Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - FINAL MOCK DRAFT: Denver Broncos Take Ohio State TE Max Klare at 62nd Overall

Starting point is 00:00:00 In our final mock draft, the Denver Broncos take a tight in with the 62nd overall pick, and this player could play an impact role for them right away. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Happy draft week, Broncos country. I'm Cody York, joined as always by Sarah Bedinger. And on today's show, we're going through our final mock draft where we looked at both rounds two and rounds four to round out our final mock here.

Starting point is 00:00:33 We'll tell you why Nicholas Singleton is an ideal pick for the Broncos on day three of the NFL draft this week. Plus the Broncos maybe getting a captain of the future and linebacker Keishon Elliott bringing him into the mix. But more important, we're going to kick things off by talking about who we chose for the Broncos to take a 60 second overall tight end, Max Clare out of Ohio State. And the type of role he might be able to play as a rookie for the Broncos. If they do in fact select him here, Sir, let's talk about this. You and I, we jumped on a mock draft together. We're looking at all the options. We're using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator.

Starting point is 00:01:06 And I can tell you this, man. It was rough to see some of the picks that initially went first. We were looking at maybe was Jacob Rodriguez going to be there, how the board falls. Like you run all these mock draft simulations, things are a little bit different. Kayla Banks was available, who we chose last week. But, you know, we were like, let's focus at maybe the positions the Broncos need to add to in terms of depth. Okay, we haven't done one on tight end. Let's look at the options there.

Starting point is 00:01:30 Eli Stowers was an option there. We went with Max Claire out of Ohio State, considering the upside there as a potential inline blocker compared to Stowers here. I wouldn't be mad if this was a pick the Broncos did in fact make on Friday when they are on the clock with the 60 second overall pick. Max Claire is a really good prospect. I mean, honestly, if the Broncos come away with Max Claire, I think that's a lot to be excited about no matter how the rest of the draft unfolds because he has those types of playmaking abilities in the passing game that you figure he's going to be a major difference maker in the. that way at the next level. Just say natural athlete, obviously got really good size to him, played this past season at Ohio State, but came from Purdue where he was honestly more productive in 2024 when he played at Purdue. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean everything because at Ohio

Starting point is 00:02:19 state, we know that there's a lot of different mouths that you got to feed there. There's a lot of playmakers, a lot of really good ones, future first round picks on that, you know, that team. Carnell Tate this year being one of them. And then obviously the guy next year, Jeremiah, Smith, right, Cody? I think I'm not brushed up on my 2027 draft Intel just yet, but a lot of mouths to feed no matter what way you slice it at Ohio State. So Max Claire, of course, you know, production took a bit of a step back last year, targets took a bit of a step back last year, but still able to see those translatable traits as an ultra-athletic option in the passing game. And yes, Eli Stowers was still on the board. So why take Max Clare over Eli Stowers in my mind,

Starting point is 00:03:01 Cody, I think you could go either way and be happy about both. I picked, I personally would pick Claire in this instance, not just for the sake of having another thought exercise, but also because Eli Stowers is a converted quarterback. Max Claire might be a better route runner at this point. And obviously nobody's a finished product when they come right out of college. But I think maybe just a bit more refinement in his game to be able to contribute to a Super Bowl caliber team right away. When you look at his scouting report as well, he's viewed as a guy who could be a pretty

Starting point is 00:03:30 solid in line Y blocker for Denver. I mean, look at Adam Troutman. I mean, he's six foot four at at this point, 246 pounds. The thing that I like about him is when you look at his traits, what people say, and they go through and this is what I like in the scouting report breakdowns on pro football network. They go through and they break down every traits. They have a trait profile feature here. He's got elite level agility and Twitch, elite level run after contact, contact balance, elite level explosiveness. And he's got good instincts, elite level route running, elite level physicality, elite level long speed as well, above average blocker, and he's got above average hands as well. He might be a little undersized in terms of his

