Finding Broncos: 5 Prospects to Boost the Trenches

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a group of offensive and defensive linemen who would give a boost to the trenches.

While the Denver Broncos have added to the trenches, they still can use more help. Adding Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey to the offensive line was vital to improving a struggling unit. However, the Broncos still have a weak spot in the unit at the center position. 

As for the defensive line, they lost starters, Dre'Mont Jones and DeShawn Williams. The Broncos replaced Jones with Zach Allen, but right now are looking at Mike Purcell, Eyioma Uwazurike, or Matt Henningsen to replace Williams. 

The Broncos can still use more help in the trenches on both sides of the ball, even for depth purposes. 

Ryan Walk | IOL | Oregon

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Pros

• He is an excellent athlete with good speed, agility, burst, and explosion. 
• He keeps his head on a swivel and looks for work. 
• There are quick and light feet, which helps with his agility. 
• He has excellent technique when pulling or climbing. 
• When pulling or climbing, he has good timing in hitting his landmarks and bringing solid force into contact. 
• He has a high football IQ. 
• He got experience all along the offensive line in college. 
• He kept it clean, only getting called for five penalties in the last three seasons. 

Cons

• He is undersized, with a smaller frame with little room for additional mass. 
• There is a lack of length with 30.25-inch arms. 
• He will likely be limited to a center only. 
• There isn't much scheme versatility. 
• He has a bad habit of lunging to reach blocks. 
• He can struggle to bench defenders off his frame. 
• There isn't much power, and he can struggle to generate drive in the run game. 

Fit with Broncos

While Walk has good athleticism, the lack of power is a significant issue with his fit for the Broncos. The Broncos can use an improvement at center, but Walk isn't the one to do that for them. 

Spencer Anderson | IOL |  Maryland

© Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Pros

• There is good experience working from center to right tackle, with over 350 snaps at each of the three positions. 
• He has a good build on his frame and carries his weight well. 
• He is a good athlete overall, with burst and explosion.
• His work in pass protection was good, with good efficiency, allowing three sacks and 25 pressures over the last two seasons. 
•  His lower body mechanics are sound, and he has enough power to drop and anchor. 
• There is good power in his upper body to bench defenders off his frame. 
• When pulling or climbing, he does take good angles to get to his landmarks. 

Cons

• He played right tackle the most in college but is below the minimum length requirements for NFL teams. 
• He will be moved inside to full-time guard or center in the NFL. 
• While the number of penalties wasn't extreme, he got called for nine over the last two seasons. 
• His timing isn't ideal when pulling, and he can be late to hit his landmarks. 
• He can struggle to squeeze gaps quickly, leaving an opening for quicker gap penetrators. 

Fit with Broncos

Spencer Anderson is a good fit for the Broncos as a depth piece on the offensive line, either at center or guard. While he doesn't have enough to be a starter right away, there is plenty to work with and develop for the Broncos coaching staff. 

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T.J. Bass | IOL | Oregon

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has solid size, frame, build, and length for the interior. 
• There is solid explosion and short-area burst. 
• He has the proper attitude and demeanor for the NFL, with a love to finish reps with his opponent on the ground. 
• There is plenty of power through his body, and he can quickly drop and anchor. 
• His hand technique is relatively sound, with a strong well-placed punch. 
• He does well pairing his hands and lower body to generate drive. 
• He takes good angles and works with solid timing when working to the second level as a climber. 
• He works well with other blockers, with good technique on double teams or passing off stunts/twists. 

Cons

• His overall athleticism isn't great. 
• While he got experience at left tackle and left guard, he will be a guard only in the NFL. 
• Without seeing him work on the right side, there is a question if he can flip sides. 
• Sometimes he can be late to work to recover when working around the edge. 
• His lateral agility and quickness are lacking, making him hard to trust when working as a puller. 
• He can lag with his hands when working to reset. 

Fit with Broncos

Bass played left tackle for the Oregon Ducks last year, but he will be moved inside to guard for the NFL. He can be a day-one starter in the right scheme, though there will be plenty of rough moments. Thankfully, for the Broncos, if they look his way, they don't have to worry about him being a starter right away. Instead, they can take their time to develop him while having a solid option in an emergency. 

Jacob Slade | IDL | Michigan State

© Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has a solid frame. 
• He is a solid athlete overall. 
• There is a good anchor to hold up at the point of attack. 
• He has good power to control blocks and eat up extra space against the run. 
• He had a great year as a pass rusher in 2021. 
• There is plenty of power to hold up against double teams. 
• There is solid quickness for some gap shooting in obvious passing downs. 

Cons

• He will need to add more mass to his frame for his play style. 
• While he had 40 pressures and three sacks in 2021, that was half his career production as a pass rusher. 
• He is a limited defender as a 1-technique in an even gap front, working exclusively as a run defender. 
• He misses way too many tackles, with 15 in the last two seasons and a career missed tackle percentage of 17.5%. 
• There was missed time in 2022 due to an injury. 

Fit with Broncos

Jacob Slade is a limited defender who doesn't offer much as a pass rusher. However, he is a powerful run defender who can be part of a rotation. The Broncos have plenty of run defenders on their defensive line and need more pass-rush ability, so Slade isn't a great fit. 

Eli Huggins | IDL | Kansas State

© Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

• He has a solid frame with a good clean build.
• He has solid moves in his arsenal as a pass rusher. 
• He did alright getting pressure in college.  
• He has solid power as a run defender. 
• There is decent enough quickness to make plays through the gaps. 

Cons

• He isn't much of an athlete. 
• While he does have some pass-rush ability, it isn't good or consistent enough to be a strong point of his game. 
• Tackling was a consistent issue, with a 20.2 career missed tackle percentage. 
• He only ever played more than 400 snaps in a season once, with less than 1,500 snaps played total. 

Fit with Broncos

There is a decent floor with Huggins but a low ceiling. He could become a solid rotational piece on the defensive line as the fourth or fifth man with some development. While he wouldn't help the Broncos starting unit, he could be a practice squad candidate to develop into more. 

The draft class isn't strong along the offensive or defensive lines. However, there are some decent options the Broncos could look at. 

Unfortunately, the Broncos will likely miss out on the top options, so they'll have to hunt for a hidden gem among the rest of the class. 

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