Finding Broncos: Five Trench Players on Defense to Improve the Depth

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a group of defenders who play in the trenches to improve their depth.

Erick Trickel | Apr 2, 2023

Over the past few years, the pride of the Denver Broncos has been their defense. They still have plenty of pieces to keep their defense strong, but they lack depth at multiple positions. While it isn't an excellent class for defensive linemen, there are some options later, and the edge position has plenty of depth. Both are spots the Broncos can use additional depth for this season.

Tyler Lacy | Edge/DL | Oklahoma State

Pros

He has great size and is a solid athlete overall with plenty of strength.
Over four years, he got plenty of experience playing 2,022 snaps on defense.
His pass rush production was solid, with 88 pressures and 12 sacks.
His motor runs hot, and he plays to the whistle and never takes a play off.
He has a quick processor to diagnose the play and react.
He does well to get and sustain extension.
His hand technique is excellent and will need little work for the NFL.
There is good technique for deconstructing blocks, and he keeps good timing.

Cons

He is a bit of a tweener who will probably be asked to add about 10 pounds and be an interior defensive lineman.
There is a bad habit of popping off at the snap and playing with poor leverage.
He doesn't have a great burst off the snap or to close and finish.
His ability as a bull-rusher is there with natural strength, but his pad level keeps it ineffective.
His change of direction is extremely poor, with tight hips and heavy feet.
There isn't much there in his arsenal as a pass rusher.

Fit with Broncos

Lacy is a powerful defender that, as he is, is a tweener for the NFL. He isn't an edge defender and is better suited to play on the interior. For that, he must add at least 10 pounds of good weight to his frame. If his traits gave him more versatility, then he would be a good fit for Denver, but needing to transition inside full-time isn't a good fit for what Denver needs.

Deslin Alexandre | Edge | Pitt

Pros

He has a solid frame and build but could do to shed some weight.
Five years of playing at Pittsburgh, seeing 1,767 snaps on defense.
He had good production with 93 pressures and 19 sacks.
Missed tackles were an issue in 2019 and 2020, but he cleaned them up with only four over the last two seasons.
There is good strength and power to his game to help him hold up at the point of attack.
There is a good motor, and he gives every rep his all.

Cons

There isn't a great processor, and there are too many instances of guessing on tape.
He doesn't have great play speed and can often lag behind.
Too many instances are on tape of being late off the snap, which is starting him behind in the rep.
He has to develop his arsenal and find a reliable counter.
He is going to be a 25-year-old rookie.
His hand technique is lacking, and he often works himself into more danger.

Fit with Broncos

The Broncos can use depth at edge, who can bolster their pass-rush depth with their injury history at the position. However, they can also use some reliable run defending, which they severely lack. Alexandre has good strength and power to be a reliable run defender if you can improve his ability o diagnose plays and overall technique.

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Moro Ojomo | DL | Texas

Pros

While he doesn't have ideal height, he has good length and build on his frame.
He tested out well with explosion drills and is a good athlete overall.
He was a three-year starter at Texas, playing 1,594 snaps in his career.
The production is there as a pass rusher, though it isn't great.
He has an excellent football IQ, which is easy to see with his play recognition.
Every snap of every game gets 100% from him.
There is good strength and power to his game to dislodge blockers from their anchor.
His upper body mechanics and technique are great and well-developed, especially his hand work.

Cons

There was a consistent issue with penalties, with 18 over the last three years.
There isn't a lot of versatility to play multiple spots on the line, likely being limited to a 5-technique.
He isn't a fluid mover with tight hips and heavy feet.
He can struggle to follow the flow of the play when working laterally.
You want him to be a little quicker when firing off the snap to help him shoot gaps consistently.

Fit with Broncos

Ojomo could be a great fit for the Broncos to bolster their depth on the defensive line. He fits the scheme as a 5-technique, but his lack of versatility is rough. While Denver could use someone to replace DeShawn Williams, they could go heavier on the unit while rotating the depth, which would help Ojomo's fit.

DJ Johnson | Edge | Oregon

Pros

He has plenty of length and a good build on his frame.
There is no doubt he has good straight-line speed and burst.
His hands are extremely heavy and bring plenty of power into engagements.
When he saw the field consistently in 2022, his production was solid.
He does well to pop up into blocker pads to give him leverage for a bull rush.
His body has enough strength to work as a two-gapper and bench press defenders off of his frame.

Cons

His explosion and change of direction testing were extremely poor.
He has to improve his technique to make him more effective.
There isn't much experience with 786 snaps on defense and only played more than 200 snaps in a season once.
He has a high missed tackle rate in his limited experience.
He lacks versatility as a defender with few moves in his arsenal.
Play recognition is lacking, which could be helped with more exposure.

Fit with Broncos

DJ Johnson is a powerful edge defender who can occasionally move inside to take on guards. His athleticism is solid overall, but he doesn't have a great change-of-direction ability. While he could help the Broncos with his ability as a run defender, he needs a lot of work before seeing the field. The Broncos need more from a rookie edge defender to potentially help the room as a rookie because of the severe injury history at the position.

Ochaun Mathis | Edge | Nebraska

Pros

He has excellent length with 35.25-inch arms.
He has good size and a great build on his frame.
The athleticism is solid overall.
He played 2,484 snaps over five years.
Over the last four seasons, he picked up at least 30 pressures a season.
He did well at TCU and quickly transitioned to Nebraska for 2022.
He has good range working laterally and shows good agility and timing when flowing with the play.

Cons

He needs to develop some moves to weaponize his length better.
There isn't ideal strength or power in his frame and can see him get washed out at the point of attack.
There needs to be more urgency as a pass rusher.
While he has moves in his arsenal, they all need to be developed, and he doesn't have that one reliable move yet.
If he can improve his hand technique, he could help the efficiency with his length.

Fit with Broncos

Mathis's length is an exceptional tool to work with, but the technique needs to be developed. If the Broncos want to bolster their pass-rush depth, Mathis is a good fit. He can contribute as a rookie if needed due to injury, or he earns a high enough spot on the depth chart.

Even with their few picks, the Broncos should be looking to use at least one to bolster their depth in the trenches on defense. In addition, there is good depth in the class at edge, which helps the Broncos take advantage with their few picks.

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Published Apr 2, 2023

ERICK TRICKEL

Erick Trickel is the Senior Draft Analyst for Mile High Huddle, has covered the Denver Broncos, NFL, and NFL Draft for the site since 2014.