The Denver Broncos had a big, 10-player class in the 2021 NFL Draft. Which players will be starting in 2021 and which will be developing on the sideline?
The Denver Broncos enter the 2021 season with rather high expectations for a team coming off of a last-place 5-11 finish in 2020. The Broncos hired new general manager George Paton from the Minnesota Vikings early in the year and Paton has picked up right where John Elway left off.
Although the results have not been there consistently on the field, the Denver Broncos have a pretty impressive roster of young, talented players. They have been held back by injuries and quarterback play and are hoping that the 2021 NFL Draft class they just brought in can really help push this team back into the postseason.
The postseason is a place the Denver Broncos have not been since they won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015-16 season.
Getting back to the postseason is going to require improved quarterback play and some significant contributions from this rookie class, which looks on paper like one of the better classes in the league.
Denver Broncos 2021 NFL Draft class
- Pat Surtain II, CB, Alabama
- Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
- Quinn Meinerz, OL, Wisconsin-Whitewater
- Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State (3rd round)
- Caden Sterns, S, Texas (5th round)
- Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana (5th round)
- Seth Williams, WR, Auburn (6th round)
- Kary Vincent Jr., CB, LSU (7th round)
- Jonathon Cooper, EDGE, Ohio State (7th round)
- Marquiss Spencer, DL, Mississippi State (7th round)
With such a young roster overall, what can we expect from this rookie class? Which players will be in the starting lineup and which will be on the sideline or maybe playing backup roles in their first NFL seasons?
Let’s take a look through the class.
1. Pat Surtain II, CB
The Denver Broncos’ selection of Pat Surtain II was pretty surprising, all things considered.
The Broncos went out and spent some of their primary assets in free agency on veterans Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller. After those moves, GM George Paton even told the media that he didn’t have to take a cornerback in that number nine spot overall in the first round.
Apparently, when he said he didn’t have to go with a cornerback, too many of us (myself included) took that to mean he for sure wouldn’t.
Paton added Pat Surtain II, arguably the top defensive player overall in the 2021 NFL Draft class, to an already loaded secondary. So what does that mean for Surtain’s early playing time? Is he a starter or is he going to ride the pine?
There is just simply no way the Denver Broncos don’t find a way to get this guy on the field.
Will he be in the “starting lineup”? It’s possible if not probable that he will not be. The Broncos signed Darby and Fuller and also still have Bryce Callahan, who may have been their best defensive player in general last year until his foot injury flared up.
Still, there will be an immediate role for Surtain in the defense. Even if he is not running out of the tunnel with the starters, he’s playing starter snaps.
Verdict: Starter
2. Javonte Williams, RB
Fantasy football players will probably not love the Denver Broncos’ backfield alignment heading into the 2021 season, but the Broncos are certainly not going to be complaining.
The team made the difficult decision to move on from 2018 undrafted free agent star and local prospect Phillip Lindsay in favor of Javonte Williams, the team’s RB1 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Broncos love Williams, so much so that one of their top front office personnel said in a Draft documentary from the team that they likened Williams to Nick Chubb and a little Zeke Elliott.
The Denver Broncos’ incumbent RB1 is Melvin Gordon. Gordon came over from the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 free agency and did basically what he’s always done in the league. He was a solid back who played all three downs and had 10 total touchdowns.
He basically gets 10 touchdowns in his sleep at this point.
But Williams is not coming in to simply be Gordon’s RB2 — he’s going to snipe some of the RB1 work.
It would be a little surprising if, by the time the season is over, Williams is not the clear RB1 for the Denver Broncos unless he is injured or simply can’t get things going for whatever reason.
Verdict: Starter
Third round picks
3a. Quinn Meinerz, IOL
The Denver Broncos picked the small-school wonder Quinn Meinerz in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, a round later than many expected him to go based on his pre-draft metrics and performance at the 2021 Senior Bowl week of practices.
Meinerz is self-taught at the center position, but he’s got one of the best offensive line coaches in the league in Mike Munchak and a pretty solid situation he’s stepping into in Denver.
Lloyd Cushenberry had a rocky rookie season in Denver in 2020 and while the job is seemingly his to lose, Meinerz may be too talented to keep off the field in 2021.
Verdict: Starter
3b. Baron Browning, LB
What is Baron Browning in the NFL? Is he a traditional off-ball linebacker? Is he a full-time EDGE? Is he going to flex around the formation and do it all?
The Denver Broncos are starting him off at the off-ball linebacker position, but that doesn’t mean he’ll simply be a backup behind Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell and nothing more.
The team is going to (hopefully) find creative ways to get Browning on the field with his elite athleticism and blitzing ability. Still, Browning is a bit raw and Vic Fangio’s defense is notoriously difficult to pick up for young players (or veterans, for that matter).
Verdict: Sideline
Fifth-round picks
5a. Caden Sterns, S
After re-signing both Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson earlier in the offseason, the Denver Broncos had to find a way in the 2021 NFL Draft to supplement their depth at the safety position, and they found some intriguing value on day three.
Starting with Caden Sterns, the Broncos are banking on Sterns reaching the potential he showed early on at Texas with his elite athleticism and former five-star recruiting rating. A big-time high school prospect who seemingly peaked early at Texas, Sterns will undoubtedly get his rookie year to contribute on special teams and learn behind two of the best in the league.
Verdict: Sideline
5b. Jamar Johnson, S
While Caden Sterns is an example of someone who showed his potential early and production dipped as time progressed, Jamar Johnson is an example of the polar opposite.
Johnson’s sample size is rather small but he was tremendous this past season at Indiana and his production on the ball was some of the best in the entire 2021 NFL Draft class.
Johnson doesn’t have elite measurables like Sterns, but he plays with instincts and gets his hands on the ball.
Still, he is in the same boat as Sterns here. He will get the chance to play special teams and learn behind two of the league’s best.
Verdict: Sideline
Rounds 6-7 picks
6. Seth Williams, WR
The Denver Broncos have the deepest wide receiver group in the NFL, potentially. Whether there is even room for Seth Williams among the top six or seven remains to be seen.
The talented Auburn product will have to show out in training camp and preseason play in order to make the 53-man roster, let alone carve a role in the offense. Barring injury, his ceiling as a rookie in Denver is probably WR5.
Verdict: Sideline
7a. Kary Vincent Jr., CB
You love to see teams take shots on players like this late in the draft. Kary Vincent Jr. is a tremendous athlete who can play safety or nickel, but will likely transition to a full-time nickel role in Denver.
He will have a chance to truly compete for a top nickel role after the 2021 season, but the position group is simply too loaded at this point in time.
Verdict: Sideline
7b. Jonathon Cooper, EDGE
The Denver Broncos do have a need for a fourth edge, someone who can contribute right away, so Jonathon Cooper has a shot to see decent playing time as a rookie.
With that being said, Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are arguably the top edge duo in the entire NFL, and Malik Reed has been an injury replacement starter for each of them the past two seasons.
Verdict: Sideline
7c. Marquiss Spencer, DL
Marquiss Spencer has a lot of upside as a pass-rushing defensive lineman, but he’s going to need some seasoning. He may spend more time on the practice squad in 2021 than the active roster barring a breakthrough camp/preseason.
Verdict: Sideline