Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos Tight End Options SOAR Up Boards After NFL Combine Week

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

The Denver Broncos face a transformative offseason after the NFL Combine spotlighted elite draft talent poised to fill their biggest roster needs. Can explosive prospects at tight end, linebacker, and... running back revamp Sean Payton’s squad and accelerate Denver’s Super Bowl window? Cody Roark and Sayre Bedinger break down the deep 2026 tight end class, debating Kenyon Sadiq’s athletic ceiling, comparing options like Eli Stowers and Sam Roush, and exploring the value of double-dipping through both free agency and the NFL Draft.   The conversation shifts to linebacker and running back, highlighting potential first-round fits like CJ Allen, Anthony Hill, and physical standouts such as Mike Washington Jr. and Jonah Coleman. With free agency looming and the Broncos looking to add dynamic playmakers for Bo Nix, Cody and Sayre dissect it all.   Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos.   WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT? For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today --   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube   Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL   Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedinger Follow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos   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 join -- https://lockedonbroncos.supercast.com/   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. 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.   Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.   FanDuel FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a College Basketball Parlay Profit Boost. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   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.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The NFL combine revealed a lot and the Denver Broncos biggest needs this off season could get filled with draft talent. We'll break it all down here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Happy Tuesday, Broncos, welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, the number one sports podcast network in the country. thanks to all you every dares out there in Broncos country. Thank you so much for tuning in, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so.
Starting point is 00:00:41 On today's episode of the show, the three biggest needs for the Denver Broncos this offseason, got a little exciting considering what we saw from the NFL Combine in terms of testing from several big name prospects this past week. And we'll go through while the tight-in class looks deep going into the 2026 off season. On top of that, more potential for a first round linebacker here, maybe for Denver with the 30th overall pick. And on top of that, depth, depth, depth, depth, the running back position showing out in a big way. We'll break it all down here on today's episode of the show. Brought to you by friends over there at Fan Duo.
Starting point is 00:01:13 Fan Duo is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a college basketball parlay, profit boost, head to Fandual.com to get started. I'm Cody Rohr, Credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. And as always by Sir Bedinger, site expert, predominantly orange.com. Real quick, before we jump into the content. I want to give a special shout, obviously, to Broncos country, a member, a listener, avid listener of the show, Scott Brown, want to send my condolences to him. He reached out to me.
Starting point is 00:01:38 He and his cousin Nathan would always listen to our show every single day, Sarah, and then they would text and react because they're out of Denver, right? They live in a different state. But unfortunately, his cousin Nathan passed away who also listened to the show. So I want to send our condolences and our well wishes out there to Scott and Nathan's family, obviously there as they go through that. We appreciate you all for making us part of your day, however you choose to. So seriously, means the world to Sarah and myself there here. But Sarah, tight-in class coming up here. This is obviously one of the bigger positional needs here for the Broncos this offseason.
Starting point is 00:02:11 And I tell you what, the NFL combine, at least from a testing standpoint, should have Broncos fans excited about some of the possibilities at this position. Absolutely. You want to get more athletic at the tight-end position. This draft is for you. I mean, last year's draft class at the tight-end position looked really, really good. And this year might be even better. So good news for the Denver Broncos after they pass on last year's class.
Starting point is 00:02:36 Maybe you have an opportunity for a bit of a mulligan in this year's draft. And I don't think that's going to include Kenyon Sadiq, the tight end out of Oregon, although I will say, I mean, there's always, there's, yeah, yeah, we're salty about that one, Broncos country. We're with you because look, I mean, what an impressive workout of 439 in the 40-yard dash, a 43-5 inch vertical jump. obviously the size is not necessarily the ideal at the tight end position. 6.3, 240.
Starting point is 00:03:05 He's more of in the Evan Ingram mold, like you've said on previous shows, Cody. But certainly you feel like he's somebody who can be a game-changing weapon in the past game. And maybe there is an opportunity for the Broncos to trade up. I know that after the scouting combine is always the time, as our good friend, Ross Jackson says, it's where nobody's going to fall to your pick because, well, that player is already going to be off the board. So tis the season for those kinds of responsive takes. But look, I think, you know, there's Jada Baron was never going to be there for the Broncos pick in last year's draft either, right?
