Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BRONCOS SQUAD SHOW: What Should Be The Broncos FOCUS In The NFL Draft?

Episode Date: April 7, 2026

The NFL Draft is set for the end of April, and while the Denver Broncos do not have a first round pick, they will still look to upgrade their roster in the later rounds. What position groups should the Broncos zero on? Will Denver trade up in the draft? Join Aniello Piro, Cody Roark, Sayre Bedinger and Nick Ferguson as they break down the latest news and notes for Broncos Country on today's Locked On Broncos Squad Show. Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! TurboTax This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get two-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Betterhelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm an Elo Piro, and it is officially draft season for the Denver Broncos. I'm Sarah Bedinger. The Broncos might have had a visit with the most interesting prospect in the entire upcoming class. I'm Cody Rourke, and I don't give a damn about them picks. I'm Nick Ferguson, and there's still some value late in the draft that the Broncos can add at value positions this season. Let's talk about it all. on today's Lacton Broncos squad show. Let's get into it, fellas.

From the South stands, it's the Broncos squad. Everything Denver Broncos every week. Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Mile High City. The way only the Lockdown Podcast Network can. Gear up and squad up. The Broncos squad show starts now. You threw me off there, Cody. I saw that you were like ducking down.

I wasn't sure if you're ready for the cold open. So I went to Sayre. Man, I'm all ready. Come on now. I just, I don't know. I threw me off. I was like, I was like, all right. I'm going to say this.

And before I could even finish my thought, I was on the screen. And I'm like, oh, shoot. I here we go. Show is on. Cody's throwing us. He's like this. And I'm like, is that mean he's like petting the dog or like, what's going on? I put all that.

Nah, no. No, I was, I was trying to do like the year. There you go. There you go. Well, uh, walks on the audio side that are listening to us. I have no idea what the heck these guys are talking about. It's, if you're watching on YouTube, you'll see. You can see it there.

But good afternoon, gentlemen. Yeah. We're actually not even noon yet. It's morning still. It's still technically morning. We love our audio listeners, but I feel like we have, like when you see the show kind of playing out the way that it does with all of us here on the stream, I think it's, it's fun. So any audio listeners that want to come over to YouTube, you can do that at Lockdown Broncos.

It is your Lockdown Broncos squad show. We got the full squad here today. Sayer, Cody, and Nick. I am a neat. Lo Piro. It is officially draft season for Los Broncos gentlemen. And probably, what's the word I want to use? It's obviously exciting for draft season, but it's not as exciting as it has been in years past and for good reason, right? The Broncos flip their first round pick to bring in Jalen Waddle, but there's still going to be opportunities for the Broncos to go out

there and improve their roster via the draft. I mean, you think of key contributors that are currently on the team that were not first round picks. You're talking about the Nick Benito's. You're talking about a handful of different guys, Marvin Mims, among some others, that Denver's done a good job of hitting on in the later round. So we'll kind of do a preliminary draft conversation. We'll really dive into the draft over the next couple of weeks as well and have some fun with that here today. But Sarah, how are you feeling about the draft as a whole?

I love the NFL draft. I do. I know the Broncos don't pick until 62 overall, right? I mean, that's going to stink. But look, it's kind of going to mirror NFL free agency in a way, right? because the Broncos start off NFL free agency, all these expectations, yada, yada, we're going to be aggressive. And then everybody has to wait for the big splash move.

But once the Broncos start making moves, I think we're going to start to see that vision sort of unfold. And I was as critical as anybody of the process during free agency. But I think there's a couple of exciting things. I know we're going to talk about draft versus free agency later. So I'm going to save something for later here. But I really like the, like Nick talked about and he teased it. I really like that the positions the Broncos need the most in this draft are kind of just like overflowing with talent at every maybe not running back.

But the other position groups I think they need the most. This draft class is deep. It's got tons of elite level athletes, tons of guys who played a lot of football, lots of production. I think it lines up really well for this team to at least get somebody who can be not, maybe not a start at this year, but as soon as next year. Yeah, and let's kick it to Nick here because to Sarah's point, like there is a lot of different guys, like whether it's linebacker,

you know, a handful of other positions of the Broncos are looking at, tight end, defensive line, you know, do they go secondary help as well? Like in your opinion, Nick, and then we'll kind of go around the table here, around the horn style of like, what is the position group or groups that you think the Broncos have to prioritize over the rest? Well, there are a couple guys. And we talked on it and we touched on the last week, but we got to look at the middle lineback position.

I mean, after the two-star linebackers, it's just like, well, who do you really have? You have a bunch of guys, but you need some guys who are able to compete. And at least from a confident standpoint, I know it's always difficult as a young guy coming into the league playing any position. But you want to know that if your starter goes down, you have adequate depth that you feel confident that can come in and they can step in. When you look at the Broncos linebackers, you don't have a lot of those guys after Alex Singleton and Justin Schroenard that you can say, well, they have a lot. lot of playing experience in the league. And I'm not just talking about special teams playing experience. You want to know that you have a plug and play guy.

Someone goes down. You stick them in there. You know that they can do this one thing well. If they can't do anything else, they can do this one particular thing well. And we know that there's streets and weaknesses to every single guy. But I'll start off with the linebacker position. I also go to the tight end position. Even though the Broncos ran back with their tight end group,

we haven't seen a lot of production from the. this group. Now, we know what Evan Ingram was supposed to be that it didn't manifest into that last season, but we are all expecting him to make a huge jump with Davis Webb calling plays. But there is a player out there to tie-in position that I really like Eli Redd and out of Notre Dame. He's a long 6-6 to 145-pound guy. He has a lot of range. He can run routes and he can attack the middle of the field. And here's the best thing I like about him is that he plays with his hands. One of the issues that we had last year with the Broncos, wide receivers and tight end was the fact of being able to maintain and sustain blocks. This red and kid, I mean,

he plays well with his hands, he moves his feet. So if the Broncos later in the draft felt as though they needed a tight end of value, to me, that's the direction. I think they should go. Yeah, and let's stick with tight in for a second. And Cody, you're in the building as much, if not more than any of us here on a day-to-day basis throughout the course of the season. Like when it comes to the tight-end position. It feels like, I don't want to use the word neglect, but it's been a major position of need for this organization for a really long time. It feels like the tight end room has kind of been in flux for, you know, the better part of a half decade plus here at this point. They tried with Albert O. You know, we saw what happened with Evan Ingram last year. They bring back

Adam Troutman. When it comes to the tight end position as a whole, like as Nick is kind of describing here, what style of tight end do you envision the Broncos needing or do you think that Sean Payton wants? Is it more of the past catching kind of guy because you have an Adam Troutman or is it more of a tried and true run blocking tight end or maybe a combination of two of the two of them? You need a hybrid. You need someone who could do a little bit of both. Look, I think when you get to the point where you have one guy who specializes in just past catching versus one guy that specializes in run blocking. Now you're kind of handcuffing yourself.

