During the 2015 Denver Broncos Super Bowl run the inside linebackers for Denver were Brandon Marshall, and Danny Trevathan. Both guys could cover any running back out of the backfield, and in the aggressive style of defense that Denver played they were often asked to do so. Having inside linebackers who not only can play downhill, deliver punishing tackles, and cover running backs out of the backfield played a huge role in that defenses success. A game that is specifically standing out in my head was the AFC Championship against the Patriots. Bill Belichek is probably the best at finding, and creating favorable match ups. During that game he routinely tried to get both Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan isolated on running backs, and both Marshall and Trevathan were up to the challenge and shut those attempts down. This is going to be one of my longer posts as there are a lot of things to consider here.
After Super Bowl 50 Danny Trevathan left the team, and signed with Chicago. Todd Davis then won the starting spot over Corey Nelson, and proved to be one of the better inside linebackers in the NFL. In fact pro football focus rated him as one of the best in the NFL. Both Davis and Nelson are free agents this year, and Denver is going to have to decide if they resign Davis, or let him go elsewhere. I am just going to cut straight to the point, and say I think they should let him sign with another team. Todd Davis played well, but I think it is important to read league trends, and with the NFL largely becoming a passing league having a inside linebacker who is known more for being a run stopper than being able to cover running backs and tight ends creates match up issues we like the ones we saw last year.
Before I go into who I think the Broncos should draft I am going to bring up a player who isn't a free agent, but is a player who could be an example for how Denver should approach their inside linebacker issue. That player is Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers. Why do I bring him up? The reason is when he was drafted he was actually drafted as a safety from Georgia. He was a player that could play both positions, and when he got to Carolina they decided he should gain the weight, and play linebacker. At the time Carolina was playing a base 4-3 defense, and Davis was moved to the weakside linebacker position which is a position where he really doesn't have to deal with too many offensive linemen getting to put their hands on him, but a potential solution for the Broncos could be moving a player who played/plays safety to the other inside linebacker position which would allow them to match up better with teams like New England who try and isolate inside linebackers running backs. Sometimes you have to think outside the box to create advantages, and a move like that would be an "outside the box" that could create a big advantage for an already aggressive Broncos defense. There is a player on the Broncos roster who could make that move, and his name is Jamal Carter. He played safety for us last year, but a 6'2 and 200lbs it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could gain the weight and make the move to inside linebacker. After all last year they took second round draft pick Demarcus Walker, who was a defensive tackle in college, and made him an outside linebacker. Here is a highlight video of Jamal Carter in college playing a lot like a linebacker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVWKffz71-Y&t=65s
I am going to get into potential draft picks who could immediately step in and play opposite of Brandon Marshall at inside linebacker for the next year. There are players at the top of the draft like Roquan Smith from Georgia, or Rashaan Evans from Alabama who Denver would have to draft in the first round. Neither are worth the 5th pick, so that would mean they would have to trade back into the first round, or trade their 5th pick to move back a few spots in the 1st round to take one of those two guys. Seeing as that isn't really a possibility I am going to suggest some players in the later rounds I think could step in, and not only start, but make an immediate impact.
The first guy I am going to talk about is a linebacker named Christian Sam who played at Arizona State. Coming from a Pac 12 school he has the ability to cover running backs and tight ends, but can also play downhill, and stuff the run. He is a complete inside linebacker in my opinion as he plays with an edge. He is 6'2 and 240lbs, and projected to go in rounds 4-6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9sA2x5c0_8&t=3s
The next player worth mentioning here is Josey Jewell who is a linebacker from Iowa who is the definition of a linebacker. He can tackle (134 tackles his senior year with 1 forced fumble), can make plays in the backfield (13.5 tackles for loss, with 4.5 sacks), and can cover ( 11 pass breaks ups and 2 ints). There really isn't much to not like about this kid and the way he plays. He is a character guy as he was a team captain, and is an ideal fit to play opposite of Brandon Marshall in our 3-4 defense. He is 6'2 and 230lbs, and projected to be drafted in the 3rd or 4th round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1-TwOZ1Uzg
The final guy I will suggest, Azeem Victor, also comes from a Pac 12 school which is appealing as that is a conference known for high octane passing attacks. Azeem is 6'1 and 230lbs, and played for the University of Washington. While not as physical as a player like Christian Sam he makes up for it in his ability to play sideline to sideline. He has had some off the field issues with a DUI charge, and also an injury issue with breaking his leg during his junior year and was only able to play in 10 games. IN my opinion he is a player like Jake Butt, Shane Ray, or Bradley Roby who due to an injury issue, or off the field issue might fall into the later rounds and end up being a steal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS41uPIVrpg&t=76s
This being a longer post I am going to wrap this up, but regardless of what Denver decides to do next year at inside linebacker they need to adapt to the NFL turning into a match up league, and draft players who do not create potential liabilities in the aggressive defense they play. I would feel confident in all of these guys lining up next to Brandon Marshall next year, and not worry that they will be taken advantage of when they play a team that tries to isolate their running backs on our inside linebackers.
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