Starting point is 00:03:38 He was going to be the first corner off the board. Well, I think the Broncos did any mock draft scenarios where Jade was on their board. It was Miami at 13, right? I think that's where he was projected to go. Yeah, exactly. And there's, there's always like a floor and a ceiling for guys. And when it comes to projections. and then we just, we really don't know.
Starting point is 00:03:58 So I'm not ruling out the possibility of Kenyon Sadiq being picked by the Broncos. It may not be at pick number 30 overall, but you got to keep that dream alive until it's not. You know what I'm saying? I think there's certain players, Cody, like, oh, we know the Broncos ain't getting Arvel Reese. We know they ain't getting sunny styles. They're not getting Jeremiah love. There's certain players that I think, okay, they're in a tier above. But Kenyon Sadeeke leads this tight end class.
Starting point is 00:04:23 And then Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers, man. he put on a show. I've never even heard of somebody with a 45 and a half inch vertical jump. Like that's crazy stuff for anybody, much less a tight end. Well, I mean, if you look at Sean Payton saying, hey, we like our developmental project and Caleb Loner. I mean, I don't even think Caleb Loner's testing is anywhere close to anything that those guys put on the table.
Starting point is 00:04:48 And I, you know me. I'm an Oregon Ducks fan, man. I have seen Kenyon Sadiq. There were a lot of narratives out there. There was not a good blocker. I'm like, that's actually not true. He's a very willing and engaging blocker. He doesn't shy away from it.
Starting point is 00:05:00 Even if he's undersized at certain aspects of his position, maybe against bigger edge rushers, he's not going to be afraid to get his nose dirty. That's the thing I love about Kenyon. And then he's just a freaking athletic freak, man. He is unbelievable. He literally embodies true Joker traits at the tight end position. A lot of people are calling him, like his comp would be like Vernon Davis,
Starting point is 00:05:19 who's lighter, a lighter Vernon Davis, so to speak, which for people to throw that, I understand comp season is in. effect here. That is high praise, all things considered here. But man, I worry about Kansas City picking him, ninth overall. I mean, that's certainly a possibility. They could go with a running back potentially, but I don't know if they would go with a running back at night. That would be very unpopular, but maybe they're not worried about the popular decision there. I worry about San Francisco, getting Kenyon Sadeek, of course, there with Kyle Shanahan and that offense, especially with kiddles injury that's probably going to hold them out for the majority of the season. So, yeah, if you're an
Starting point is 00:05:55 Oregon Ducks fan like me and you're hoping the Broncos land, Kenyon Sadeek, seems unlikely, but as Sarah said, stranger things have happened. But, I mean, Sarah, let's go back to this as well. When you talk about like these tight ends and what we're seeing like, last year, it was Tyler Warren. It was Colston Loveland. Those guys were really hyped up as the first round prospects. I think when you look at them, you look at what they did, they match that expectation. It just seems like from a depth standpoint, the tight end class this year has more options
Starting point is 00:06:22 overall. And you don't necessarily need like the big name guys. but you need guys that can be consistent, reliable. They even have Sam Roush of Stanford who posted, you and I were big RAS fanatics. He posted a 9.94 Rass score. He had a 47 and the 40 for a titan, which isn't bad. 30 and a half inch vertical for him.
Starting point is 00:06:39 And he's 6 foot 6, 267 pounds. So good size to him to also be able to block that right there could be a good red zone threat here for Denver as a depth option for him. Yeah, I love him as a day two pick potentially for the Denver Broncos. I think playing in line. He's going to be able to do that right away. He did it at Stanford. He's got soft hands.
Starting point is 00:07:00 He's obviously very athletic. And it's a crazy thing that I think gets, you know, briefly discussed every year at the combine. I heard the guys on the broadcast talking about it. It's like, man, a guy runs a 47 at 267 pounds, 6 foot 6. And you're like, uh, you know, whatever, you know, it's 4.7. Because Kenyon Sadeek is running a 439. And, you know, Eli Stowers is running a 451.
Starting point is 00:07:22 and I mean, 4-7 at 267 pounds, you're moving nick time. That's, I mean, so there's a reason why it's a 9.94 on the scale because he's testing off the charts. These other guys are just creating new charts. It's crazy. So I think when you when you look at the overall makeup of a prospect, the body of work of a prospect, and the variance of what they can provide to your team, I mean, we're really talking about there's different categories of tight ends. There's the move tight end who can split out, maybe playing the slot, maybe be a big wide receiver for you. And then there's the in line guys.
