Ten players the Broncos need to consider picking on day two of the draft

The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is in the books. It was a wild night, and there were plenty of twists and turns – especially near the end of the first round – that had fans on the edge of their set. These moves made mock drafts obsolete quickly, but I must proudly say that I got 10 picks correct in my one and only mock draft for The Fan.

Now, it’s time to look at players the Broncos should be considering on day two of the draft. They have four picks in the second and third rounds, so they need to make the most of them. In fact, the Broncos need to find two more starters from these day-two picks.

Here is my list of players the Broncos need to consider in rounds two and three of the draft:

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Leftover First-Round Talent

There are plenty of quality players who fell out of the first round of the draft. The Broncos need to look out for these players if they fall to them at No. 46 overall.

Still on the board after Round 1:

Yetur Gross-Matos
Xavier McKinney
D’Andre Swift
J.K. Dobbins
Jonathan Taylor
Trevon Diggs
Jaylon Johnson
Kristian Fulton
Tee Higgins
Denzel Mims
Cole Kmet
Julian Okwara
Ezra Cleveland
Josh Jones
A.J. Epenesa
Zack Baun

Round 2 at 7 pm ET Friday

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 24, 2020

Of the players that Pelissero lists, I think the Broncos should keep an eye on Trevon Diggs, Jaylon Johnson, Ezra Cleveland and Josh Jones. There are others, but for this article I’m going to focus on this group.

Diggs is one of my favorite cornerbacks in this group. The Alabama corner has the length and burst that reminds me of former Broncos defender Aqib Talib. He should be one of the first players off the board in the second round, so the Broncos would likely have to move up to get him. Johnson should be high on the board for the Broncos. He’s hard-hitting at the cornerback position and he is highly intelligent. Johnson will often take what he’s seen on film and apply it to the field in playmaking-fashion.

Cleveland was getting some first-round buzz during the last two weeks, but that was always fishy to me. I had him graded as a late second-round pick, but all it takes is one team to take you higher. Perhaps teams feel the same way I do about his game and he may be there at No. 46 for the Broncos. Jones had a great Senior Bowl earlier this year (unless he went against Javon Kinlaw) and there were mocks after that even that had him going in the top 10. I don’t see that and had a late first- or early second-round grade. Denver would have to move up to get him.

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Second-Round Help

The Broncos do not have any players remaining on the draft board that had first-round grades. This means they may look at those leftover first-round players differently. However, there are some to be considering with the No. 46 overall pick.

Kyle Dugger from Lenoir-Rhyne was a standout player for me on film and he backed that up with a solid week of practice at the Senior Bowl. He’s a safety but a smart team can use him as a dime linebacker. Dugger is incredibly athletic as evidenced by the 42-inch vertical he recorded at the Scouting Combine. He is also known as a violent tackler who has a nose for the ball.

Jeremy Chinn is Steve Atwater’s nephew and a player on the Broncos radar. The Southern Illinois safety has a large wingspan and plenty of straight-line speed to get to the ball quickly. He can cover but he needs to work on his reaction and hip-transition skills. He has elite athleticism for the position but is still quite raw as a prospect.

Akeem Davis-Gaither, the Appalachian State linebacker, has the coverage ability that teams in today’s pass-happy NFL covet. He reminds some in the scouting community of Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith. Davis-Gaither is built like a safety, but he hits like a linebacker and blitzes like a mad man. He would be a good day 2 pick for the Broncos.

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Third-Round Help

Once we get to the third round, the Broncos can shine with three picks in the round. They need to find one starter (at least) out of these picks and there should still be plenty of talent left for them to do just that.

I hope the Broncos pick Logan Wilson from Wyoming in the third round. A converted cornerback who switched to linebacker has a nose for the ball. He’s known as a hard worker and finds his way to the ball quickly, rarely getting fooled by play-action fakes. Wilson could be a starter for the Broncos from day one.

Another player I think Denver is considering is wide receiver K.J. Hill from Ohio State. At the Senior Bowl earlier this year, Hill was the first player the Broncos scouts attending went to talk to after the first day of practice. Hill’s game is about strength and quickness from the slot. He can run through arm tackles and is lightning-quick off the line of scrimmage.

Alex Highsmith from Charlotte is a sleeper I would love the Broncos to get in the third round. I watched him during the week of practice for the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this year and he was impressive in one-on-one drills and in team practices. Highsmith has this crazy “spin/chop” pass-rushing move that you have to see to believe. I like him to begin his career as a rotational pass-rusher that has a bit of Shaq Barrett to his game.

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Honorable Mention

There are players I must list in this section. They should go off the board at some point on day two of the draft and could easily be fits for the Broncos:

Troy Dye | LB | Oregon
Bryce Hall | CB | Virginia
Albert Okwuegbunam | TE | Missouri
Lucas Niang | OT | TCU
A.J. Dillion | RB | Boston College
Chase Claypool | WR | Notre Dame
Marlon Davidson | DL | Auburn
Robert Hunt | IOL | Louisiana
Devin Duvernay | WR | Texas
Leki Fotu | DL | Utah

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