The Outlaw Josey Jewell

Going into this draft at some point Denver was going to have to draft an inside linebacker. Last season Brandon Marshall was injured, and Todd Davis played well, but he can be exposed when he has to cover a running back or tight end. The Broncos also lost Corey Nelson in free agency so there was a need at that position anyway. 

Leading up to the draft I broke down film on players I thought could be a good fit for the Broncos, and Josey Jewell from the University of Iowa was a player I targeted as one who I think could help right away. An on going trend among Denver's draft picks this year is they are all high character guys, and that streak isn't broken on Jewell. He was voted team captain multiple times, and was a leader on his team. Jewell is a  player who isn't going to blow anyone away by his workout numbers. At 6'1 and 238lbs he ran a 4.8 in the 40. When you hear those numbers you get the picture of a pretty average inside linebacker, but then you put on this kids film. He has football instincts that are second to none. Jewell simply has a knack for making plays. 

Brandon Marshall is the only guaranteed starter at inside linebacker. I think Todd Davis is vulnerable to Josey Jewell if Jewell comes in, picks up the playbook, and creates more plays than Davis. Jewell has that intangible ability to make the big play that you either have, or you don't. At Iowa it seemed as though he was always batting passes down, creating fumbles, and just making plays. Big plays are something that Denver's defense lacked last year. He understands angles so he is able to cover running backs out of the backfield, and he is a great tackler. What do I expect from Jewell this year? I think he will largely be a special teams contributor, and be able to step in should Davis or Marshall go down. To be completely honest though, I also would surprised if he beat out Todd Davis for the other inside linebacker job opposite Brandon Marshall. Jewell has a bright future with the Denver Broncos, and I will not lie, it does feel good to have a player I personally looked into get picked up by the team. 

Who Is The Best Pure Route Runner On The Broncos Roster?

Demaryius Thomas? He's good, but he's more of a straight line runner at his age. Emmanuel Sanders? I would say prior to this year Sanders was Denver's best  route runner, but he has been dethroned. The Broncos drafted who I believe to be their best pure route runner on their roster. His name is Daesean Hamilton, and he could easily be the most used rookie on this year's team. He played for Penn State University which is just now returning to being a powerhouse program after one of the worst scandals in college football history.

A team not usually known for producing good wide receivers found a diamond in the rough in Daesean Hamilton. Penn State is coming off a terrible sports scandal, but seemed to have found their way back to being one of the top programs football programs in college football. A team not known for throwing the ball found an amazing receiver while making a comeback to being one of the stronger programs in the country. Daesean Hamilton set the Penn States all time receptions record last year, and has shown over 4 years he is a player who can get open. He is an average size receiver at 6'1 and 204lbs, so on top of being a top route runner, he can also provide yards after he catches the ball.  Setting an all time receptions record at a Big 10 school is no small feet. Even though he his best time in the 40 was 4.47 seconds he is mostly known as a 4.5 40 guy who has the ability to run routes and get open. 

Is he physically gifted? Sure, but I think that by drafting Hamilton the Denver Broncos stayed the course of valuing the players leadership ability, and personality a little bit higher than pure athletic talent in their pre draft grades.  Drafting Daesean Hamilton is an instance of this of working in Denver's favor. He had 214 catches over 4 years at Penn State. Without blazing speed, or elite size  Hamilton's route running ability is what made him an elite college receiver. His work ethic is what I believe will make him a successful receiving threat for the Denver Broncos for the next coming years. 

Denver has positioned itself in a very smart position here from the stand point of their receiving corps. Should Courtland Sutton come in, and convincingly take the other outside receiver role moving Emmanuel Sanders inside I think we will see less of Daeseaan Hamilton, but he will get on the field. If Emmanuel Sanders stays on the outside next season I think that will mean Daesean Hamilton has a very good chance of being the slot receiver next year. Hamilton exploded onto the scene as a freshman with 82 receptions, and there is no reason he couldn't make the same splash in his 1st NFL season. 

Not being overly fast, or especially big, to be able to become a record holder for receptions at a Big 10 school is a clear sign he knows how to get open. If you asked most draft scouts who the best route runner in the 2018 draft was I feel a good number would say Hamilton.  He won't run away from many people, and he isn't a big body receiver like Courtland Sutton or Demaryius Thomas, Hamilton will make his impact in his ability to get open across the middle. This is a talent Denver has missed for the last couple years. It is hoped that along with Jake Butt, Daesean Hamilton will provide another threat over the middle of the field for Case Keenum. This is why, of all the Denver Broncos draft  offensive draft picks Daesean Hamilton might be the one to make the biggest impact in 2019. 