Starting point is 00:08:00 And we know that Sean Payton and this Broncos offense with Davis Webb now calling the plays that they're going to use both. And they're going to use even more than that. Like the Nate Adkins role exists within this offense. We're throwing passes to offensive tackles. They are going to get different types of playmakers involved in the passing game. but that evolution of, okay, we need to get playmakers like Evan Ingram more involved. And he's only going to be around for one more season, most likely. So what's the plan beyond Evan Ingram?
Starting point is 00:08:32 And do we even have one? This might be the ideal draft to figure that out. You and I said it in yesterday's show. I think we're both in agreement on the fact that we believe the Broncos should double dip. Get a guy in free agency. Get a guy at this position as well in the NFL draft in terms of your three biggest needs, which is tight-end linebacker running back in no particular order there. I'm with you there.
Starting point is 00:08:53 I'm excited to see how this kind of unfolds here for Denver. Obviously, NFL free agency is coming up here in just about a week and a half. We'll see what the Broncos plan truly is. But it wouldn't surprise me. Like if they are able to get Kenyon Sadeke in round one, I'd be excited. If not, I really could see them maybe taking a tight-in in round two or round three of this year's draft kind of add up to that. And that changes the gamut a little bit in terms of where the Broncos may look with
Starting point is 00:09:16 some of their other picks, especially considering, all the capital they have in this year's NFL draft. Broncos country, let's know your thoughts here on the tight-end options, what you saw from them in the Combine testing portion here. But one thing that's also intriguing, there might be a possibility of a first-round linebacker for the Denver Broncos. We'll talk about the guys that stood out the NFL Combine here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode of the show was brought to you by friends over there at TurboTax.
Starting point is 00:09:40 It's tax time, but for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot. Trying to book an appointment that's not the most convenient, sitting in a waiting room with a stack of papers, emailing back and forth and wondering if they really get your situation. But this year, you're getting a major upgrade into it TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. You can meet face-to-face with a real tax expert and your documents get uploaded straight to your TurboTax app on the spot.
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Starting point is 00:10:32 We saw at the NFL scouting combine, players posting big time numbers in the RAS department, 40 yard dash, vertical jump, change the direction, all of it. And linebackers might have stolen the show overall. So the Denver Broncos in a good spot here entering the 2026 offseason in terms of this particular need. And Broncos country, we appreciate every single one of you for tuning in as we break down the team's needs. As we break down combined performances and the upcoming free agency and NFL draft festivities here every single day. And if you haven't already done so, Cody and I want to invite you to join the Everydayer All Access Club because the offseason doesn't exist for the Everydayer Club. Free agency is here and we're going to be here every single day.
Starting point is 00:11:14 and right now you can get one month free of the everydayer club by using the code free agency. No spaces, all one word, all caps, free agency. Now through March 15th, you can go ad free. You can keep the conversation going with other Broncos fans on Discord. So join the club at locked on Broncos. Dot supercast.com. We appreciate you considering supporting the show in that way. Let's talk about linebackers, Cody.
Starting point is 00:11:39 I feel like until the Broncos got their quarterback position, position solved. You know, this is one of those position groups. I feel like we've almost talked about every year that we've been on the show here together. And, you know, going into the off season, it's like, who's going to start at linebacker? Who are the Broncos going to sign in free agency at linebacker? Who are they going to draft at linebacker? They don't seem to be able to figure this position out. And now you've got two starters or the primary two starters from last year, Justin Sternad and Alex Singleton hitting free agency. You couldn't ask for a better and more athletic draft class coming in if you're the Broncos.
Starting point is 00:12:16 This is another position where I think you and I agree, they got a double dip. 100%. And I would even say last year, I don't think that there was much buzz about the linebacker depth, at least in last year's draft class initially. And the last time the Broncos drafted a linebacker, it was in 2023. It was Drew Sanders, where they played him at inside linebacker a little bit. Then they switched him to edge rusher. Then they switched him back to outside, I mean to inside.
