere. More specifically, I think they need to find a tight end who can contribute as a rookie – and perhaps push Okwuegbunam for the starting job.

Some say rookie tight ends don’t make much of an impact – and that’s true for the most part. However, there are times when players can make that jump from college to the pros The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to find that tight end last year in the draft when they selected Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. The rookie got off to a slow start, but once Eric Ebron went down for the year Freiermuth averaged six targets per game from Week 6 on. If the Broncos found the right player, or moved up for McBride, perhaps a rookie could do similar things for them in 2022.

Pat Freiermuth is the only rookie TE since 1960 to record at least 60 receptions and 7 TDs.

pic.twitter.com/8PLYmA9cVn

— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) April 24, 2022

I don’t think anyone outside of McBride could do what Freiermuth did for the Steelers last year, but there are a few players I’d like the Broncos to consider in the mid rounds of the draft. Greg Dulcich (UCLA) could be an answer for the Broncos in the third round. While he’s more of a receiving threat than he is a blocker, I believe Dulcich has the desire to be a better blocker. That “want to” as a blocker can be refined with better coaching and technique. Add in his “take it the house” ability as a receiver and Dulcich looks like an intriguing prospect for the Broncos.

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Full of It

There’s nothing worse than when “anonymous scout” starts making the rounds in the newscycle just about this time of year. Each year, it seems like this source is used by writers across the country as they gather information on the upcoming draft class. The source is there with news and tidbits of information that we often hadn’t heard leading up to that point.

I’m here to tell you that “anonymous scout” is almost always full of ****. Most of the time, the media is used by agents to control the news flow. During the pre-draft period – especially right before the draft – NFL teams will use media members to impact draft stock. By putting something out about a player from an NFL source, the narrative about a player can change. All teams keep their ear to the ground when it comes to draft news, and this type of propaganda can make a player rise or fall on false pretenses.

One player to get blasted by “anonymous scout” this week was Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. He’s now being described as a “party guy” who is a “bit of a mess” per this incredibly unreliable source. Just a week ago, Corral was being talked about as a top-10 pick. I appreciate his game, and I highly doubt he goes in the top 10 of the draft. I’ve heard about his background from NFL scouts, and they praise the fact he overcame a lot in college on his way to making himself one of the best quarterbacks in this class. This latest “anonymous scout” – or in this case “anonymous OC” report is just a flawed as the “he’s going top-10” report from a week ago.

Ah yes, "anonymous OC" talking about Matt Corral as "kind of a mess" :sigh: and SMH -This QB class isn't great but Corral has the upside to be everything we thought Baker Mayfield would be. His play style (he plays with little regard for his safety) is more of a concern to me. https://t.co/gYmNl90YsF

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 24, 2022

Corral is one of my favorite quarterbacks in this class, ranking No. 2 for me, and I’ve heard about his partying ways of the past. He’s a player who had to overcome adversity, mainly due to injuries during his career. Corral has fought through that and put himself in position to be a premium pick in this draft. I think he’s coming off the board in the early second round, but there’s a chance some team out there moves back into the end of the first to get him. Once placed with a pro team, we’ll see if Corral proves the doubters aka “anonymous scout” wrong.

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Give Batman a Chance

Comic book fans are a particular bunch – trust me, I’ve been a fan of comic books as long as I can remember. One of the first comic books I ever had was about Batman, and he’s been my favorite superhero ever since then. In fact, I have every Batman comic from around 1953 until now – and I’m trying to get them all dating back to 1939.

Needless to say, I’m a bit of a Batman fan. When this latest film “The Batman” hit theaters earlier this year, I was watching it on opening weekend multiple times. “The Batman” features actor Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, a casting that has drawn the ire from some comic book fans. It’s not about Pattinson as an actor, but it’s about the role most know him from the ‘tween romance movies “Twilight.” Some fans are not giving this movie or Pattinson a chance to prove himself because he was a teen heartthrob years ago.

Now that “The Batman” is on HBO Max, fans can watch from the comfort of their homes. If you’ve waited to see “The Batman” I’d say give it a chance. It’s a dark movie. In fact, it’s very dark and depressing – even for a Batman film. Pattinson does a great job as Batman, and I think his Bruce Wayne is a different take on the well-known alter ego of the World’s Greatest Detective. Perhaps “The Batman” didn’t draw the buzz of “Spiderman: No Way Home” but I’m here to tell you it’s a good movie and well worth your time. Yes, I am biased because I’m a huge Batman fan but trust me the work they did on this movie pays off in a dark and entertaining way.