Denver Broncos top 2022 NFL Draft needs after three games
The Denver Broncos are off to an exciting 3-0 start to the 2021 season. What are the team’s clearest needs looking ahead to the 2022 NFL Draft?
It has been an outstanding start to the 2021 season for the Denver Broncos, who are 3-0 after going winless in September in the first two years of the Vic Fangio era. Even though the Denver Broncos’ first three opponents (Giants, Jaguars, Jets) are a combined 0-9 to start the season, it’s not like these have been close or ugly games.
The Broncos have been absolutely dominating these teams, to the tune of 27-13, 23-14, and 26-0. Among the 26 points the Denver Broncos have allowed in three games, seven of them are a result of a kickoff return touchdown and six of them came on a garbage-time Daniel Jones run in week one.
Effectively, this Denver Broncos’ defense has allowed 13 points in three games and they have gone two straight weeks without allowing the Jaguars or Jets to have a single rep in the red zone.
Insane.
Denver Broncos 2022 NFL Draft top needs after three games
Still, nobody’s perfect. No roster ever is.
Looking ahead to the 2022 offseason (because that’s what we do) what are the Denver Broncos’ top needs right now? What positions might they target early in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Let’s take a look at a few.
1. Right Tackle
In one of the least surprising developments of the year, the Denver Broncos need long-term stability at the right tackle position.
You can’t always just throw NFL Draft capital at a position, but the Broncos are going to have to in 2022.
Whether that’s in the first round, second round, or third round, one of their top three picks next year is probably going to be a player who will be expected to start at right tackle, in my opinion.
Bobby Massie is a decent placeholder, but he’s also not a long-term solution and the team is not under that illusion.
2. EDGE
Von Miller is a free agent after this season, though it’s looking like it would be a shocker for the Denver Broncos to let him go week after week.
Miller is a living legend in Denver, and letting go of him with as well as he’s played would be a horrible look for the franchise.
Bradley Chubb has been dealing with ankle and knee injuries the past three seasons, and while Malik Reed is a very capable starter, you might see the Broncos go here.
3. Quarterback
This would have been much higher on this list before the start of the season.
Teddy Bridgewater has played his way into the conversation as a possible long-term option for the team at the quarterback position, which is pretty surprising.
He’s playing as well as he ever has as an NFL player, doing what he does best — throwing the ball with accuracy and timing, spreading it around to a variety of receivers, and taking care of the ball.
We’ll see how he does when the Broncos start facing off against their own division opponents. Derek Carr, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes all look capable of winning games on their own early in the season.