Who is the Denver Broncos ideal 2021 NFL Draft target?

Who is the Denver Broncos’ ideal 2021 NFL Draft target?

The Denver Broncos have assembled a talented young roster loaded with athletic playmakers at the offensive skill positions, a tremendous duo of pass rushers, and maybe the best duo of safeties in the NFL in Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson.

The Broncos‘ rebuilding process has been ongoing since their victory in Super Bowl 50, which was Peyton Manning’s swan song in the NFL and the last year with the Broncos for a lot of other key contributors.

Although part of the team was still Super Bowl-caliber at that point, the Broncos’ offense failed to catch up to the level of their championship-caliber defense and they have missed the playoffs every year since winning the Super Bowl.

Finally, the Broncos’ offense is at a point where at least the potential is there to compete with the heavy hitters in the NFL this season.

Even with that being the case, the roster-building is never complete and the Broncos have needs they are certainly looking to in 2021.

The Broncos’ top 2021 NFL Draft need

Assessing the current state of the Broncos’ roster, it looks like left tackle is the team’s biggest area of need for the 2021 NFL Draft, at least if that draft were taking place this week.

Former first-round pick Garett Bolles is entering a contract year after having his fifth-year option declined by the team, and he has not performed up to standards in his first three NFL seasons anyway.

Unless there’s a huge leap forward, the concern over Bolles’ development and the questions around Ja’Wuan James’ health leave some major question marks for the Broncos at tackle.

If they could have any prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft, it would undoubtedly be Oregon’s Penei Sewell.

Terms like ‘generational’ seem to be thrown around a bit too much these days by all of the analysts and pundits on social media, but Sewell is widely considered to be one of the best tackle prospects to come along certainly since Joe Thomas (2007) and definitely in general over the last two decades.

The Broncos would have to be picking extremely high to get a player like Sewell next year, and with the way they played down the stretch of the 2019 season, it’s doubtful they will be.

Still, the possibility exists that the Broncos could move up for a player like Sewell if they determine he’s the right fit for their program and they see the type of strides from Drew Lock in year two to necessitate such a move.