Courtland Sutton And How The Broncos Offense Should Look

I will be the first to say that I was a bit shocked when the Broncos drafted Courtland Sutton in the 2nd round. Shocked that Denver took a WR that high, and also shocked that Sutton was still on the board at the time. As I mentioned in the Royce Freeman post some players have that "it" factor, and I think Denver got another one with Courtland Sutton. He probably has the best catching ability of any receiver or tight end that was in the draft, and his ability to make plays on the ball when it is in the air is second to just about none. This was a pick of opportunity for the Denver Broncos as I feel like they didn't think Sutton would be there when they picked. Demaryius Thomas is still the Broncos top receiver, and one of the top 10 to 15 receivers in the NFL when he is healthy, but Courtland Sutton will be able to step right in as Denver's top target in a few years when Thomas retires.

Again, you have to ask yourself why did he fall to the second round? If he is so good why was he the third receiver selected? Wide receiver is a weird position where so many things come into play that it is hard to really say why any player is taken ahead of another. There could be a variety of reasons, but if I had to pick what I think are the top reasons, I would say the first reason would be his 40 time, he clocked in 4.5 seconds. Like with Royce Freeman, a 4.5 40 isn't going to make you look special in comparison to other receivers. Not having elite speed could be a reason he fell, and another could be that he came from a university not known for being a football power house at Southern Methodist University. Simply put, the competition he faced wasn't as good as the competition a receiver from the SEC, or Pac 12 would face. I am sure those things played into him falling to the second round, but either way in my eyes the Broncos got a player who can make a difference for years to come.

How does Courtland Sutton fit into the Broncos offense this season? First and foremost he will be Demaryius Thomas's back up. Should anything happen to DT, Sutton will step in at his spot, and take over being the big target for Case Keenum. I personally have a different hope for how he is used this season. My hope is that he impresses enough in OTA's and training camp that he can actually play on the other side of Demaryius Thomas. This would mean that Emmanuel Sanders moves into the slot, which I think is the best possible option for the Denver offense. Sanders has the elite route running ability, and elite speed to be a match-up problem for every NFL team. Emmanuel Sanders in the slot, Demaryius Thomas on one side, and Courtland Sutton on the other could be one of the more dynamic, and special receiving corps in the NFL next season. Having two receivers with the size of Sutton and Thomas on the outside, and the playmaking ability of Sanders on the inside would bring a smile to every Broncos fans face. Most teams end up trying to double team Demaryius Thomas, but if Courtland Sutton can make the transition to the NFL it will make it hard to do that. This means DT will have more single man coverage, and Emmanuel Sanders will be able to use his speed and route running ability from the slot where he has a huge advantage over just about any corner in the NFL. As it stands, Emmanuel Sanders plays on the opposite side of Demaryius Thomas, and the slot receiver is open for competition, but hopefully Sutton will be able earn that spot on the outside, and move Sanders inside. Should Courtland Sutton be able to succeed in doing that the Broncos offense really has a chance to be a tough team to game plan for this year.

Denver Broncos Draft Critique Of Royce Freeman

Royce Freeman could prove to be one of the biggest steals of the draft. Watching film on him he simply has that "it" factor you look for in any player, but especially at running back. At 5'11 and 230lbs he is big enough to run between the tackles, but he also has the quickness to break off a big run. Another strength of his is catching the ball out of the backfield, so he will not have to come off the field for 3rd down. The NFL is changing, and a running back has to also be a receiver not just a runner. He had 79 receptions for over 800 yards in his college career which for a 230lb running back is impressive. Freeman has the ability to run over a defender, and the quickness to make them miss and run around him.

After reading that the question has to be why did he fall to the 3rd round? There are a couple reasons that I can see, and the first is he had a pretty serious knee injury in 2016. A serious leg injury to a college running back will make even the best running back drop in the draft. This also changed the way he ran the ball. Prior to the injury he was a "shiftier" back, and he had a little more speed. After he got hurt his style of running changed, and he became a runner who will look to run through a defender rather than around him. His 40 time also probably caused him to fall in the draft. His 40 time was 4.5 seconds, and that isn't going to turn many general managers heads when you have running backs routinely running in the 4.4s, and even 4.3s. Running a 4.5 also means he isn't the home run threat that other running backs in the draft were. Chances are if he breaks a big run he will probably get caught from behind especially if a defender has an angle on him. The final reason I think he fell was that Oregon used him a LOT for the 4 years he was there. He had 1026 touches in his 4 year career at Oregon, and also scored 64 touchdowns which makes general managers wonder if there is any tread left on the tires. Having over 1000 touches in 4 a year career means he got hit a lot. This causes NFL teams to worry that investing a high pick in him might not pay off due to him having already carried the ball so much.