Starting point is 00:12:43 linebacker and then he missed all of last season after an injury in training camp. So Denver hasn't really invested capital resources in this position. But I think this is the year where the depth is so good, you might take two guys in this year's draft, so to speak, right? Maybe if you go round one, maybe you go with the C.J. Allens. Obviously, Georgia, very athletic, very talented linebacker, rangy right there. Jacob Rodriguez maybe floating his name a little bit into that conversation after how he
Starting point is 00:13:10 performed at the NFL Combine. obviously a guy who stood out as well when you talk about the senior bull he interviews well has those captain leadership type traits okay those are options but i feel like this is also the year serif denver brings back let's say one of those guys that we talked about that are already you know set to be afraid stern ad or singleton they have to in my opinion still add a guy in free agency but i would not be surprised if this is a year where let's say they draft with one of their premium picks a linebacker that could start for them this year and maybe a guy that could start a couple of years down the road,
Starting point is 00:13:44 they need to revamp this entire position room alongside, like you have Drey Greenland, who's more than likely coming back at this point. Could change. We don't know yet, but that would be the move here for the Broncos at this position. They have to add more pieces to it right away, especially when you talk about guys on rookie contracts.
Starting point is 00:14:03 Well, now you have cost control to kind of offset maybe what is going to be coming down the road here with Bo Nix getting a deal. Some of your defensive contracts as well. maybe having to restructure them because you're paying a lot of money, the defense as it is, well, guess what? If you have some rookies or you have some second year players that can play, find a way to make it happen. This is the draft where some of those guys exist.
Starting point is 00:14:23 And I just think there's so many options that make sense for the Broncos in the first round, especially if they stay at 30 overall or even if they want to, you know, kick themselves out of the first round, get into the early portion of the second round, pick up some extra capital for this year and or next year. you just have the options to do that. You mean, you mentioned a couple of guys already. I think everybody in Broncos country would love to get Jacob Rodriguez,
Starting point is 00:14:48 although now the mock draft, this is where we got to really, really be careful, right? Because the mock draft machines are going to tell you, you can get Jacob Rodriguez at the back end of round two, whereas reality will tell you. And I'm as guilty of anyone of the whole thing that we just talked about in the first segment of like,
Starting point is 00:15:05 he ain't going to be there at that pick. But you see a guy who posts, you know, nearly at the top of the scale in terms of athleticism. And he brings to the table everything that you want from being a coach's dream. Teams are going to be ready to when the order shifts around to the top half of the second round, teams are going to be looking at the impact that the Schwessinger kid made for the Browns last year. And they're going to say, hey, we want Rodriguez on our defense. We want C.J. Allen on our defense.
Starting point is 00:15:36 We want Anthony Hill on our defense. So a team like the Broncos, you can't just sit around and say, well, let's see who's there in the back half around two. You've got to go get your guy. And I can't help but feel like they might want to double dip on Texas Longhorns defenders, Cody, as we've already seen, the Broncos have sort of an addiction to Texas players. How about Anthony Hill at the back end of round one? I think he only pulled out of some of the agility drills out of what is being reported as an abundance of caution. But up until that point, I think he posted a nine point, something. something in the Rast scale once again,
Starting point is 00:16:10 451 in the 40 yard dash and 9.93, as I'm looking at it right now, 37 inch vertical jump, very explosive, very athletic, and already known for his change of direction abilities, his ability to play in coverage. So I think Anthony Hill is another option at 30 overall, especially with the Broncos affinity for those Texas Longhorns guys
Starting point is 00:16:31 and the connections that they have to the coaching staff. Yeah, I mean, you mentioned those connections, but also they already have all the tape from last year, scouting process on Jada Baron. So they're probably watching Jardé and they're probably already making notes. I would imagine the scouts. I mean, there's, there's, it's not just like one one guy is watching Texas and saying, okay, we're looking just at Jadae.
Starting point is 00:16:51 It's, they're looking at everybody in the defense saying, okay, who's draft eligible this year? Who's draft eligible next year? Well, let's start putting profiles together. That's the scouts jobs. And so I guarantee you they have enough detailed information on Anthony Hill Jr. Those traits right there. And that's what I think the Broncos need in this defense.
