Breaking down the Broncos seven latest undrafted free agent signings

The Broncos already signed 10 college free agents, which I highlighted earlier in the week. On Thursday, Denver signed seven more undrafted rookies to the mix. In addition to signing these seven undrafted rookies, the Broncos also released quarterback Garrett Grayson and wide receiver Chad Hansen.

These seven new UDFAs include some very interesting names, specifically Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien. Let’s take a look at the new players added to the roster and whether or not the Broncos got some more hidden gems after the draft.

George Aston | FB | Pittsburgh
The most famous thing about Pitt fullback George Aston is his neck.

George aston ate Takeo Spikes pic.twitter.com/DnrnbC4qpA

— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) March 20, 2019

He’s certainly well built for a fullback and what scouts call “country strong” on the football field. Aston is known mostly for his blocking prowess, but he did snare 32 passes during the last two seasons in college. It’s doubtful he makes the 53-man roster over Andy Janovich, but Aston’s ability as a receiver is interesting to note in a Rich Scangarello offense.

Ryan Crozier | OL | UConn
There’s honestly not a lot out there about this Connecticut center. I was able to watch some cut ups of his college career and saw a player with the athleticism to get out in front of his quarterback and block moving targets. He’s capable of playing guard or center and likely has to put on more weight in the pros as he’s listed at 295 pounds.

Alijah Holder | CB | Stanford
Oft-injured in college at Stanford, Holder finished his collegiate career as a All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention player with 59 tackles and 10 pass breakups. Holder has good quickness and doesn’t lose much speed when changing direction as evidenced by his recording the fourth-fastest three-cone drill at the Scouting Combine. He’s got the footwork to adjust on the fly, but needs to do a better job of getting his hands on the rock. Holder had 10 pass breakups last year, but zero interceptions and only two interceptions in his injury-shortened career.

Kelvin McKnight | WR | Samford
The Broncos added a classic slot receiver when they picked up McKnight from Samford. He’s coming off a final season in college that saw him rack up an incredible 1,453 receiving yards. Even though he was timed at a 4.62 40-yard dash, McKnight does have explosive play-making ability as a receiver. McKnight gets in and out of his breaks quickly and does a good job of finding the soft spot in a zone. He’s a smaller target and thus his catch radius is smaller than ideal. McKnight can make circus catches to snare passes just out of his reach, but this usually negates the best part of his game – running after the catch.

Malik Reed | LB | Nevada
Reed was a rush end for the Wolfpack defense, but did move to linebacker in his senior season. His 22.0 sacks rank him in the top-five in school history. He can get after the quarterback effectively because of his quickness off the line of scrimmage. Reed does a good job of bending around tackles tasked with blocking him and he does have good burst to the passer. He will need to add strength and work on stacking moves to disengage from blockers at the pro level.

Brett Rypien | QB | Boise State
Rypien is easily the most likely player of the undrafted crop to make the 53-man roster. He reportedly received a contract with guarantees in six figures. That type of investment shows what the team thinks about the young quarterback. There’s a lot to like about Rypien’s game. First and foremost, Rypien was under center more than most any of the other quarterbacks in the 2019 draft class. I tweeted out the numbers earlier and it needs to be highlighted here. While other quarterbacks, even the Broncos second-round pick Drew Lock, were barely under center in 2018, this chart shows how Rypien had 53 passing attempts from under center last season.

here is a look at the under center numbers I was talking about on @1043TheFan with @NickFerguson_25 @Raj_Sharan #NFLDraft #Broncos pic.twitter.com/ze5Bfkc1WN

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 30, 2019

That total may not sound like a lot, but it ranked 16th in the FBS last season. That experience from under center should give Rypien a leg up that other young quarterback don’t have. Back in January, I watched Rypien from field level during the week of practice for the East-West Shrine Game. In my opinion, he was the most consistent quarterback on the field the whole week. Rypien did a good job of distributing passes accurately in the short-to-intermediate range. When he needed to uncork a deep pass, Rypien did so with good touch. He has the skill set of a part-time starter or quality backup. If the Broncos have their way, Lock could be the starter of the future with Rypien provided fantastic depth behind him.

Josh Watson | LB | Colorado State
The local pro day the Broncos held earlier this year is a good way to see talent from schools nearby who may not get the national spotlight they deserve. CSU’s Watson was in attendance and must’ve made a positive impression on the Broncos. He worked hard during the course of his college career to increase his speed and that helps him get to the ball-carrier and also in coverage. His speed has improved, although most scouts don’t consider him overly fast – what makes him stand out is his nose for the ball. Watson is an inside linebacker at the pro level with good instincts and diagnostics as a play is breaking down in front of him. He called the checks for the Rams defense and was known as a team leader.

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