Finding Broncos: Best Available Prospects on Day 2 of NFL Draft

As the Broncos prepare for the second day of the draft, who are some of the best options still on the board?

The Denver Broncos had no first-round pick after acquiring Russell Wilson via trade, so they had to sit idly by and watch everything go down on Thursday night. There were multiple shocking moves and trades, including a run on wide receivers, which helped push some talent down the board. 

With the Broncos unlikely to look at wide receiver early, they have to be pretty happy with how the first round went. As the second round gets underway on Friday, plenty of talent is still left on the board. 

The Broncos have nine picks still in the draft, which gives them plenty of ammo to move up and get someone they love that fell potentially. There is also the option of potentially including a player in a trade to help them move  up as well. 

So looking at each position, here are the top-5-to-10 left on the board based on my board. 

Quarterback

1. Malik Willis, Liberty
2. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
3. Matt Corral, Ole Miss
4. Sam Howell, UNC
5. Carson Strong, Nevada

With Wilson in the fold, the Broncos aren't looking for a starting quarterback. Of course, Denver could look for one to add more competition for the backup job, but it's doubtful it looks to do so on the second day and instead wait until the final day. 

Running Back

1. Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State
2. Breece Hall, Iowa State
3. James Cook, Georgia
4. Jerome Ford, Cincinnati
5. Rachaad White, Arizona State

Denver traded up for Javonte Williams last year. A couple of days ago, the Broncos could have looked at adding another back earlier than expected. However, the Broncos re-signed Melvin Gordon and expectations have shifted to a Day 3 pick if they draft one at all. 

Wide Receiver

1. Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
2. George Pickens, Georgia
3. Christian Watson, North Dakota State
4. John Metchie III, Alabama
5. Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
6. Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
7. Calvin Austin III, Memphis
8. Justyn Ross, Clemson
9. Kyle Phillips, UCLA
10. David Bell, Purdue

Denver could surprise everyone and go with a wide receiver early with how wide receivers went in Round 1 and even the trades that happened. The Broncos have some talent at the position and could look at flipping some of it for additional picks. That doesn't seem like a highly plausible move, but the possibility is there. 

If Denver does move on from one of their top four receivers, there is a wide range of skill-sets in the top-10 remaining to fill the void. This isn't a likely outcome, but if a team offered a deal they couldn't refuse and cut some cost, GM George Paton probably at least considers it. 

Tight End

1. Cade Otton, Washington
2. Trey McBride, Colorado State
3. Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
4. Jelani Woods, Virginia
5. Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State

There have been multiple reports that the Broncos could go with a tight end at 64, 75, or 96. Of the tight end class, these are the five that have the possibility of going in that range. Woods and Ruckert make the most sense with the 96th overall pick, and while many fans want McBride, he is expected to go early round two. 

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Offensive Tackle

1. Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
2. Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
3. Abraham Lucas, Washington State
4. Braxton Jones, Southern Utah
5. Nicholas Petite-Frere, Ohio State
6. Spencer Burford, UTSA
7. Rasheed Walker, Penn State

While tackle is viewed as the most significant need, there are plenty of options are still available. Denver seems to be looking for a developmental option while using one of the three tackles they have on a one-year deal as the starter for 2022. 

Faalele and Petite-Frere don't make much sense from a schematic point of view, but the rest could work. Raimann and Lucas may not fall to 64 but could fall to a point Denver would be willing to move up to get. 

Jones, Burford, and Walker are expected to be there in the third round, but it takes a run on tackles for that to change. 

Offensive Guard

1. Jamaree Salyer, Georgia
2. Luke Goedeke, Central Michigan
3. Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
4. Marquis Hayes, Oklahoma
5. Chris Paul, Tulsa

While Denver could look at the interior offensive line, it seems to be for prospects who offer up the potential to play center. The Broncos' top-30 visits suggest they identified it as a need, and none of these guards have much potential to move inside. 