After weighing the positives and negatives the Broncos selected him with the 71st pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Personally I think Denver got a steal. He was successful in every single year he played at Oregon. He has pass catching ability, and the ability to make the tough short runs are what makes him special. After letting CJ Anderson go Denver was in need of a running back who could be their "work horse". I was one of the people who believed that Devontae Booker could be a special back in the NFL coming out of college. As of now he has proven to be a big disappointment. I think this is why Denver chose to use a 3rd round pick on a running back. Freeman is 10lbs heavier than Booker, and catches the ball better out of the backfield. Devontae Booker finds himself in a position a lot of the veterans on the Broncos are after this years draft; they have to earn their starting job because these young rookies will take their spots if they don't. My personal opinion is that Royce Freeman is going to start if not to open the season by probably week 3 or 4. He simply is too good of a player to keep off the field. The only two reasons I see Freeman not being the starter is if he can't learn the playbook (which I think he will as Oregon has a dynamic offense, and he learned that and excelled for 4 years), or Devontae Booker comes out and lives up to the hype he had when he was drafted. It will be an exciting training battle to watch in training camp that is for sure.

My Thoughts On Denver Broncos OTA's Starting Tomorrow

The Denver Broncos have made some serious progress in regards to developing quality young talent for the future. Here are some of my thoughts on OTA's starting tomorrow.

1) I would LOVE to see Emmanuel Sanders move inside to the slot. With the draft the Broncos had in getting Cortland Sutton who is another big body wide receiver who will one day replace Demaryius Thomas. Sanders would be a match up nightmare in the slot for opposing teams. He has the speed to get deep, the quickness to get open, and the hands to make the grabs across the middle. It would allow Sutton to start outside on one side and Thomas starting on the other. It would also put our most dangerous playmaker on the inside against the opposite teams 3rd corner. Sanders would immediately be the most dangerous wide receiver in the NFL.

2) Bradley Chubb gives us so much flexibility on defense I am worried he will not be used correctly. There is no doubt this man is an outside linebacker, and will be a match up nightmare out there. However it is my belief that when Denver has put a team in a 3rd and long situation that he should be moved inside over the opposites team's worst interior linemen. Put Derek Wolfe on the inside next to him, with Von MIller and Shane Ray on the outside, and if there was a way to include Shaq Barrett on the field at the same time you would have probably the best pass rushing unit in the NFL.

3) How does Su'a Cravens fit into this defense? Is he the heir apparent to TJ Ward? Will he have a "special position" created for him in sub packages as a linebacker/safety roll? Cravens is a very physical player, and has a unique set of skills. Justin Simmons has emerged into a very good free safety, and has the ability to play "center field" as good or better than anyone on the team, so does this push Darren Stewart out the door? What about Will Parks? Safety is the Broncos deepest position so it should be interesting to see how everything shakes out.

4) How long will it take Royce Freeman emerge as the starter before training camp starts? Devonte Booker has had ample opportunities to take the starting spot for himself, but I really do not believe any positions are "set" on the team outside of Case Keenum at QB, and Von Miller at outside linebacer

5) Can Demarcus Walker re-gain the weight and be the interior lineman he was at Florida State before he was moved to outside linebacker last year? As a 2nd round pick I was excited to see him join the team and thought he could be a special player because he was a high motor player with great athletic ability at Florida State. Playing him next to Derek Wolfe, who is also a high motor player could give a starting pair of defensive ends we haven't had since Malik Jackson was here.

6) I have about 5 more thoughts, but I will conclude with this one. Which undrafted free agent will make the team this year? Most people from Colorado will be pulling from former CU Buff running back Phillip Lindsey to make the team, but another name I would watch is Jeff Holland who is a linebacker from Auburn. Holland played on the outside at Auburn, and showed he had knack for getting to the QB. It will be interesting to see if Denver keeps him on the outside or moves him to the inside linebacker spot where they currently list Todd Davis and Brandon Marshall as the starters, with draft pick Josey Jewell and Zaire Anderson backing them up.

These questions and others are ones that Denver needs to answer during the offseason so they do not remain questions when the season starts. Its an exciting time of year as football is back!!!!!!!!