You're giving away tendencies. Oh, this guy's in. It must be a run. Like the thing I like about Adam Trotman and look, he's a solid blocker. He's the best blocking tight end in the league. No, I don't think so. I think there's, you know, he's got a lot of room to still improve. I think he's one of the more underrated pass catching tight ends on the roster,

but the problem with him is they do not feature him as much in the passing game. There are times where they go to Adam Troutman in the red zone run third down. He's making plays. He's making one-handed catches. I think we forget a couple years ago. He had some nice catches, you know, in a Bow-Nicks four touchdown passing game. I think it was on National Tight-ins Day. I think Nate Adkins had one and also Adam Troutman had one.

But Troutman, the thing I like about him is he's, I think he's a solid all around guy, like in terms of being an underrated pass catcher, the problem with that is the volume. So when Adam Troutman is in, teams aren't necessarily focusing on him on the game plan. Hey, he's going to run around. He's more of a checkdown option for quarterbacks in this offensive scheme here. Whereas Evan Ingram, hey, Evans in. Evan is more so the pass catching route running guy here, not necessarily your best blocker,

probably not going to be featured as much in the blocking game. So when Evans in, hey, the Broncos are probably passing the footballer. he's running guys off as a decoy in the run game, right? That's the thing you could do about him. This is the problem with the college game. And this is why I think it's so important to have a guy that could do a little bit of both because the game now at the college level, you don't have as many guys that are playing in line, hand in the dirt that could be really good run blockers and also past catchers.

So much of today's game is flexed. Hey, you're playing this wing. You're playing outside. You're playing flexed as a big slot. Like their roles are all over the place here. And I even asked George and Sean that a couple of years ago. And they even said that's one of the challenges of evaluating tight ends in today's game is because you traditionally don't see guys in line anymore. So for me, if there's a guy out there that could be a good inline blocker but also a good pass catcher, try to find that hybrid guy that brings you the most skill set, the most upside here to the offense.

Is that at 62? I don't know. Yeah, I don't think it's at 62 personally. We'll see how the board shakes out. But we know that Sean Payton loves his garage projects, right? Evan Ingram is going to be back with this Broncos team for another season. Adam Troutman is back with this Broncos team. So maybe it is kind of a high upside, high risk, high reward type of player that the Broncos maybe take a look at here in the later rounds. I'd be surprised if they don't draft a tight end in some capacity or the other just because it is a major position of need.

And you don't really have a future at that position after next season. We'll see what happens with Ingram and, of course, Troutman. But like you don't have like you're steady at wide receiver, right? Like you've got Jalen Wadley. You've got Cortland's son. You've got Marvin Troy, Pat Bryant, right? quarterback we know with bow offensive line is taken care of running back i think you can make the same case as tight end but we know what the running back position as a whole to me at some point

sir the broncos are going to have to address this tight end room for the long term yeah they definitely do because i mean there's i don't know do you have any long term solutions in house right now i know that some guys are signed to contracts beyond this season but i don't think there's anybody that you really would buy into and say hey that's somebody that that can be a piece for us going forward And I do think that you can get that maybe on day three of this year's draft. Honestly, I mean, there's some guys early on like Max Claire. I know is that guy that might fit in that range there at 62 from Ohio State, previously, Purdue, who's got the athletic traits.

You can run routes. He's a good playmaker in the passing game, but can also maybe play in line as well. I think that's the interesting thing is now more so than previous years. I think you're seeing the college game sort of marry the pro style off. offense. And so I look at, I look at last year, the Broncos, you know, rumored to be interested in training up for Colston Loveland, right? Colson Loveland is considered the, the Joker type of player. Why not go back to that same offense for another guy, the guy who replaced him this year,

Marlon Klein, a freak athlete, somebody who can play in line, can block, showed some nice things as a receiver this season. Not much production, though. That's kind of the thing is that you're sort of taking a risk on a lot of these guys. is that not everybody's played like a ton of football, or do the Broncos go with somebody like, you know, Oscar Delp, I mean, Dallin Bentley from Utah, they love Utah guys, Justin Jolie, North Carolina State, Sam Ruch from Stanford. There's so many players.

I just think that the only mistake is not taking one, right? It's somebody that comes in and you have to be willing to invest in their development. Like Greg Dulcich, getting a second contract with the Miami Dolphins, just kind of proof that the Broncos maybe gave up too early, right? And he played well at the end of last season. So it's like how much time are you going to invest? You didn't want to invest in Dulcich, but you wanted to invest in somebody like, you know,

Damari Mathis at Corner, even though he was never really playing for you. So why did the Broncos pick and choose? And so find that player that you're going to be able to land on to say, we are committed to this guy being our future tight end one or two. But guys, And here's what happens. Here's where the Broncos find themselves.

Like you say, they don't have a first round pick. So what they have to do from a scouting department standpoint is they have to really rely on their research and watching film because, I mean, the Broncos, I mean, after the second round picks, pick 62, I mean, everything else is fourth round and beyond. So you need to find diamonds in the rough, guys who can come in and compete. And before we even started, I know, I know Cody was talking about a lot of these guys may not even play in there for. year and that probably so. But here's what we've seen under George Payton, the GM. We've seen a lot of young players both drafted late and undrafted players actually play a significant amount of time.

Now, we're not talking about 80% of the plays, but at least 35% in the plays, because if those guys can come in and carve out, I guess, a little playing time, even if that's on special teams and they get a couple of plays here and there, what it does for the Broncos depth later on, it really changes. is the complexity of what they actually can do. And if they run to any issues where they're saying, okay, well, who do we choose between this player and this player? Because one's making a significant amount of money,

you have a lot of young players who've had that plan time, and then now that makes life easier for you when you may part ways with some guys who have been productive in years past. But once again, you're trying to get under the salary cap. So this is where they're going to have to do a lot of their due diligence, but there are some players who are available or will be available in the later rounds. I think as well, too, I mean, you can't rely on the pet cats, right?

The pet cat projects that Sean Payton has identified in Caleb Loner. You know, for Loner this year, did a really good job, I'd say, developing on the practice squad throughout the season. But now that kind of has to translate, I think now this upcoming year in training camp in the preseason, whereas, you know, we saw some flashes in the past catching department, but he struggled with penalties because he's working against bigger defenders. He has not a lot of football experience, you know, having played what only 54 total snaps at the college level of offense.