Starting point is 00:17:07 They need someone that can move. rangy, sideline to sideline, especially when you talk about all the match concepts that they have here, whereas this Broncos defense isn't just lining up in cover three or cover four. They may have that call, but then that coverage adjust based on the personnel, the motion, formation, down in distance, and then you have different rules. If a wide receiver, someone extends vertical past a certain amount of yards, we have to go play this guy as man essentially here, even though we have a zone coverage call called. you need a linebacker who has also got it up here up in the mental to be able to process all the
Starting point is 00:17:42 information and react and do that. This is the year. Now, look, the ultimate dream would have been Sunny Stiles who just absolutely destroyed the combine testing there. And all of a sudden, like I have this feeling like, and I try not to get too far ahead of myself where it's like, I see a guy perform at the combine. I'm like, man, this guy's going to be a legit stud. Sunny Stiles, in my opinion, Sarah, might arguably be the early. on paper favorite. He hasn't even been drafted to a team yet. I wouldn't be shocked if he's the early favorite of a defensive rookie of the year based on where he goes because this is a guy who can have a true impact as a rangy coverage linebacker. He's a hybrid guy, in my opinion. Denver is not
Starting point is 00:18:23 going to have any chance of sniffing up and getting a sunny styles, which is unfortunate. It really is. I mean, and to your point about him being a hybrid guy, he's a converted safety, who was exceptional playing off ball linebacker for Ohio State. And they've got another hybrid guy that's out of the Broncos range, Arvel Reese, who he's not a converted safety necessarily, but he plays off the edge, kind of got a little bit of that Micah Parsons projection to him
Starting point is 00:18:49 where he can play off the ball. People don't remember that about Micah Parsons. He had like six and a half sacks at Penn State. That's crazy. And he didn't even play in 2020, the pandemic season and still is the best past rush, arguably in the entire league. It's pretty crazy.
Starting point is 00:19:05 But you see those same traits from somebody like R. Vell Reese. And so what you're getting at the top of this draft, it helps the Broncos down in the back end. Because, okay, there's top end guys at a position of need for the Broncos, which means that players like C.J. Allen, Jacob Rodriguez, Anthony Hill, these other guys, they are typically going to be linebacker one,
Starting point is 00:19:30 linebacker two in most draft classes. And now you have these other two guys at the top of the class that are going to push those great prospects down to you. That's how you take advantage of the depth of a class if you want to do that and say, hey, you know, we've needed linebacker for years now. We haven't had any long-term solutions. We tried with Drew Sanders. We'll see what he's got this year, but it's a shot in the dark.
Starting point is 00:19:55 And you've got to go invest in that position. The talent has to be upgraded. This is the perfect draft to do it for the Broncos. And in my opinion, if you want to completely overhaul this room, this might be the draft class that can certainly do that. And I think where Denver is at from the depth standpoint on the rest of the defense, roster-wise, that is a gamble I feel like I'd be willing to make if I was the general manager. So Broncos country, if you were the GM,
Starting point is 00:20:20 let us know how you feel about the linebacker position off ball here for the Broncos, this upcoming off-seat, especially with what we saw from the NFL Combine from a large list. of players where the linebacker depth is much better than what we've seen in the last handful of years here. Will the Broncos go big? Let us know here on today's episode show. But coming up next, Sarah and I are going to talk about the Broncos' other biggest need. And that is the running back position.
Starting point is 00:20:41 And this year at the NFL Combine, the running backs blew the roof off the place here. And it could give Sean Payton a lot of nice options to work with this upcoming season alongside RJ Harvey Harvey. We'll break it all down. You're on today's episode of the show. Indeed is the sponsor of today's episode of the show in Broncos country, whether you're dealing with workplace chaos, you've got deadlines stacking up, your inbox is overflowing in the one position that you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsor jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, the skills, the experience, the location.
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Starting point is 00:21:56 Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply, need to hire. This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Today show is also brought to you our friends over there at Fandul. College basketball is nonstop. Big games, tight spreads, momentum swings every single night. From early tip-offs to late night West Coast shootouts,
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Starting point is 00:22:58 Well, guess what? This is the draft to double dip. We'll go through that here on today's episode show real quick. I want to say thank you once again to everyone in Broncos country. All the every day is out there. Thanks so much for making us part of your day. However, you choose to do so. At the NFL Combine, everybody was watching the running back position this year.
