American Football

NFL Mock Draft Simulation: What the Broncos should do

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LSU v Texas A&M
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Speed, Speed, Speed. That was the focus I ended up with when simulating the Denver Broncos draft.

I saw a cool idea over on Bleeding Green Nation yesterday and figured I try my own hand at a Denver Broncos mock simulation. Using FanSpeak Simulator, I went down the rabbit hole to simulate all five picks for the Broncos. Here’s where I landed with each pick with no trades allowed:

Round 3, Pick 67: Texas A&M Running Back Devon Achane

The biggest thing the Broncos offense is missing is the home run threat. There is some talent on the offense right now, but would anyone outside of KJ Hamler be considered a guy who could house it any time he touches the ball? The issue with Hamler is that he can’t stay on the field, so getting a guy like Devon Achane who has 4.32 speed would be an instant playmaker for Sean Payton.

In our recent podcast on the Mile High Broncos podcast network, Chris and I discussed Achane. He is a small guy at 5-8 and 188 pounds, so we’d likely be looking at 10-12 touches a game max. He’d never be an every down player. However, his big play ability would make those 10-12 touches worth more than any every down player the Broncos could find here with that third-round selection. I’d be all-in on this pick!


Round 3, Pick 68: South Carolina Cornerback Darius Rush

Sticking with speed and athleticism, I decided to take cornerback Darius Rush with the Broncos second third-round pick here. At 6-2, 198 pounds and 4.36 speed, Rush would the perfect boundary-type corner the Broncos need right now. He’s likely be depth as a rookie, but could develop into a legit starter with his level of athleticism.

Rush was also a guy we covered on a podcast recently and Chris expressed some serious concerns about his ability to come in and mesh with Vance Joseph’s defensive philosophy. So if the Broncos do select Rush here, they’d have to work on him to develop his skills in areas outside of man-to-man press coverage. He has the athletic traits you just can’t teach, though. I’m of the philosophy that you take chances on guys with elite athletic ability, but needs coaching, after the first two rounds.


Round 4, Pick 108: Northwestern Defensive Lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore

As the fourth round rolled up, I was shocked to see Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore still on the board. He punt up astonishing numbers at the NFL Combine. His 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical, broad jump, and shuttle measurements all beat last year’s number one overall pick. And Adebawore is ten pounds heavier than Travon Walker was last draft.

How likely is he to be there in the fourth round? If you look around draft analysis you would assume not very likely. His insane NFL Combine numbers should pump his stock a bit, so this might be the one pick in this mock simulation that turns out to be entirely unrealistic. But hey, I’ll take it!


Round 5, Pick 139: Purdue Tight End Payne Durham

It’s no secret that the Denver Broncos have been examining tight end prospects all offseason. Most of the top tight ends were off the board by the fifth round, but Purdue’s Payne Durham was still around somehow.

The 6-6, 253 pounder ran a slower 4.87 40-yard dash, which should take him out of the Day 2 conversation and into a solid Day 3 consideration. Lance Zierlein had him rated as a potential seventh-rounder, but I think he’ll end up going a little sooner than that. He has Sean Payton’s desired trait of being solid run blocker. He would also be a strong red zone option in the passing game.


Round 6, Pick 195: Maryland Wide Receiver Rakim Jarrett

You can never have enough wide receivers. Sean Payton has a long history of picking wide receivers in nearly every draft, so why wouldn’t he continue that trend? Especially if they decide to move one of their starters in Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton this weekend. Rakim Jarrett could be a low risk, high reward type pick too.

The six foot, 192 pounder ran has 4.4 speed that can take the top off defenses. Again, he has the elite athleticism and with a sixth-round pick it would be a perfect opportunity to take a flyer on a guy.

In another podcast, Chris and I broke down Jarrett’s fit with the Broncos and what he would need to do to take the next step at the NFL level.


How would you grade this draft class? With so few picks to work with, I decided to put an emphasis on athletes over positional needs. Though the two matched up well at times!

Give a hand at your own mock draft simulation and post the results in the comments section below!

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