And so now you're facing bigger, faster, stronger athletes, you know, so it's like these projects, okay, you have them. Devers also bringing back Lucas Crowell. They got Nate Atkins back as well, which it's like running it back in Toronto. Sean hates that term. But you're bringing back that same exact room here. Is there someone that you can add that's going to push one of those guys out? I mean, I think what benefits the guys that are already on the roster right now is

the fact that they know of the system, they're ahead in that regard. We know how tough it is. Where is the level of patience from Sean, the front office, say, hey, if we're bringing in a guy here at 62 to come in, what should be the level time frame for this player? I mean, ideally, you want him to come in and play some snaps as a rookie, but is he going to start for you? Probably not.

Yeah, it's a good point. And I want to say something else about 62, but I'll save it for later on the program, just about what I think the Broncos may or may not do with that pick. But I think tight end is obviously a major position of need for this Broncos team. But do we think that is like the position of need? Like do we think they should go tight end at 62? Like or do we think it's more on the defensive side of the ball just given linebacker

and some of the other options that might be out there? No, I'll say no, you don't go tight in at 62. And that's not what I was, you know, projecting with Eli Redden. I mean, that that's a position and that's a player that you can take later in the draft. But for me, I still believe this, even with J.K. Dobbins being signed, I mean, I think running back, right? And this team could go whatever where they want to go. But I still think running back is a position of need. If there's a guy there that you like, well, let me take that back. Not that you like, a guy that you love, because I go back to my time with Mike Shanahan playing for the Denver Broncos. And the one thing that our offense did well was play action. And the only way you can run play action. action is based on your running back. And there was a stable of running backs that we were able to toss at teams. One guy gets injured, there's another guy.

So I think where the Broncos want to get to is they want to get back to having that type of stable of running backs. And there are a couple of guys in this draft that if you wanted to, not saying that you had to, but if they wanted to, they still can go in that direction. I just don't know if that's what they want to do, right? if you take a running back in round two, is that admitting that you don't love RJ Harvey? No. The perception of that is what would be created.

Back to back years taking a running back at round two. Like they love RJ. And I understand like because of JK's injury history, you have to have a better insurance policy on this. I get it. But I just don't know if that's going to be at 62. I mean, once again, and this is like, this is why we love discussing this because the draft is a crapshoot. It could go this way. It could go that way.

But knowing what we know about Sean and the fact that. He's like, you know, you can have three, but generally you can only feed two. Taking a running back, in my opinion, I feel like at this juncture would be like the Broncos not publicly saying it, but coming out by move and saying, hey, we don't like the RJ Harvey move because that's the dilemma you get put in from a perception standpoint. My counter to that, because I agree with Nick, less about the running back position as a whole, but just kind of like this wildcard dynamic, like, did anyone have the Broncos taking Jaday Barron in the first round last year? No. Nobody did. Did anyone have the Broncos taking a cornerback in the first round?

I will say this. Ser did a mock draft last year where he actually did have shot a Barron go to Denver. Yeah, it was crazy. Love that. Yeah, I'll never forget. I'm at the NFL draft party that I was at for the radio station. And it's like I do the social media. And so I have like, you know, four or five different draft graphics for Trayvion

Henderson and some of like the guys that we're talking about. It's like, who? Like, Jeunay Barron? And it's like point being, though, it would not surprise me if the Broncos goes go best player available again at 62. Like maybe it's running back. Could it be like a wide receiver if there's someone that Sean absolutely falls in love with? Again, the reason I bring this up is because Sean has been on the record saying,

you know, we essentially tune out the noise from the fan base and people around the league of life. Like we believe in ourselves and we believe in our process. And again, George Payton has a pretty good track record of making good picks in the later rounds as well that like while it does seem obvious that it should be lineback or it could be tight end or it could be this position or that position or offensive line. it would not surprise me if the Broncos just throw us a curveball and draft like a wide receiver type or something like that. I'm just floating it out. That's just kind of what Sean does.

Here's what I would say. I mean, as far as drafting another running back in the second round, that would mean that 50% of George Payton's drafts with the Denver Broncos, he's used a running, he's used a second round pick on a running back, 2021, 2021, 2025, and then 2026. I just don't think that in terms of like team building, I think the Broncos have to learn from some of their other mistakes of like, you know, like with the Jada Baron thing, they would never say that was a mistake. But would the Broncos rather have Quinn Sean Judkins in place right now because of the exact discussion that we're having?

Probably. Or would they rather have Trayvion Henderson in place, you know, considering the discussions that we're having. So I think that there's, or Carson Schwessinger. I mean, there's so many players that we could discuss with that one pick that could have, shifted everything. And I think the Broncos have proven when they're drafting towards their most like obvious needs, which right now they, by bringing back J.K. Dobbins and bringing back McLaughlin and Biday and Sean Payton called out Cody Schrader by name, which was random, but also I mean, it's, sorry, George Payton called them out by name. So I just, I don't know.

I don't think if it was up to me, and we'll have to revisit this in a few weeks after the draft actually takes place, but if it was up to me, I would. say, hey, running back at 62 is a huge mistake, unless it's Judarian Price, who's going to be a full-time kickoff returner. And he could be that. And he would be a nice value even, but the draft is so weak at running back this year. I just, it's just not good. It's not a good running back class. So you would not only be taking a guy who would be third on your depth chart out of position, but you'd also be potentially creating a huge issue with your last year's second round pick. And then on top of that, I mean, you'd kind of be saying like, hey, we're, we're going to put a square peg in a round hole and make three running backs work because that's what we're doing.

I know you want to have depth, but you could get depth on day three. You get depth as an undrafted guy. You could depth, I mean, fifth round pick. I don't know. I just, I don't think that's what the Broncos need is another running back who could be that second round pick has to be somebody who could start 2027, in my opinion. But how do you make the argument? Go ahead and Nilo. I was just going to say, couldn't you make the argument

that was essentially did that was Jaday Barron last year? I mean, he was essentially a bad move. There was a bad loop. They got to realize that. You had J. Mack who really asserted himself. Abrams Drain. See, they've proven that they're wasting picks on players. I'm not saying, well, the cornerback position is not important

because it is important. But Chris Abrams Drain is not going to play. It's year three. He's a starting caliber corner. He's not playing. And he has no, there's no way that he's going to play. Like there's, unless injuries. And that's the only way that he's getting.

So you're telling me you needed a first round pick at a position where you already have a guy who has no path to playing time to come in and play. I don't know. Maybe they thought J-Quann's season in 2024 wasn't as good as it was. Or maybe they perceived Riley Moss to be a bit more of a wild card. Or maybe they're getting ready to get rid of Riley Moss. Either way, this is a team that's. on the cusp of going after a Super Bowl. So I think that like a, you know,

a free agent pickup makes more sense for this team at running back to get a veteran depth option if J.K. Dobbins goes down because let's say that does happen. J.K. Dobbins goes down. Are we throwing Mike Washington out there as a as running back one for the playoffs? Are you throwing Nick Singleton out there as running back one for the playoffs or pick your, pick whoever realistically could be there at Jonah Coleman? He's going to be running back one for this team.