Starting point is 00:23:16 There are a couple of guys who are in the conversation for first round draft picks. And certainly some testing metrics could elevate even more guys into that conversation. But overall, the depth of this position, the traits, the skill sets, the explosiveness, and some of the size that some of these backs have, I mean, for Sean Peyton, George Payton, is they're sitting there evaluating this position that certainly needs to be overhauled a little bit here for the Broncos going forward? There are some exciting prospects in this year's NFL drafts there. There absolutely are. And I think that this is a draft at running back where beauty is in the eye of the beholder. it's not necessarily the best in terms of, you know, you can get a first round guy in round three,
Starting point is 00:23:57 but you might be able to get a significant contributor at any point in this draft. There's just a lot of different guys who are, they come in different packages. They've played a variety of roles at the college level, but I think the one guy who really stood out of the combine that Broncos country already loved going into this process is Mike Washington, Jr. from Arkansas, a really high cut back with big, time long speed. I think he,
Starting point is 00:24:22 he think he was the top of all running back to the 433 in the 40 yard dash, which is sickening at for somebody who's 6 foot two and 230 some pounds or whatever he is. I mean, just a freakish combine performance from him, which certainly pushes him up, you know,
Starting point is 00:24:39 in terms of the perception, right? When you think about, well, in the mock draft machines, you can get him in the third or fourth round. Does his athleticism now, you know, give teams, the sort of freedom in their room to say,
Starting point is 00:24:52 hey, why don't we take him in route too? With that level of athleticism, we can't risk missing out on him. So for the Denver Broncos, though, I wonder if he could remind George Peyton and Sean Peyton of somebody that they've both had through the years, right? One, Latavius Murray, another high cut back
Starting point is 00:25:08 with long speed, somebody who carved out a really long career for himself. I feel like there's maybe something to those potential comparisons. No, I agree. I mean, the fact that he's six foot to 230 plus pounds and ran 4.340 is insane to me, sir. Like, that is ridiculous. Like, think about that. We were talking about in our free agency preview. And obviously,
Starting point is 00:25:30 we'll continue to look at this as long as it's an option. But you look at Kenneth Walker, what, 510, 511, 220 something pounds. Breece Hall, 510, 220 something pounds. You talk about a guy who's 6 foot 2, 230 can run a 4-3. And I understand, yes, this isn't with shoulder pads on right now. ideally none of these guys are ever going to be running straight line speed, so to speak, unless they get up the sideline and then get straight. That's very unrealistic to expect on a consistent basis, considering how defense is played today. But my goodness, like the change of direction, the explosiveness there, the size. I mean, Sarah, you talked about Latavius Murray.
Starting point is 00:26:08 People need to remember outside of J.K. Dobbins this past season, Latavius is the last Bronco to run for over 100 yards in a game. And I just remember him when he was with Sean Payton. this was the COVID year, 2020. Like they had Alvin Camara. They had Latavius. Denver did a pretty good job containing Camara, but it was Latavius Murray. They went off for two touchdowns over 100 yards against Denver's defense led by Vic Fangio,
Starting point is 00:26:32 obviously in that game, which painful, painful for the Broncos. Wasn't that the Kendall Hinton game, if I'm not mistaken? Yeah. So not ideal there for Denver. But, I mean, a guy of that size, I mean, what are the Broncos desperately needs here? They don't need a guy that can get to the outside and all of a sudden just explode up the sideline. RJ Harvey can be that guy.
Starting point is 00:26:53 What Denver needs is a back that can hit the hole and with physicality and explosiveness get more than two or three yards, right? If you could fall forward for four yards, that's great. But a back like Washington Jr., he has the opportunity here, Sarah, where he could hit that hole, all of a sudden, run through a guy,
Starting point is 00:27:13 make a linebacker miss, or he might just be able to get breakaway speed up the middle and then have a one-on-one in the open field against the safety. With that type of size, I'll take that. That's what Derek Henry thrived off of for a large portion of his career. Not to say that Mike Washington, Jr. is Derek Henry, but 6-2, 2-30, and you have that explosive speed right there.
Starting point is 00:27:33 That right there is a good combination, I think, to have. And it would not shock me if Sean Payton and George Payton are saying, you know what, this is the year. We're going to go revamp that position right now with this guy. I would like that. I think he'd be a great fit. I included him in one of my recent mock drafts as well. So I would like to see that.
