Kiper and McShay make their Broncos picks for Round 3 — and one is a stud RB

Mock drafts are ridiculous crapshoots. Mock drafts that extend into Round 3 reach the blindfolded-darts level. That doesn’t prevent draft prognosticators from shooting their shots.

Tuesday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay made their projections, jointly releasing a mock draft in which they alternated selections. Kiper had the odd-numbered picks, which meant he handled the Broncos’ first choice: No. 67 overall. McShay took pick 68.

Their choices were Tennessee edge rusher Byron Young and Tulane running back Tyjae Spears.

Writes Kiper on Young:

At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Young is undersized, but he has a nose for pressuring quarterbacks. This is Denver’s first pick in this draft, and it should focus on the front seven with one of these selections.

Last year, Young had one pressure every 9.3 pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus’ data. That placed him 208th among 510 edge rushers or linebackers with at least 150 pass-rush snaps, per PFF. One potential drawback on Young is his size, which is a similar critique as the one regarding 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto.

McShay’s pick at No. 68, Spears, is a bit more of a slam dunk:

Writes McShay on Spears:

Denver can stay right there at the podium to announce its new third-down back. Spears makes defenders miss, has breakaway speed and can make an impact in the pass game.

Regular readers and viewers of denversports.com know about Spears. Cecil Lammey and I have discussed him multiple times since watching him during Senior Bowl practices two-and-a-half months ago.

Love watching @GreenWaveFB RB Tyjae Spears — he’s got good hands as a receiving target, is decisive getting through the hole, is a willing blocker and hits fifth gear in a hurry. You can imagine Spears flourishing in a Sean Payton offense … 🤔 pic.twitter.com/24N5hb5pxY

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 2, 2023

As I wrote about Spears:

He is a complete package, a true-three down back who has speed, pass-catching skills, terrific vision and all-around reliability. But plenty of others have noticed, as well. Heading into the draft process, it seemed as though Spears could fall into the Broncos’ Round 3 lap. That seems less likely now. That being said, if Spears remains on the board at pick No. 67, Denver should pounce.

***

Related

After up-and-down camp, Broncos tight end Joly closes preseason with a flourishTight end room makes a statement in the Broncos preseason finaleEhlinger has nice game, but Broncos’ QB2 race remains unsettledAs most Broncos starters rest, Jonathon Cooper starts and playsBroncos lose Mims to foot injury on first seriesMarvin Mims can’t become a star receiver in Denver