Same problem that they had last year. I think they'll go with a veteran in minicamp over drafting a guy primarily. And look, that room will change. Like, they can still draft a guy and still had a veteran. They did that last year. See, here's the way that I look at it, gentlemen, with all of that being said, depth is important. And it doesn't become important until you actually need it.

Right. and even though we're talking about this running back position, the Broncos can go in any particular direction, but here's what we do know. We know J.K. Dobbins have shown signs of injury and not being able to complete a season. We know that. Based on a contract they gave him,

it wasn't showing, okay, well, there's a high, you know, reliability in him based on that contract. And if the Broncos were to add a running back, not necessarily, you know, at 62, Well, let's just say they did. To me, that's not a negative indictment on a guy like RJ Harvey. One thing I know defensively is that when you play against a team and that team can throw an array of players who are complimentary pieces at the running back,

it wears down the defense. And you need to make sure that you have an adequate guy. If the Broncos want to go out and sign a veteran guy, go out and sign a veteran guy. But here's what I do know. You're going to need that depth. That depth is going to be so important because, once again, it gives you complimentary pieces. And I always go back to what I know and what I know best.

And it's based on what I've seen and what I've seen work. For Mike Shanahan, it's worked. You look at what Sean McVeigh is doing with Blake Quorum and Karen Williams. I mean, they have multiple running backs. And then look at, you know, Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. They keep so many running backs in their stable because if CMC goes down, you can't just throw your hands up and say the season is over. So having running backs, adequate running backs,

not just having guys just for depth purposes, no, you need to have a guy that can actually run the ball, a guy who is a pass catching running back too. And oh, by the way, you want to make sure that you trust that guy if he needs to stand in and block for Bow Nix, that guy has those capabilities. So I still think whether it's at 62, the Broncos still need to go out and add a running back. Well, and unfortunately, I think the expectation will be that J.K. Dobbins will have likely miss a game here, a game there, a chunk of games potentially just with his injury history, right? What if he doesn't, though?

Let's start looking at it from the optimistic side, right? It's easy. I don't think you can bank on that. He's never done it. No, I mean, but this is the year. Let's go into it. Let's have a growth mindset here, folks. Knock on wood.

Knock on wood. Look what you just did. you had to knock on wood to kind of validate that. You just can say, well, he's going to be healthy because that's something we don't know. That's like me sage in the room, no. Well, you better bring all the stage you can get because we don't know. That is a half that the Broncos chose, though. I mean, they chose to bring back J.K. Dobbins.

They chose to draft RJ. Like, they maneuvered around the board last year to draft R.J. Harvey instead of Judkins or Henderson or, you know, X running back from O'Marion Hampton straight up passed on him. So I just, I don't know. They, they chose that path. And so like they are internally, they have to understand both things. They have to understand number one, like we're banking on J.K. Dobbins being healthy.

But number two, we need depth. Is that depth going to come with their most valuable draft asset is the question right now? Because that pick probably needs to be spent on somebody that they envision as a starting player for 2027 as a to is this guy going to be good depth for us like this year. I think there's too many potential free agents after this year. We can keep talking about that. But that's just where like if it's the philosophy aspect of it and the Broncos decide we're taking running back three, unless it's Judarian Price who's returning kicks.

I'm just saying I don't know. You guys can call me a hypocrite one day if it happens and they, and I'm sitting here singing the praises of whatever pick it is. But that's just kind of how I'm viewing it right now. And I think their depth is got to get better at other spots. All right. Let's hit a break when we come back. We'll continue along with the conversation, other positions of need for the Denver Broncos,

and just maybe some overall thoughts here on what their draft strategy may be come late April. All that more when we come back right here on your locked on Broncos Squat show. All right, you guys, real quick, let me tell you about our friends over at BetterHelp because this episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Financial stress is something that a lot of people are carrying right now. And it's not just about numbers. It can affect your sleep, your relationships, and your overall mental health in ways that build up over time. And the reality is struggling with money doesn't mean that you failed. Sometimes it just means that you haven't had the kind of support.

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Guys, there's no reason to be afraid of therapy and talking about how you're feeling and working through emotions. Our friends over at BetterHelp are there for you. Be sure to check them out, guys, and let them know that lockdown Broncos sent you. All right. You didn't duck on me this time. Man, you're changing the order up mid show. I just, I'm going with the layout that we've only done for about six months, you know.

God, you don't put Sarah back at the bottom. That's not fair to my guy. Come on. You want to switch him back right now? I'll switch him back. Absolutely. Absolutely. All right.

All right. There we go. You just completely reinvented the wheel. You know, you could have easily just clicked Sarah and dragged him down to me. Oh, really? I didn't know that. I always just do the release. Look at that.

Better lock in. Let's go, man. Come on. I'm not going to lie. I did not think we'd have a 25-minute conversation on running back. But I think it just speaks to how hungry this organization, or not the organization, but the fan base rather is for like a true horse back there. Like, and I think J.K. Dobbins, or go ahead.

No, no, sorry, interrupt you. I was just saying, I think the fan base would erupt if they took a running back at 62. I feel like that would be the unpopular pick. Which is like the universe of the strategy. Yeah, which is like the inverse of what Broncos fans wanted all offseason, which was upgrading the room. But I think the point that we're making, and in particular, Sarah is making. is there's not like a legitimate running back out there that we know at this time that can come in here and upgrade the room.

Like I think it's more of an accent piece if they were to draft one overall in this draft. But we shall see. Let's talk about some other position groups. I know linebacker is a major point of emphasis for the Broncos this season and beyond. And I think Nick kind of hit on it nicely. And we've talked about it throughout the last couple of shows as well of like what is your long term future at that position? Like you've got Singleton. You've got Sternod.

but what is Singleton after this year? Sternard's probably going to be around for a little bit. But beyond that, your depth isn't as adequate at linebacker. I say it is cornerback defensively, Nick. Yeah, so guys, obviously I've been leading with this for the past couple of weeks. And, you know, my first guy out of the gate would be Texas Tech, Jacob Rob Regas, because I like to play. And every player has their strengths and weaknesses.

I think he would fit well into what the Broncos. will actually do because here's what we know about Vance Joseph. He does a great job of moving guys around creating, you know, matchups that they can take advantage of. And we've seen Alex Singleton and Justin Strunard be putting situations where they isolated one-on-one and they're actually able to get home or be really disruptive with the quarterback to force the quarterback and take him off his first read.

So that's kind of the first guy. The second guy I thought about is a guy named Jack Kelly out of BYU. Now, Jack Kelly is obviously second, you know, level player. The one thing I like about Jack Kelly is his physicality and the fact that once again, he fits right into what Van Gogh wants to do, and that's blitzing. And every guy thinks that they can blitz, but I'm going to tell you, it's a very unique skill set, and you have to know how to move with your hands and just run through guys. And Jack Kelly is definitely another one of those guys.