Starting point is 00:27:50 And I think there's other backs, too, that have gotten some Broncos hype, you know, Judarian Price from Notre Dame, some first round hype going into the combine. I don't know that necessarily what we saw at the combine says or screams first round running back. But solid numbers, you know, 449 at 510 and change 203 pounds or whatever he measured in at. So a little bit lighter than I think what was expected for somebody. He looks pretty rocked up in the pictures at Notre Dame, Cody. I don't think necessarily that physicality is going to be a problem for Judarian Price. But I also don't know, does he fit what the Broncos are looking for at pick number 30 overall?
Starting point is 00:28:28 Or should they wait? There's somebody who didn't perform in the on-field speed, explosiveness, agility drills. That might be the ideal fit for the Denver Broncos. He actually gave some really great quotes to our good friend Luca Evans that were posted over the weekend. His name is Jonah Coleman from Washington. and he talked about the fact that he met with the Broncos, and they talked about his fit with that offense. And he said, you know, what they do offensively and what we do at Washington,
Starting point is 00:28:58 it's really a seamless fit in terms of the concepts and what they're asking for. And listen to this part of his scouting report, Cody, team captain, productive three down back, and clear understanding of run blocking schemes, which we talked about as an issue after the season, and protection duties. It says, it says that he's lost only one fumble in four seasons at Washington. So you talk about ball security, pass protection, understanding the run schemes,
Starting point is 00:29:29 five foot eight, 220 pounds. So the dude is built like a, I mean, he's built like a cheeseburger essentially, like grabby paddy, whatever. I mean, a bowling ball, however you want to phrase that. I mean, that's a, that's a thick cut running back at 5,8, 220. So you're getting somebody who understands pass protection, doesn't fumble the football. He can play all three downs, team captain. That screams Denver Bronco to me.
Starting point is 00:29:54 And he did post 22 bench press reps at 225 pounds, Cody. So we know that that 220 pounds is not all just quad strength. This dude is built and he is strong all over. Well, I watched obviously Washington versus Ohio State this past season. And you saw him a couple of times in pass protection against. Sonny Stiles. They're really good job, held his own. When you're going through the scouting report,
Starting point is 00:30:19 you're mentioning it in my head, I was thinking, I was like, this is everything that George and Sean are looking for in terms of players they want to bring on to the roster, leader, captain type. That's one of the things that they always reference is we want guys who are captains, great teammates, leaders, but then also this potential move, if the Broncos were to look at Coleman, like think about it from this standpoint, Sarah.
Starting point is 00:30:38 All right, there was talks about them bringing back Tyler Bade, who they said was the Broncos best pass blocking back. that changes that role right away. If you get a young guy in that position that can handle that responsibility that seemingly has played in a similar style of offense, that might be the problem to just avoiding going with the status quo that has been and going younger, refreshing this entire room here for Denver and putting that guy in a room alongside RJ Harvey. And I still think, Sarah, having a veteran in that room.
Starting point is 00:31:07 But as we've heard Sean Payton say, it's hard to generally feed three backs. You feed two, you have three in. I'm very curious to see how that really changed their approach. Or under Davis Webb, and granted it was a preseason game against the Cardinals, Cair, five different backs had multiple touches. And I understand it's the preseason. You're trying to get different guys looks with different units,
Starting point is 00:31:27 but I think there is a way you can find a way to use three different backs. And over the course of history, we used to see Baltimore do it. Not only with just J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill, I mean, they had Gus Edwards as well. They had three different backs that they found ways to use in Baltimore. So can Denver, can Davis Webb find a way to do that? I think the Broncos offense is going to take another step forward.
Starting point is 00:31:48 This has to be a formula here going forward in Broncos country. Make sure you let us know your thoughts here on how the Broncos may view this running back class coming up in the 2026 NFL draft. Let us know which running back stood out to you. Who's on your wish list and much more here? But coming up on tomorrow's episode of show for all you every day, Sarah and myself, we're going to sit down and we're going to react to the NFLPA report cards for the Denver Broncos, which is.
Starting point is 00:32:12 saw them improve in several major categories and Sean Payton holding the same grade he held last year and what issues of the Broncos currently trying to rectify in the report card. We'll go through all that and much more on tomorrow's episode of the show. We'll see you then.

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