Latest NFL.com mock draft has Broncos filling a major need

Well, it didn’t take long for the NFL to turn the page from the 2020 season to 2021. The day after Super Bowl LV, NFL.com released the first mock draft from Chad Reuters.

Now, this isn’t the first mock of the year. They’ve been trickling out for a month. But it’s a significant one, as Reuters knows his stuff.

As Cecil Lammey commented on Twitter, “When Chad speaks/tweets, you listen.”

So, what does the draftnik have the Broncos doing in the first round? Well, he has them staying at No. 9 and addressing a position of need by taking Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

“If Drew Lock is the Broncos’ starting QB again in 2021, or if the team finds a veteran to compete with Lock instead of drafting one early, then shoring up the defense with a stud like Parsons makes all kinds of sense,” Reuters explained.

It makes sense. The Broncos could use a sideline-to-sideline player in the middle of their defense, something they’ve been missing since Danny Trevathan left via free agency.

Under Vic Fangio, filling that void is even more important. His best defenses have had great middle linebackers, with NaVorro Bowman in San Francisco and Roquan Smith in Chicago.

Parsons would certainly play that role. It’s odd that the Broncos didn’t address this area of need, either via free agency or the draft, prior to Fangio’s first two seasons in Denver. Perhaps now, they finally will.

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