Now, another guy, once again, these are not pick 62, right so no one starts screaming at me about that but these are guys that i think that the broncos could add the other guy is carson shire and carson is from from iwa and i like him because once again he's only started one one year but he's a special teams player that can kind of work himself into that and what we know that both sean payton george peyton and vans joseph they like these types of guys like here's a guy who you know started one year he can specialize and special teams, but you know he still has a unique skill set because of his speed and athleticism,

that if by chance of the season someone goes down, you can put him in a position and he can start to learn how to play the linebacker position on the pro level. Got out some of my guy, Wesley Woodyard, who did the same exact thing. Yes, see? There you go. I saw you were pretty pumped up with some of those names, sir.

Yeah, absolutely. You know, anytime an Iowa guy gets mentioned, I mean, absolutely, 100%. I view the linebacker position in this draft as the Panera bread of the draft for the Broncos. Because if you go to Panera bread and you're not doing the you pick two, I mean, you're doing it wrong. So that's what I think about linebacker in this draft is like you pick two, right? And I don't think that the Broncos can go wrong in this draft at linebacker aside from not taking one. And if they take one, great.

Well, I'll still be disappointed that they didn't take two. but I think they need to take two because a guy like Shire like Nick Ferguson just mentioned so professionally and exceptionally there because I mean, anytime you bring up an Iowa guy, I mean, that is the right opinion. But look, he's going to upgrade your special teams immediately. He played special teams for three years at Iowa before even getting a shot to play for Phil Parker's defense. And the Phil Parker defense is very applicable to what the Broncos do in terms of asking a ton of off ball linebackers. I mean, I can't tell you how often Phil Parker asks his off-ball linebackers to go play in the slot. And so doing so much stuff at that position, thinking so much, that's a lot for any number of years.

That's why Josie Jewel, I think, has carved out a long career in the NFL, despite being less than others athletically. But it's to that point that I also want to speak that this year's linebacker class is ridiculous when it comes to their athletic traits. I mean, I was talking with a few people in our group chat over at predominantly orange this morning and just kind of pasting like, I think the math bomb account was just doing like a dump of data on the linebacker position this morning because it was 9.5 and above for just dozens of linebacker prospects. And it's the BYU guy that Nick mentioned as well and Shire and all these, you could go to the top of the class, Anthony Hill, ridiculous athletic traits.

But here's a guy that I want to say, if I'm Cody, the table for for his guy. I'm banging the table for Harold Perkins from LSU. And I think you go back to a little bit of something that that George Payton emphasized in his first draft with the Denver Broncos, which was bringing in a lot of five-star prospects. I know it didn't work out for everybody. But, I mean, those guys who have been talented for a really long time and maybe even stuck with a college for their entire career, and I know that Daryon said Perkins is a tweener,

that I don't think Vance Joseph is going to avoid the tweener guys. I don't, and some people think, well, he's struggled with the tweeners in the past. Harold Perkins might be the best off-ball rushing linebacker in this class. Look at his production first two years at LSU. I think he ran a 4-3-8 in the 40.

He's slightly undersized. Production first two years at LSU was off the charts before an injury. And then he bounced back this past season. To me, if you can get him in the fourth round, that is the steal of the draft. Cody? I was looking as you were talking about Harold Perkins.

I was trying to think, yeah, there is a connection. There's a tie there. Jamar Kane was there for a brief stint at LSU when Harold Perkins was there. It says here that in 2022, he was part of that coaching staff. So there is that tie in, obviously, to that. I wouldn't mind Harold Perkins at all. But the question we also have to answer here as well is, like, I agree. I think Denver should add.

I was pounding the table for Jacob Rodriguez. He is like the guy that I would take that could be there at 62. My dream would have been Sunny Stiles. Sunny Stiles would have been an absolute chef's kiss. But we don't want the Broncos to be that bad to be in a position to pick him. My God, whoever gets him, he might be a candidate early on for a rookie of the year, depending on where he goes. But you also have to evaluate who are you adding to this room and who is that putting the most pressure on?

We know there's the position switch here of Jonah Ellis. to inside linebacker, which it's going to take some time. Broncos country shouldn't expect him to be this, just jam at this position. All of a sudden, be patient. He's learning a new position. And Nick, and you know this as well as anybody having talking to guys on defense. Denver scheme inside linebacker, they have probably the hardest job out of anybody on the field

because of all the moving pieces, how their coverage responsibilities change based on how a play is going, you know. But you're bringing someone in and it puts Drew Sanders on notice. It puts everybody else on notice there too, but I also think it raises the level of competition at this position, which I think is desperately needed. You have Justin Sternat, who's got the three-year deal. I wonder, even if Alex Singleton's returning, is there going to be competition for him between he and Jonah Ellis maybe? I wouldn't put that off the table right now. But through Sanders on the outside looking in, Lavelle Bailey, probably not going to make the 53-man roster as well.

Jordan Turner probably not going to make the 53-man roster. but out of anybody right here that we've talked about in terms of draft guys. Who are the guys that you feel like on the roster behind Sternad, Ellis, and Singleton? Do you feel like can maybe emerge, surprise a little bit? To me, I would go with Jordan Turner. That's a good thought. I think Turner. Go ahead, Anilo.

I was going to say, you don't think Lavelle is going to make the 53, huh? No. I don't. I think he's got some upside. He does, but I know he was upset. last season where some opportunities presented itself and he wasn't, you know, pushed into the lineup. I mean, you go in the locker room. I mean, I would go in the locker room and I would just look in his direction as to, you know,

hey, are you up or not? And he would just drop his head. And being a player in that position, you work so hard. And just think about what things were, you know, a couple years ago when LaVelle Bailey, we didn't know, we thought that he was going to make the team. He didn't make the team, but the team actually brought him back. because he made a couple of good plays. What was the game where I think he picked up a pass

or picked up a fumble or something like that or interception? It was a preseason game against Arizona. Yes. So it was just like, yeah, he for sure is going to make this team outright. But he didn't. He was released. So when you keep going through that cycle time and time again, it gets a little frustrating and it starts to wreak havoc on your confidence.

