Open Rants by kkunert327

With the draft in the books time to go back and do a wrap up of how teams made out. I might be a bit of a harsh critic to the top 3 round picks, but that is where you need to hit in the draft to be successful. Sure most of the league is 4th rounders and later, but any that turn into Pro Bowlers or All-Pro players is mostly out of luck. So without further adieu, let's dissect the fighting John Elways and the Denver Broncos. 

1 (15) - Jerry Jeudy WR Alabama - A+

2 (14) - K.J. Hamler WR Penn St - C+

3 (13) - Michael Ojemudia CB Auburn - F

3 (19) - Lloyd Cushenberry C LSU - A+

3 (31) - McTelvin Agim DT Arkansas - D-

Overall, just landing Jeudy where they were and getting him after the Raiders took Henry Ruggs was just a huge steal in my opinion. Honestly, I would have rather had the Jets take Jeudy than take a project like Mekhi Becton. To me Jeudy cannot miss and he is an elite version of Calvin Ridley who many slept on two years ago. He can do it all play outside or in the slot with great foot work and hands. Jeudy is not a burner like Lamb or Ruggs, but his stop and start ability is already maybe the best in the league. He does not drop passes and he people who worry about his knee will love to know he never missed a game at Alabama or practice for that matter. Then the Broncos came back around and solidified their receiver position with K.J. Hamler. I would love this pick had the Broncos not needed more help along the offensive line. Elway is sort of taking a page out of old Colt's GM Ryan Grigson's playbook of taking skill guys over more needed and valuable blockers. Hamler should be a nice player who can get open akin to a smaller Deebo Samuel. My only worry is that he needs to be schemed open, but with Jeudy and Courtland Sutton on the roster he will have more ability to sneak around. The player is great, I just worry now that Lock will have too many mouths to feed with Jeudy, Hamler, Sutton, and last year's first rounder Noah Fant. They whiffed on Ojemudia in my opinion and to be honest corner was not a huge huge need after landing A.J. Bouye and hopefully they have a healthy Bryce Callahan returning. There were better corners still available and this to me was another wasted opportunity to land a new left tackle. Cushenberry will start right away replacing the departed Connor McGovern at center. To me had he not played center he would have been taken much higher, but to me center is one of the most important positions on offense being the first line of defense in front of the quarterback. He will be a nice piece to help develop Drew Lock. Agim will be a nice rotational piece, but again I will downgrade this pick due to their avoidance of protecting Lock more with better tackles or found a linebacker for their defense. There were also much better tackles available here than Agim. 

4 (12) - Albert Okwuegbunam TE Missouri - B+

5 (33) - Justin Strand LB Wake Forest - B

6 (2) - Netane Muti OG Fresno St - A- 

7 (38) - Tyrie Cleveland WR Florida - C

7 (40) - Derrek Tuska North Dakota St OLB/Edge - B+

Not going to lie I usually hate John Elway's drafts, but the past two years he has not been too bad so far. If Drew Lock works out he looks like a genius getting him in the 2nd round. They found two starting receivers here in Jeudy and Hamler. A starting All-Pro upside center in Cushenberry. Now he might have recreated the Patriots tight end group with Fant from last year and a first round caliber talent in Okwuegbunam. Last year had he come out he and T.J. Hockenson would have battled to figure out who would be the first tight end off the board. He does have some diva and concentration issues, but taking a gamble on him here is well worth the risk for his upside. Strand is a starting caliber linebacker and dropped a few rounds than he should due to injuries. They had a huge need at linebacker and he could be a nice fit for the middle of Vic Fangio's defense. Muti should push for a starting guard spot and getting him in the 6th round is amazing value as he could have very well been taken in the 3rd round. He should be a valuable depth piece, but would not be shocked if he pushes Dalton Risner or even newly acquired Graham Glasgow for a starting job at some point. Cleveland has a ton of upside, but I how is he going to play with Jeudy, Hamler, and Sutton already on the roster to go along with DaeSean Hamilton who can still play. A left tackle is sorely needed. Tuska is a nice rotational edge rusher who can be a nice depth option as Miller gets older and Bradley Chubb returns off a torn ACL. I guess the Broncos and Elway are hesitant to admit they whiffed on Garrett Bolles just yet. If Bolles continues to stumble I can see Lock having a hard time finding his new weapons. Overall, the draft itself I would give it a very very strong B+ and the only reason why I am not going to give it an A is their inability to find a new tackle or two to compete against Bolles. Their offense should at the very least be a lot better with Jeudy and Hamler who I was not very high on. 

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