Finding Broncos: 10 Offensive Tackle Prospects to Develop

The Denver Broncos may need a starting left tackle but also could use a tackle to develop for the future.

Erick Trickel | Feb 8, 2024

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Denver Broncos

When was the last time the Denver Broncos drafted an offensive tackle? That would be Garett Bolles back in 2017, drafted with the No. 20 overall pick.

Since then, the Broncos have drafted seven offensive linemen; four were viewed more as centers than guards, but all were interior players. Despite playing tackle in college, Dalton Risner was never going to be a tackle in the NFL and was drafted as a guard.

That's a long time to go without adding an offensive tackle, even to develop, and it's led to some questionable financial investments in free agency. It's past time Denver rectifies that.

The Broncos need to take a tackle in the 2024 NFL draft. Denver could be moving on from Bolles, and the team doesn't have a replacement.

If the Broncos do move on, the need to find a replacement grows exponentially. If Bolles isn't moved, he's still entering the final year of his deal, so the team needs to develop a potential replacement. The Broncos also can add someone with the intent of moving on from Mike McGlinchey in 2025 if he doesn't turn it around this upcoming season.

The good news for the Broncos is that the 2024 draft has plenty of tackles. It's one of the stronger draft classes for tackles in recent years and has plenty of options who can start day one, though some will need time to grow and develop.

There are also plenty of tackle options who could use that year or two to sit and grow with their mechanics or add mass to their frame. So, let's look at some of Denver's options in this talented tackle class.

Joe Alt | Notre Dame

Alt is widely viewed as the top tackle in the class and will likely be off the board in the first 10 picks. However, it would be an easy pick if he somehow fell to the Broncos.

He is a great run blocker with plenty of scheme versatility to fit the varied concepts Sean Payton uses. Alt's size, athleticism, and agility are outstanding and can help him succeed early in the NFL.

There are bad habits in his play that will need to be cleaned up. The most significant issue is Alt's balance, as he tends to play with a poor bend and leans into contact often, which makes him easy to pull and get by for defenders.

This will be exploited, unless fixed, even more frequently at the NFL level. He has a football IQ and is praised for his ability to take coaching, so it would be safe to bet on those issues getting corrected early in his career.

Olumuyiwa Fashanu | Penn State

Penn State offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu — © Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

For the longest time, Fashanu was viewed as competing with Alt for the top spot, but he seems to be now fighting to stay as the third tackle in the class. Fashanu has excellent size, length, and more than enough strength and power.

While he doesn't have Alt's movement skills, which will hurt his scheme versatility, Fashanu can still get out in front if needed and be effective. He has to keep his center of gravity as a blocker, especially in pass protection.

This has been a constant issue for Fashanu and must be corrected for the NFL. There is good technical refinement with his play, and most of his negatives all stem from slipping from the techniques that he has developed or from hiccups with his movement skills, which can be improved.

Jordan Morgan | Arizona

Something Morgan brings that most of the other tackles don't is his experience where he has played over 2,400 snaps in his collegiate career, all but six as the left tackle. Over those snaps, he allowed 10 sacks and 69 total pressures, with 12 penalties.

Morgan played a lot and kept it mostly clean. The power and athleticism he brings helped him be as effective as he was during his collegiate career.

Morgan plays light on his feet and is very nimble and agile, but he has the power to maul in a phone booth, showing his scheme versatility. The issues around his game are mostly consistency issues, as he lacks consistency with his bend, and he plays tall, leading to problems using his leverage.

Morgan's punch is well-timed and placed, but at the NFL level, he will need work to keep his hands up and ready, as they tend to drop, leaving him vulnerable.

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Tyler Guyton | Oklahoma

Guyton had a good week at the Senior Bowl but also showed that he needs technical work to be a starter at the NFL level. His size and movement skills are a rare combination, and why he is so loved by many scouts in and around the league.

Guyton's hand technique is poor at best and inconsistent. There are issues with his punch timing and placement and the hand fighting to sustain blocks.

This is a tackle who relied on strength and athleticism to win consistently at the collegiate level, but that won't be enough in the NFL. Guyton's lack of experience hurts, as he has 15 starts in his career, showing some lapses of situational awareness on the field with his techniques.

He will need a lot of technical work and refinement, but he has all the tools and traits that coaches would love to work with. You can teach the techniques but can't coach athleticism or strength.

Christian Jones | Texas

It was an up-and-down week at the Senior Bowl for Jones, but he was good overall. He'll enter the NFL with over 3,200 snaps played, mostly as a right tackle, and he kept it mostly clean, though he was called for 29 penalties during that time.