Because I think he's a competitor, he's going to fight for a position on his team, whether he gets it or not. I just know he's going to be competitive. But the Broncos need to add talent across the board, and you want to make sure you foster competition within every group because that's the only way you get better because I know this, and Cody knows this. The worst thing that you can do as a player,

and we've done this as people, is rest on your laurels. And that doesn't make anyone better. No, it's a good point. It's a good point. Let's hit a quick break when we come back. comparing and contrasting the drafts versus free agency. And I know the Broncos have been relatively quiet in free agency, but how much better can you get in this year's draft

in the given situation and circumstances compared to potentially in free agency? We'll talk about that. When we come back right here on your Black Tom Broncos squad show. Skibidi-Bibidi. All right, welcome on back into the program. Neil up here, Sarah Bedinger, Cody, and Nick Ferguson. Good conversation here on the program.

today as we're getting ready for the NFL draft here. At the end of the month, Cody, you and I brainstormed this concept a little bit before the start of the show here today about draft versus free agency as a whole. And, you know, just how much can you actually improve giving you the fact that you don't have a first round pick, given the fact that you don't have, you know, maybe the long list of picks that you've had in years past. Like, how do you kind of just view free agency guys that they've brought in who's been one outside of Jaylon Waddle, who I know is a trade, and potential guys that are still out there

compared to the handful of guys that'll draft come April. Well, I think it's hard right now because Denver feels like they have the best roster right now in the league. And you're bringing back essentially 71 guys who factored into your 53 man roster and your practice squad last season as an extension of that roster, as George Payton has highlighted before. That's how they view the practice squad as just an extension of their 53. And certainly we saw that with all the shuffling and the elevation. and the switching and they had a lot of flexibility with that, which I think is good. I wish the NFL would raise the actual maximum roster size here, but it's a subject for

another day. Maybe J.C. Treter could actually do something and maybe make that happen. Unlikely. Anyways, how to throw my shot in there for my guy, Nick Ferguson. But I will say this. Like, for me, Denver can improve the depth of their roster by maybe adding pieces. Like, for example, you add a linebacker like Jacob Rodriguez, hypothetically, speaking, he's going to play in the next two years.

That's the timeline. That's the framework for him to play. But in the meantime, he can play a ton of special teams for you right away as a rookie. Whereas if you're going later on in the draft, a lot of these guys might end up being practice squad guys. Just considering where Denver's at, like we were talking about this before free and see, you know, Denver's got nine picks. And with how they've approached free agency, nine of these rookies aren't going to make the roster in

2026 if they keep all nine picks and we're to make their own. selections there. Heck, I would even think as well, even if they had a first round pick this year, I don't think that guy starts for them. Once again, and that is just a testament to where Denver right now views their roster. And this was something we talked about last year going into the draft. Denver didn't really have holes. They just had questions at running back and tied in. That's why we were mock drafting on Marion Hampton, Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland. And ultimately, they had chances to maybe make a push for some of those players, decided not to do it. it didn't end up moving up there even though they sniffed around it the idea of it so for me it's

like whoever they're adding we saw it was jade eight didn't start didn't didn't give much time on the field in terms of opportunities that's just a testament to where Denver views their roster right now could that be arrogance at times I feel like yes if there's clearly a player that you feel like can come in and sneak and upgrade anything I mean certainly look what happened with matt flint after he signed his contract with the Seattle Seahawks and all of a sudden Russell Wilson comes in like this is why you always have to just come into things with an open mind and i do think the broncos do that i am curious though i think think they're in a good spot right now i think they're going to add more so impact players in the remaining stages of free agency than they do

draft still understand why sean payton hurts hates the term run it back because it is essentially what they're doing but uh sarah your thoughts i know you mentioned this earlier in the show you had some uh thoughts you wanted to get out there about this topic yeah so i'm actually I'm going to do a bonus episode kind of talking about this too on the on lockdown Broncos here later this week. But I think it's a really good point. And it was a sports talk Denver, my man Ben over there who pointed this out earlier this week. But the deadline for free agents to count against the compensatory pick formula is actually Monday, April 27. So the Monday after the NFL draft is done.

So all the folks out there who are like, man, the draft should be before free agency in terms of the better way of team building and things like that. I think we're going to see a massive league-wide, not just the Broncos, but a massive influx of moves coming. And it might not be all at once, but that Monday deadline is the key date to watch out for, especially for the Broncos context too, because the Broncos don't begin their off-season program until May 4th. Right. So they're going to have the opportunity to get their draft picks in the building. They're going to have an entire week to bring in free agents that won't count against next year's comp pick formula. and still build their roster before any of the team really gathers together for any sort of offseason activities.

So I think it's a big date to watch for because I also think that this year's draft is shaping up to be pretty similar to the 2020, I believe it was 2023 and 24 drafts where the Broncos made the trades for Troutman and John Franklin Myers bringing in veteran guys during the draft. Because right now, as we look at this draft, guys, can you really make a perfect mock draft? for the Denver Broncos. I mean, addressing all the areas that need to be addressed right now, whether it's running back,

tight end, linebacker, D-line, offensive line. They just don't have the number of picks that you need to properly address

all these areas. And so I don't think the perfect draft class exists necessarily, which is why I could see picks being traded for veteran players and might not be this year's picks,

might be next year's picks. So we'll kind of see what happens there, but I think that's important to keep in mind. now as the Broncos are committed to that fourth and seventh compensatory pick that they have next year for John Franklin Myers and PJ Locke, which over the cap essentially confirms that. But I do think also that watch out for veteran player trades and watch out for this team to be very active and free agency starting that Monday after the draft.

May the fourth be with you, brother. It's been a relatively, I love that. My birthday is on May 3rd, so I feel like I always get pepper with that the next day. It's always a fun day for the Star Wars lore. But no, I think you make some really good points. And I know it's been a relatively quiet offseason. Like there was one massive move and then kind of an outlier move or a smaller move rather in the secondary for Denver. But I think to Cody's point, Nick, like this team just believes they have the best roster in the NFL.

There's a reason why you bring back the amount of players that they brought back. And I also like what Sarah to say about maybe there's some players that they can take a look at in the veteran market to trade for. but it does seem like whether it's the draft or making these trades, like it'll be much more. I don't see any game-changing moves coming for the Denver Broncos. I think the roster for the most part is what it is. And maybe you make a little outline or a couple moves on the outer edge of your roster and add some depth in certain positions as well.

Yeah, they'll definitely do that. And here's a great thing that I love about how the NFL off season is set up. starting with free agency and then kind of capping things off with the draft is that teams already know what they're going to spend for the rookies. That's kind of already in stone. But you can use the bulk of your salary cap to now sound some free agent guys, even if it's on like one year or team-friendly deals, but it allows you to get guys that you can play right now.

because it's about being competitive in trying to win right now, but also preparing for the future. I mean, when you look at the team like the Las Vegas Raiders, we know they're not going to be good for about two years. And they are simply okay with that. But based on what we saw for the Broncos last season and being ahead of schedule, they're like, listen, we need to take advantage of what we have right now

because we got a lot of guys on some massive deals. and at some point, you know, those deals are going to collide with what we're trying to do from a salary cap standpoint. We're not going to be able to keep everyone. So adding a couple of pieces of value here and there helps them out. Now, as we look to what the team would possibly do after the draft, I mean, I think they have like seven picks in this draft. And I think two of those picks are in the seventh round compensatory picks for JFM and PJ lot. So they feel as though they didn't really get what they target to get as far as to. adequate talent.

