Finding Broncos: 5 Top Interior Offensive Linemen

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a group of interior offensive linemen that are at or among the top prospects at their position.

The Denver Broncos significantly improved their offensive line with the additions of Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey. However, they still need help and can use someone to upgrade the center position. While most of the top interior offensive linemen will likely be gone, some can fall and be worth it for the Broncos. 

O'Cyrus Torrence | OG | Florida

© Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Pros

• He has exceptional size, mass, and length for a guard. 
• He is a solid athlete overall. 
• His width helps him naturally guard both gaps. 
• His hands are massive, with plenty of grip strength to help him sustain blocks. 
• He never allowed a sack in college, with only 25 pressures over four seasons. 
• The penalties declined over the seasons, with none against him in 2022. 
• He has shown comfort when starting at guard on both sides of the line. 
• There is nothing but praise for his coachability, work ethic, and demeanor. 
• He is a nasty blocker, loving to finish his blocks with the defender on the ground. 
• There is exceptional power to control defenders, and his movement skills are good enough. 

Cons

• When climbing or pulling, he isn't consistent with hitting his landmarks or finding the defender. 
• When working laterally, he will lean and lunge to reach blockers. 
• His timing and placement with his punch in pass protection must be more consistent. 
• He opens himself up to counters by setting with heavy feet. 
• There can be issues getting defenders out of his chest when they get in there. 

Fit with Broncos

Torrence is an immediate starter at guard in the NFL. He is projected as a first-round pick, which is well out of the range of the Broncos. He may end up as a divisional opponent, and the Broncos could have a tough time dealing with him. 

John Michael Schmitz | OC | Minnesota

© Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has good size and mass, with good enough length for the inside. 
• He is a solid athlete overall. 
• There is no doubt about his power or grip strength to control and drive defenders. 
• There is great experience, playing 2,495 snaps on offense, all but one as the center. 
• He kept penalties relatively low, with only 11 over his five-year career. 
• He is disciplined with his technique and uses it consistently. 
• He does well rolling power up through his lower half and creating torque at the point of attack. 
• He checks all of the intangibles on and off the field. 
• His durability and toughness are outstanding, with two games missed in his career, one being an opt-out. 

Cons

• His foot quickness isn't ideal, sometimes getting him into trouble handling counters. 
• He will be older as a rookie, having turned 24 years old recently. 
• How much versatility does he have, because as a center only a lot of teams will have him off their board. 
• He can be late to read and react too late to blitzers or stunts. 
• There are issues with working his body in unison. 

Fit with Broncos

John Michael Schmitz is the top center in the class and is projected to go in the top 50 picks. However, if he does slide to the Broncos, he would be an excellent pick. He can take over as starter at center immediately and be an immediate upgrade over Lloyd Cushenberry III. 

What happens next on the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Please take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Joe Tippmann | IOL | Wisconsin

© MARK HOFFMAN / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK

Pros

• He has good size and length. 
• There is no doubt about his power. 
• He has excellent length for working on the inside. 
• His movements are fluid and smooth, helping his lateral agility when pulling or climbing. 
• He has good footwork and lower body mechanics. 
• He does well when pulling or climbing, hitting his landmarks, and finding defenders on the second level. 
• There is excellent power to control defenders and generate drive as a run blocker. 
• He has scheme versatility and could potentially work as a  guard as well. 
• He is praised for his character, attitude, and demeanor. 

Cons

• His experience has come at center, and he is a little tall for the center position. 
• He has dealt with issues with his shoulders and has had a couple of surgeries already. 
• His hand technique has issues, and he doesn't do well resetting his hands when they lose positioning. 
• Some teams may see him as a guard, which he has hardly played. 
• He doesn't play with the best bend, which hurts his natural issues with leverage. 

Fit with Broncos

Tippmann would be an exceptional fit with the Broncos. He has the power to handle the base of the scheme and the movement skills to work when Sean Payton changes things up. However, his height may be an issue as the Broncos have a shorter quarterback, which could create problems in the middle of the field. 

Andrew Vorhees | OL | USC

© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has good size.
• There is plenty of strength. 
• He plays with a good and consistent base. 
• He has played 3,491 snaps over six seasons, mostly at guard but with some tackle exposure. 
• He can absorb power into his powerful anchor. 
• There is good footwork when it comes to moving, and the lateral agility is there. 
• He has the mental toughness, attitude, and nasty demeanor for the NFL. 
• There is excellent timing and awareness when he pulls or is climbing. 
• He has good range as a blocker and can be trusted to get out in front. 

Cons

• There isn't great length, and it could use a little more mass. 
• He tore his ACL during the NFL Combine, which will most likely cause him to miss his rookie season.
• He doesn't play with good bend, bending at the waist rather than the knees. 
• The lack of length does get exposed with his punch. 
• There are multiple injuries to his lower half and a concussion. 
• He will overset and leave himself open to counters. 
• He can struggle to recover when he gets put off-balance early in the rep. 
• The feet can become dead as the play goes on. 

Fit with Broncos

The injury at the Combine, with his previous medical history, will likely see him plummet in the draft, but that could make him an excellent value. His grade with his play is up there with the top interior guys, and he probably would've been a second or third-round pick before the ACL injury. 

He could be an excellent value pick for the Broncos, with the likelihood he redshirts as a rookie. So the fit with the scheme is there, but he would be a pick for 2024 and beyond. 

Anthony Bradford | IOL | LSU

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has good size, mass, and length. 
• He is a good athlete checking all the boxes with high marks. 
• While his experience is limited, he got starts at left tackle and right guard. 
• He is wide with his base, and his wingspan helps shrink the gaps. 
• He explodes off the snap and does a great job using that explosion to generate power. 
• He can roll power from his lower half and generate torque to get push at the point of attack. 
• There is a great anchor that he can drop into in an instant. 
• He keeps square to the line and sustains good positioning. 

Cons

• There is a lack of experience, with 1,103 snaps played over four years and 815 in 2022. 
• He struggled in pass protection in 2022, allowing four sacks and 12 pressures. 
• The second half of the 2021 season was missed with an injury. 
• There are issues in resetting, and he will open himself up for counters. 
• There isn't great range or movement skills, which will limit his scheme fit. 
• The fundamentals with his technique are not there, which is understandable with his lack of experience.
• There will need to be time put into developing the fundamentals and technique before he is ready to go. 

Fit with Broncos

Bradford has a lot of tools to work with, but he lacks experience, which can make projecting him more difficult. He fits with the Broncos' offense and can be a great developmental option. However, the value may not be ideal for the Broncos, with only five picks. 

If the Broncos can land one of the top centers, that would complete the overhaul of their starting unit. Out of the top prospects, that is something worth hoping for. 

---

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!