Finding Broncos: 3 Early OTs to Replace Garett Bolles in 2025

The future of the Broncos tackle position is questionable, and they could help it with one of these two tackles.

Penn State offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The future of the Denver Broncos tackle position does have some pressing concerns. Garett Bolles is entering the final year of his deal, and Mike McGlinchey did not meet expectations in the 2023 season. There is a pressing need for the Broncos to find a new starting tackle in 2025, and they could need two new starting tackles by 2026. 

Tackle is one of those positions where you could use someone to fill the need before the need is there. This is a great tackle class, with plenty of options from top to bottom. With where the Broncos pick in the first round, the best player available is likely to be a tackle, which could be one of these three prospects. 

Nov 4, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Olumuyiwa / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Olumuyiwa Fashanu | Penn State

• Height: 6-foot-6
• Weight: 312 pounds
• Arm Length: 34 inches
• Hands: 8-1/2 inches
• Relative Athletic Score: 9.57

Pros

When you see Fashanu, he looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle. He has the height, length, weight, and athleticism that NFL teams covet at the position. There are also no concerns about his character, as he is praised as a leader on and off the field and a team captain. 

There is plenty of strength and power to Fashanu’s game. He has the grip strength needed to control and sustain blocks. The lower half exhibits good mobility and agility, where he can easily mirror defenders and guide them beyond the arc to the quarterback. There were signs of needed growth from 2022 to 2023, especially with his overall power and use of power. 

He plays with good bend and sound technique, and there is enough sand in his pants to drop his anchor and stall a bull rush. His punch has good power and placement, and he uses leverage to make his punch even more effective. Not only does he use his length well in initial engagement to keep defenders off his chest, but he also uses it in his recovery, making it hard to work around his edges. 

Cons

There needs to be improvement in his body control, especially in his kick-slides. He can get heavy on the outside, creating an opening for an inside counter. Fashanu also has a bad habit of lunging to land his punch, and he needs to be more patient and wait for his moment instead. 

When working as a puller or climbing to the second level, Fashanu doesn’t always find his landmarks. There is also a timing and rhythm issue, which can lead to yards being left on the field if he misses his blocks. 

There are technical issues with sealing lanes and he doesn’t always fire off the snap with clean technique. These technical lapses can also create problems with combo blocks or sliding to handle twists and stunts. The footwork does need to be coached up, but he does have light feet to work with. 

Fit With Broncos

Fashanu would be an excellent fit for what the Broncos want to do offensively. While he can start right away, there is enough development needed to justify using him as a backup swing tackle as a rookie to help prepare him to be a starter in the future. While it isn’t ideal to use the 12th overall pick on a backup as a rookie, sometimes you must do that to improve in the long run. 

Big Board Position: No. 13 overall.

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Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Huskies offensive lineman Troy Fautanu (55) blocks for / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Troy Fautanu | Washington

• Height: 6-foot-4
• Weight: 317 pounds
• Arm Length: 34-1/2 inches
• Hands: 9-1/2 inches
• Relative Athletic Score: 9.62

Pros

Troy Fautanu has some of the cleanest and most consistent techniques among this class's tackles. He has agility, light feet in his kick slides, and movement skills to excel as a tackle in the NFL. His game has good power, and he can generate power from his lower half with leverage to dislodge anchored defenders. 

Any block tackles have to make; Fautanu can execute at a textbook level almost every single rep. He plays with a good bend in the knees and the waist and does well to keep proper pad level and balance. His lateral quickness is clean and smooth, and he quickly cuts off defenders when they try to work the arc. 

His hands are active and pack quite a punch. The technique with his punch is excellent, and they are well-placed. He will jolt defenders upon contact and disrupt their plan, and this early disruption set him up for consistent wins. 

Cons

Throughout the draft process, there was a question as to if Fautanu can last as a tackle in the NFL. While he has ideal length, he is a little undersized. This did create some issues in college, and there is a good chance they will only be greatened at the NFL level. 

The controllable concerns start with his sliding technique the longer he sustains his block. As his engagement continues, he will lapse with his technique and create room for recovery wins from the rushers he is facing. However, this is a bigger concern with his run-blocking, especially when generating drive at the line of scrimmage. 

His hands will slip down the defender, and he will lose control over his assignment. He can also be late when he goes to latch on and use his grip strength. This also creates an opening for pass rushers to win. 

Fit With Broncos

Fautanu is a five-position player who can play anywhere on the offensive line. He would be a great fit for the Broncos at any of the five spots. Adding Fautanu would be great for the depth along the offensive line, which needs to be added. If they needed him to replace Bolles, he could do that. He could start at guard if they want to move on from Ben Powers or cannot retain Quinn Meinerz. 

Big Board Position: No. 14 overall.

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Amarius Mims (65) against the / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Amarius Mims | Georgia

• Height: 6-foot-8
• Weight: 340 pounds
• Arm Length: 36-1/8 inches
• Hands: 11-1/4 inches
• Relative Athletic Score: 9.59

Pros

There is a rare combination of size, length, and athleticism, and he eats up so much space naturally as a blocker. Despite his size, he plays with a proper bend, which makes it hard for defenders to use leverage. His hand placement is consistently clean and properly placed, engaged with a heavy punch. 

He is an aggressive blocker but keeps it controlled and calculated. He was called for one penalty at college and showed the discipline not to get carried away with his physical and aggressive play style. His grip strength is exceptional, and he can easily control defenders with his raw strength and sustain blocks. 

Not only does Mims play with the proper bend, but he also plays with proper balance. He doesn’t sit heavy on the outside or inside, leaving himself open to counters, but shuts down both pathways to the quarterback. Mims has the athletic and physical traits to easily recover when falling behind in the rep. Mims never allowed a sack and only six total pressures during his collegiate career. 

Cons

There is a lack of experience, with eight college starts and 803 snaps played on offense. He missed time due to injury during the 2023 season. Due to the lack of experience, Mims has a lot of situational awareness issues that can only be corrected with more experience. 

While he has good movement skills, he doesn’t have the best timing when climbing to the second level. He can miss blocks or his landmarks as well. There is a bad habit of lunging into contact, especially when engaging on the move. 

Fit With Broncos

Mims would be an exceptional fit for the Broncos. With the Broncos' pieces, Mims can sit and develop for the year while providing a backup swing tackle. After the 2024 season, the Broncos have a tackle poised and ready to take over as a starter. 

Big Board Position: No. 17 overall.

Better Fit for Broncos

Any of these options would be a great fit for the Broncos. The versatility of Fautanu would be a significant boost to the Broncos' offensive line as a whole. His ability to play up and down the line makes him a slightly better fit for Denver than Fashanu, who is a tackle only.  Mims is another tackle-only prospect, but his size and athletic ability are off the charts. He lacks experience, but he could use a year of development before being set to start on either side of the line. 

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