And then once we get to the rookie mini camps, they can always go back and say, well, hey, let's go revisit that conversation about some of those veterans that we thought we were looking at. We couldn't get because of the price. But now those veterans have been on the market for a long period of time. So what they were asking for before, guess what? That price now goes down, right? Now you can go bring those guys in.

And now you can say, oh, well, while free agency didn't look that well for the Broncos to start out, it can definitely change after the draft where you can say, well, you got adequate depth for guys who are going to play in 20, 27 and 28 and beyond. But now we've kind of solidified certain spots where we feel confident that we not only can go in and compete, but we can beat the hell out of other teams because we know we have experienced guys. It'll be interesting. We'll definitely have to dive into that post-draft and hopefully as these moves kind of play out for the Denver Broncos, but there should be a slew of them made sooner rather than later.

What you're chuckling at, Rourke. I tell you, my mind works in very funny ways. You know, when we were talking about, you know, adding a veteran and whatnot, my mind went to Najee Harrison. I also thought about the fast and the furious, you know, when Zhao rules, characters, or only goes, well, I can't say it here on air, but anyways, but I was thinking, nausee! You know, there's go.

I tell you, my mind, I, blame it on my ADHD. That's where I'm at, man. Inside the mind of Cody Roark. That's too much fast and furious for you. That's what it is. Hey, man. No one likes the tuna here. Well, there is a prospect that not just the Broncos,

but it seems like every single NFL team is interested in. This guy is supposed to be an absolute freak of nature. Let's hit a quick break. We'll come back, talk about him. And if he could fit for the Denver Broncos, right here on your lockdown Broncos squad show. All right, welcome on back into the program. I'm Anilopiro, Sarah Bediger, Cody Warkin, and Nick Ferguson hanging out with you here on this Tuesday.

So this one came across, I think I noticed it for the first time yesterday. So I'm not sure if this has been kind of floating around the internet, but just to kind of give you guys an idea. This kid's name is Uar Bernard. I hope I said that correctly. But here's the headline that I am currently looking at from USA Today.com. Who is UR. Bernard? NFL draft prospect draws Victor Wembenyama comparison. and he's a foreign player who's kind of in the NFL's foreign.

It's called the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, which seeks to, quote, provide elite athletes from around the world the opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster and increase the number of international players in the league. This kid is 21 years old from Nigeria, and he was noticed while playing basketball. But just on paper, like, this guy is an absolute freak of nature,

athletically. He's projected to be a defensive tackle, 6 foot 5, 306 pounds, had a 4.66 40-yard dash, excuse me, a 39-inch vertical jump and is like 6% body fat. Let me come out and say this. It's not like the Broncos are the only guys on his scent. I literally looked him up in Google and there's like Eagles, commanders, Broncos, chargers, Raiders, like every single NFL team has their eye on this UR. Bernard kid. And let's keep it a buck in a stack here.

This seems like the type of guy that if he falls to Denver in the later rounds, Sean Payton would absolutely love to have on his roster, knowing how he does kind of like those pet cats or those garage projects, as we've seen in years past, fellas. Yeah, well, he also falls in. Here's where the biggest appeal is for a player like him. He wouldn't essentially count against your trending camp roster, right? Because he'll have the international player pathway designation,

which makes it to where you can have an additional guy in the roster. Now, that would obviously change come the regular season, but this is maybe an area the Broncos could use some development. element on, you know, with a player like him. I didn't necessarily understand the Victor Webbenyama comparisons or talks there because Victor is unbelievably tall. This dude, he's tall, but he's jacked as hell. Nothing like it.

He's not seven foot, though, but I'm sure he's got an impressive wingspan there. But he is, is what Sarah and I would say, scoring a perfect 10 on the relative athletic score. He is a rass hole. And we love guys like that. Those are guys that maybe want to try to fit in and bring into training camp. Now, here's the thing. We don't know a lot of background on him. He participated in that international player pathway pro day.

What does his on-field tape necessarily look like, right? You can have the look. I mean, Jonas Griffith was a guy who had the look, but couldn't stay healthy, couldn't play, right? The guy's got the body type. Can he actually play, though? Well, with respect to the Victor Wemagnama comparison, this comes from a quarterback coach named George Whitfield,

who saw Bernard workout out. He said it's watching Victor Wemeyama. The numbers don't even do him justice. He's 6 foot 5, 310. He has 6% body fat on him. NBA players don't even have 6% body fat on them. And obviously they're cardio machines. So physically, on paper, and to your point, he's absolutely ripped.

He looks like prime Ronnie Coleman back in the day. And he's just an absolute specimen. And I don't even know if he's going to get drafted, to be honest with you. But on paper, like this looks like a guy that if he can figure out how to play football, I mean, could be an absolute team. on picks this year might as well. And like is that, this isn't like best player available because he's a very raw prospect. But like is that to me is worthy of like taking a flyer on the seventh round pick.

Like that's how I kind of look at that. I think they also drafted like what? Jonathan Cooper was a seventh. Well, that was because of hard issues. He fell medically. Okay. He was a third, fourth round player, I think, in terms of most of the grading on him initially. But like if Denver took Caleb Loner last year, if this guy's available in the seventh

around this would be a no-brainer flyer that you're going to take on a guy like this. Yeah, I think that's why you bring him to the to the facility, right? You bring him to the facility to try to recruit him and say, like, this is going to be our vision for you. This is why you want to sign with us after the draft. I think the best case scenario comparison is like a defensive version of what Jordan Myelada became for the Philadelphia Eagles because prior to being selected by the Eagles, I don't think Jordan Milata actually played football.

I think he was a rugby player only, but he posted such ridiculous numbers, the physical freak of nature that he was in the pre-draft process that they spent a seventh round pick on him and invested in his development. So, I mean, to the point of what Darien's saying in the chat, it's like even a seventh round pick at this point, do you spend a draft pick on a player that you know is not making your roster? Because he is so raw in the football realm that he's going to,

need that development on the practice squad? And is he going to clear waivers with those types of numbers? I thought of Calvin Johnson immediately when I see that type of stuff. I mean, that's like, that's like otherworldly. But just imagine. And it made me appreciate Calvin Johnson so much more, right? Because now you're talking about a guy who combines the 10 out of 10 on the Rast scale with he's able to play that fast.

He's able to play that physical. I'm sure Nick can speak to Calvin Johnson in terms of what he brings to the table. but look, that guy, it's the draft summed up in a thing, right? It's like the risk reward of, do you bet on traits? Do you bet on coaching? Do you bet on traits plus coaching? Do you bet on the person? Do you bet on whatever the factors may be?