There is solid athleticism and power, and Jones' length is outstanding. His punch is consistent with being on time and jolting defenders with its power.

Now, Jones won't excel working in space. He isn't the lighted player on his feet, and his agility isn't great. That will be extremely limiting for the scheme he works in and can create some issues with Sean Payton and some of the outside runs he has in his arsenal.

Adding Jones would be a test for O-line coach Zach Streif, as well as seeing if he can improve the movement and develop his ability to handle counters to the inside, as Jones tends to set heavy to the outside, leaving the inside open. Also, Strief would have to break his bad habit of turning to holding when he is close to losing the rep.

Kiran Amegadjie | Yale

This is one impressive prospect who didn't face the toughest competition, which will be one of his biggest concerns during his evaluation. Another concern is an injury that sidelined Amegadjie for all but four games in 2023. He dominated his competition, however, allowing one sack and 24 pressures in under 1,600 snaps played over three years.

The length and athleticism are elite, and Amegadjie has the raw power and physical tools that coaches love to work with. However, the technique needs to be built up basically from the ground.

Playing the competition he did, Amegadjie was able to rely strictly on the power and athleticism, and the technique wasn't there. He could also get away with being aggressive to a fault with his play on the field, but that will get him into trouble at the NFL level.

Amegadjie can be a great left tackle in the NFL, but he might need a year to put it together, and he would be another test for Strief.

Patrick Paul | Houston

Paul is a big, tall, and long tackle and plays to it in every way. There are consistent issues with his pad level and giving leverage to defenders because he struggles to keep low with his height.

However, Paul can torque power through his lower body and generate movement. He uses his length to get hands-on defenders often before they can get into his frame, limiting the issue with leverage.

While other tackles can typically be viewed as guards if they fail outside, that isn't the case with Paul, who is a tackle-only prospect because of his height and bend issues. His ability to recover is non-existent, and he can struggle to drop and anchor against bull rushes.

The agility and flexibility aren't there, and both were consistently attacked in college. Paul is a first off-the-bus body type, but he has to clean up a lot of the technique and mechanics for the NFL.

Kingsley Suamataia | BYU

There are a lot of tackles who might be better inside, and Suamataia is one of them. However, he has the tools and traits to be an effective tackle and should get a shot there first.

The athleticism you want in tackles at the NFL level is there, and he does bring good power at the point of attack. Suamataia also has the attitude you want in an NFL offensive lineman, as he loves to finish blocks and plays to take away their will.

To be a tackle at the NFL level, Suamataia will need to find consistency with his balance and not lunge and lean into contact as frequently as he does. His hand placement and punch technique will also need to be improved.

The punch has power, but it's often off the mark and does more harm by setting up his block as he leaves his chest open. Suamataia's ability to recover is fine, but he has a bad habit of over-setting as a way to recover, which only opens him up to counters.

Matt Goncalves | Pittsburgh

Goncalves entered the season with a chance to move up boards, but he was sidelined with an injury before the end of the third game. He faced some formidable pass rushers over the past few years and did exceptionally well keeping his quarterback clean, with three sacks, 10 hits, and 28 pressures allowed.

The build and length are acceptable for the NFL, but Goncalves must clean up some of the bad weight on his frame. His frame has plenty of strength and power, but the agility and movement skills are not quite what you're looking for.

They're not terrible, but you wish they were a little better. Goncalves also needs to clean up his pass protection and be quicker when dropping into an anchor when a defender comes at him with a bull rush.

Javon Foster | Missouri

When watching the Senior Bowl practices, Javon Foster was a pleasant surprise. His tape was good, but he rose to the occasion of the Senior Bowl and had very few losses.

On top of that, Foster showed better handling of certain things that were a bit problematic on tape. He used his length well to help him win, and he was quicker to drop and anchor than in college, showing he was putting in the work with trainers.

Foster is praised for his football IQ and ability to read and recognize things on the field. Now, he does need to turn some of his weight into muscle and work on getting a little stronger for the NFL.

NFL coaches will also want to work on cleaning up Foster's footwork, which frequently works against his upper body, and help teach him how to use his length better.

Bottom Line

This isn't a bad year to need help at the position, and the Broncos should capitalize on it, even with their limited draft picks, at the moment. Of course, they could always add more by moving a few players, and one of them could be Bolles, making the need for a tackle grow.

It could also be a good idea to add a pair of tackles from this class and try to set up the future tackle duo.

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Published Feb 8, 2024

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.