With day-two picks, the Broncos fill more of their glaring needs

Heading into rounds two and three, I posted the following tweet:

Tonight’s Broncos wish list:

1. C/G
2. CB
3. ILB
4. WR

Gotta replace McGovern / Leary. Need a third corner. Todd Davis is a short-term answer, at best. Still thin behind Sutton and Jeudy.

— James Merilatt (@jamesmerilatt) April 24, 2020

This wasn’t as much of a prediction as it was a hope. In my opinion, those were the positions the Broncos most needed to address with the four picks they possessed, one in the second round and three in the third. By the end of the night, three of the four had been checked off the list.

In the second round, Denver surprised most people by drafting K.J. Hamler. After taking Jerry Jeudy in round one on Thursday night, few expected the Broncos to take another wideout. But they jumped on the speedster out of Penn State with the 46th overall pick.

Why? Because even with Jeudy joining Courtland Sutton on the roster, the Broncos were still thin at receiver. They didn’t have another wideout with more than 30 catches (DaeSean Hamilton) or 315 yards (Tim Patrick) in a season. Now, they have someone who can fill the No. 3 role and play in the slot, while players like Hamilton, Patrick and Juwann Winfree compete for the No. 4 and 5 spots.

With the first pick in the third round, Denver grabbed Michael Ojemudia. This was another selection that made perfect sense when looking at the depth chart.

A.J. Bouye is clearly the team’s No. 1 cornerback, but it gets a little dicey after him. With Chris Harris Jr. gone via free agency, that leaves Bryce Callahan and Isaac Yiadom as the second and third corners, respectively. Callahan missed all of last season with an injured foot, while Yiadom has been marginal at best during his first two seasons in the league. Denver needed someone to compete for those spots and they found him in the Iowa cornerback at No. 77.

Six picks later, the Broncos found another player who should compete as a rookie for playing time. With the 83rd overall pick, the grabbed Lloyd Cushenberry, a center out of LSU, another logical selection by John Elway.

During the offseason, Connor McGovern left via free agency and the team didn’t pick up the option on Ron Leary’s contract. That means last year’s starting center and right guard weren’t returning in 2020. They signed Graham Glasgow to a four-year, $44-million deal as a replacement for one or the other, as he can play center or guard. But Denver still needed to add another interior offensive lineman. Cushenberry fills that role. He can play center, while Glasgow becomes the team’s right guard.

With their final pick of the night, the Broncos selected McTelvin Agim with the 95th pick. While the defensive lineman out of Arkansas doesn’t plug a glaring hole on the depth chart, he is a good selection when looking down the road.

In 2020, Denver’s defensive line is pretty well set. But Shelby Harris is only on a one-year deal, as he’ll want to re-test the free-agency market again next offseason. The same can be said for Mike Purcell. And Jurrell Casey will turn 31 in December, so his 10th season is much closer to being his last than his first. In other words, the three current starters might all be gone next year. Adding some young players to the depth chart was vital.

With five “premium” picks (round one, two and three) in 2020, the Broncos needed to add three starters. Most likely, Jeudy and Cushenberry are atop the depth chart to start training camp. In today’s NFL, a third cornerback is essentially a starter, a spot that should be held by Ojemudia. And in a fullback-free offense, a third wide receiver is also important, meaning Hamler should play a big role this season too.

In the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Broncos have filled their biggest needs and found three to four potential immediate starters. That’s mission accomplished for John Elway and company.

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