I just think to me, I kind of am saying, hey, bring him to the facility, recruit him as an undrafted player, but he's undoubtedly the craziest prospect that we've seen in a long time. I mean, in terms of athletic, 36-inch arms. Put him at D-inch. Yeah, I mean, put this guy on the D-line and say, hey, just go hit the guy in front of you as hard as you can because a 1-5-8 in the 10-yard split at your size,

a 36-inch arms, I think he 31 bench press reps. It's going to at least hurt. You're going to knock somebody backwards. So when the ball is snapped, just go get off that ball. I mean, it's interesting to say the least. He doesn't make the end of it. if this is the case where this particular player Bernard, and I haven't had a chance to really look at him,

but listening to you guys talk about him, with the Broncos having three, seven round picks, wouldn't it be wise, not just to bring him to the facility and say, hey, man, listen,

after the draft, I know 31 other teams are going to call you, but we want you to choose this team. Don't even give him that option. If he is still there, you just freaking take him. And yeah, I mean, you taking a guy who's an international player,

and the fact that do you have to play him right away, no. A lot of teams take projects, right? Think about what Brought Purdy kind of was as mystery relevant. He was a project for the San Francisco 49ers that happened to just pan out. So if you are able to get an athlete of this magnitude and you trust in your coaches to be able to coach him up and you guys, you got guys like Q Robinson on the opposite side that you can. could possibly pair with Bernard.

That's what you do. You don't wait. No, no, no, no, no, no. You don't wait for that. You can say, we're going to go out and we're going to take this guy. And if he doesn't pan out because he doesn't kind of adjust to the playing style or the scheme itself because he shows that he has the football IQ, then what's the waste?

It's just a seventh round pick. How many seventh round picks have actually made a lot of NFL teams and actually contribute? Not a lot. Not a lot. But if you can turn this diamond in the rough to a VVS diamond, I say, man, hell, go do it. Yeah.

Look, if it doesn't work out in the NFL, he'll immediately get like looks to go compete, like be a professional wrestler or something along those lines there. But the Broncos have this invested belief in that they are a place where players can come and develop. We've certainly seen that. This is the type of player athletic traits and all. You see like, hey, what can we do with this? I mean, that's why they took Caleb Loner.

Like Sean said, we went to the pro day. We weren't very happy with the pro day because they don't actually do anything to benefit to tie it in. He said, we had to look at certain things ourselves. There's layers that they have to peel back when evaluating whether or not, you know, hey, can this guy be something? And that's why you bring in. You have a 90-man roster. You bring in players like this.

If he goes undrafted, he'll probably be a priority guy that gets at least a training camp invite somewhere. Why not maybe see what you can do, especially with this defense that Denver has that, It uses physicality, athleticism and prowess in terms of getting after the quarterback. Back-to-back years are leading the NFL in Sacks. I would put this player at defensive end over defensive tackle because of his body type. He's the type of guy with the speed, the athleticism, the strength that he has, where I feel like a defensive end, that might be the perfect position for him in a three-four style defense. It's exciting.

I think about 31 bench press reps with 36-inch arms, man. I mean, that's crazy. I mean, that's, that's a, that's a long way for that bar to travel at 225 pounds, 36 inch. I mean, that's some serious strike, like that's, this is, I don't think you can overstate how crazy of an athlete this guy is. A 39 inch vertical at 306 pounds, 6, 35, 306 pounds, 39 inch vertical jump. Like, that's just, I mean, you just, every year you think, like, it can't get, get crazier. than last year. And somehow some guy comes along and is like,

wait a second, what the heck? Like, who the heck is this guy? You know what I mean? There's got to be video of him doing his pro day. I would love to see video of him testing. There's got to be something out there.

That's a guy you line up on the field. You find a way to get him on the field. Don't worry about, you know, stopping the run. Just get up field. See the guy right there, the quarterback,

the guy who's touching the ball. I need you to get to him as quickly as possible. possible. Right? Get to him as quickly as possible and wrecked shot. That's what you need the guy for. It's like the scene out of the program with the linebacker going through film meetings. Like, what's your responsibility?

He's like, kill the quarterback. He's like, what's the other one? Hit the quarterback so hard his girlfriend dies. Like, geez. It's crazy, bro. I just texted you guys the picture, the picture from the pro day. Like, look at, look at this guy's hand is almost touching the top of his knee. his arm is dangling to the side.

That is, that's the type of, that's the type of stuff that every NFL team is going to believe, like, we can get the best out of this guy. And why wouldn't the Broncos believe that was Jamar Kane and the success that he's had developing pass rushers? It's, I mean, it's, it's absurd type stuff. So, yeah, maybe, uh, he looks like David and Juko, doesn't he? He does. A little bit, yeah. Oh, man, he's, he's crazy.

But I'll say the biggest thing for him is. okay, he's got all the athletic, the elite athletic traits to be something that teams are willing to invest in. His international player pathway designation is going to be the biggest selling factor for so many teams. Because this guy, we were going to bring him in. He's not even going to count against our roster. It gives teams a little bit more flexibility. So it'll be interesting to see how things play out and whether or not he's truly on the Broncos radar. But Cody, that's why you draft him and you don't leave him out.

out there to say, well, oh, well, he's going to choose you. No, there's no guarantee because other teams may say, you know what, since it's a free-for-all and everyone's fighting for this player, well, we're going to give you the most money from a signing bonus standpoint. That could kind of sway him to decide, well, I'm not going to go to Denver Broncos. I know they say they're going to spend time to develop me, but the Colts are going to give me more money, right? So what matters to that player at that point?

So that's why you don't need anything to chance. You got three seven round picks. Select him with one of those if he's still on the board. True. Why not? We shall see the most chiseled prospect of all time. The craziest prospect athletically ever. Mr. Irrelevant, that would be ironic.

That'd be funny. We'll see if the Broncos take a flyer on UR. Bernard from Nigeria. Again, he's 6% body fat. Dude is an absolute freak of nature. one of the more kind of eye-opening prospects I feel like we've seen come in, you know, make his way to the NFL in quite some time.

But all right, that is going to do it for us on today's Locked-on Broncos Squad show. Everyone in the chat, you guys are the absolute best. Everyone on the audio feed, we love you guys as well. Do us a favor. Hit that like, button, smash that subscribe button on your way out the door. Really helps us out here on the channel. We'll be back at it again next week with some additional,

or later this week, excuse me, With some additional Broncos conversation. What? I was going to say, my man. I'm only human, bro. I'm only human. Bro, this just brings me back to the days you and I were on a radio show together, just giving each other to guff the entire two hours.

So we get to replicate that. Amen. The glory days for sure. But if you're a Nuggets fan, good things with the Nuggets. Rockies won last night, too. So all is well in the world of Denver sports. But for Sarah Baderger, Cody, Rick Ferguson. I am in Dilo Piro.

Thank you guys so much for tuning in. And we'll talk to you guys later this week. Peace, y'all.