Center

1. Cam Jurgens, Nebraska
2. Dylan Parham, Memphis
3. Zach Tom, Wake Forest
4. Dohnovan West, Arizona State
5. Luke Fortner, Kentucky

With their top-30 visits, the Broncos brought in multiple centers, including Jurgens and Parham. Depending on how much stock you put into those visits, it suggests Denver is interested in both of them. If they fall to 64, they have been presented as options. 

As for Tom, West, and Fortner, if the third round comes around and Denver hasn't added a center, all three make sense. There are even more options outside the top-5, but those options are going to take more time to be ready for the NFL. 

Interior Defensive Line

1. Travis Jones, Connecticut
2. Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma
3. Phidarian Mathis, Alabama
4. DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M
5. Matthew Butler, Tennessee

Jones is expected to go early in the second round; the rest of the defensive linemen are projected to have a bit of a wait. The last four can all work for the Broncos, depending on the role they are looking to fill on defense. Leal probably has the worst fit and could be better dropping some weight and moving to be an edge defender instead of a defensive lineman. 

Edge

1. Logan Hall, Houston
2. Boye Mafe, Minnesota
3. Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State
4. David Ojabo, Michigan
5. Josh Paschal, Kentucky
6. Drake Jackson, USC
7. Dominique Robinson, Miami (Oh)
8. DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky
9. Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
10. Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma

There are multiple reports of the Broncos' desire to add to the edge room. However, some expected first-round edges are still available with the run-on receiver. Some may continue to fall, while others are likely to get scooped up quickly. 

This could be a position the Broncos look to move up for, and Ebiketie, Mafe, and Hall make the most sense. However, if the Broncos are okay waiting on Ojabo, he could also be a target. 

It was reported that the Broncos would look to move up for a player they had a first-round grade on that is still available, and multiple edges could fit that. One that seems to be higher in NFL circles than I have him is Jackson. 

Linebackers

1. Nakobe Dean, Georgia
2. Chad Muma, Wyoming
3. Christian Harris, Alabama
4. Troy Andersen, Montana State
5. Channing Tindall, Georgia
6. Brian Asamoah II, Oklahoma
7. Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
8. Darrian Beavers, Cincinnati

Many Broncos fans want the Broncos to add to their linebacker room, and most of the talent is still available. However, it is also a deep class, and Denver will have plenty of options. If they are looking at moving up for one, then Dean, Muma, or Harris would be the names to keep an eye on. They should stay put and see how the board fell outside of them. 

Andersen has medical concerns about his shoulders that Denver may or not have cleared. So the only other linebacker that is a great fit for what they do on defense is Tindall, with his athletic ability. Asamoah needs a different scheme, and Chenal is too old school. 

Beavers they could look at, but many analysts have him projected to go Day 3. 

Cornerbacks

1. Kyler Gordon, Washington
2. Roger McCreary, Auburn
3. Andrew Booth Jr, Clemson
4. Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
5. Tariq Woolen, UTSA
6. Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State
7. Damarri Mathis, Pittsburgh
8. Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
9. Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State
10. Akayleb Evans, Missouri

Paton loves corners, and there is a possibility one of these corners is who they had a first-round grade on that fell. The most likely options would be Gordon or McCreary. Booth could be an option, depending on how he came off medically and with his character for the Broncos. 

The other corners would be options if they stay put with the 64th overall pick or even in the third round. But, of course, a run of corners could happen before the 64th pick, like with tackle and edge. 

Safeties

1. Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
2. Jalen Pitre, Baylor
3. Nick Cross, Maryland
4. Bryan Cook, Cincinnati
5. Kerby Joseph, Illinois
6. Percy Butler, Louisiana
7. Tycen Anderson, Toledo
8. Alontae Taylor, Tennessee
9. JT Woods, Baylor
10. Dane Belton, Iowa

After bringing back Kareem Jackson, an early safety seems unlikely. The Broncos are looking at Caden Sterns and Jackson fighting for the starting spot next to Justin Simmons. However, the class is talented with plenty of depth, and come Day 3, if Anderson, Taylor, Woods, or Belton are still available, they would make sense for Denver. 

All four of them can help on special teams, help the depth at safety, and spend a year developing into the number three safety potentially. 

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