Starting point is 00:04:10 height, percentile weight and length, but man, none of that stuff really matters. If you can sit in space against zone coverage, find that soft spot, catch it, and then you can do damage yards after the catch. You're not asking him to come in and be a man beter, so to speak. You're asking him to come in here and get open up the scene from time to time, find the open space, beat your man across the middle of the field. I know, I think, think he'll match up well against linebackers here. That's what I would like to see. In your opinion, too, because I think when you look at Eli Stowers, people are going to be

Starting point is 00:04:38 like, well, Eli might be the overall more athletic player. I don't always think it's about that. I don't think it's about who's the most athletic. It's who can add the most impact to what you want to do right away. And look, there are people that I know on our show here that absolutely hate that we talk about tight ends because they're like, well, Sean Payton doesn't use a titan. Chris is an avid every day or of the show. And Chris, respectfully, my man, I'm saying I understand.

Starting point is 00:05:00 understand where you're coming from about Denver. Well, Sean didn't really use tight ends. That was the case. I mean, he used Adam Troutman over 600 plus snaps last season. But if you can upgrade that position over time, right? And Davis Webb starts out his own little sprinkle there being a former quarterback, knowing how important it is to feature the tight end. You can't just go with the status quo saying, hey, we've always done things like this. We've never really used the tight end as much in our offense. So we're not really going to start now. The NFL is constantly evolving every year. And I think that's why you have to have a guy who has the side, I think athletically and also as a receiver, and Max Clear certainly brings to the table here.

Starting point is 00:05:35 And look, Eli Stowers, great receiving threat as well. I just think you're going to get a little bit more value here from a guy who can actually be a little bit more of a better inline blocker as a Y. And I think Max Clare does that over Stowers. He does. And to the point about Sean Payton, I mean, he was with the Dallas Cowboys when they selected Jason Witten back in the day. He was with the New York Giants as their offensive coordinator when they drafted and used a first round pick on Jeremy Shockey. and then he brought Jeremy Shockey with him to the Saints, and then he draft and developed Jimmy Graham.

Starting point is 00:06:04 And, you know, you have a number of other players throughout the course of his time. There, Jared Cook, another really athletic option at the position that they used heavily in New Orleans. They created the offense for Tassum Hill to use him. Joanne Johnson plucked him as a receiver, made him into a tight end who's now, I believe he got a 10 million per year contract. So, I mean, Sean uses the tight end, and he wants to use the tight end. And just because they haven't done a great job of it in Denver, I don't think that means that they're not going to do that. I think that they need to find the right player,

Starting point is 00:06:33 that right guy at that position in order to really fulfill the vision that Sean has. And it's that, you know, that term that nobody likes to use, the player that they can feature. I just don't think he's found that player that he feels like he can feature consistently. And that was supposed to be Evan Ingram. And hopefully we'll see them sort of, you know, make good on that here in 2026. But at the same time, you also got to have one eye beyond this year as well as one eye kind of on okay if evan you know happens to miss any time for any reason whatsoever

Starting point is 00:07:04 we have this guy who's available to keep that train chugging along and so max claire is not not an injury replacement option he's not a backup option he's a future starter option he's a potential joker option that's why you use a second round pick on him it's not because you feel like well man we just need a we need an additional athletic option at tight end no this is the future vision a player in what you believe he can become. That's why we would potentially take Eli Stowers or Max Clare. And so I think there's, I think there's merit to a lot of ideas with George Payton throwing out the,

Starting point is 00:07:40 well, we have six guys that we feel good about at 62 overall. We know they're not all six tight ends. So there's other positions, yes, that the team will consider most likely with that 60 second overall pick. So where does that leave them when it comes to players like Max Claire or Eli Stowers, who could be future jokers, weighed against, well, a D-Linman, an O-Linman, or another pass-rusher or a safety or whatever it may be,

Starting point is 00:08:05 that's kind of where you're having that sort of discussion in the war room and making your plans right now. Well, he is, he's only had top 30 visits with two teams, one of them being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the other team being the Denver Broncos, which typically we have seen the Broncos have not gone out and, you know, made it an emphasis to draft guys that they bring in for top 30 visits.

Starting point is 00:08:26 But because that is common knowledge, watch this be the year where Sean and George go, ha ha, we're flipping the script a little bit. We are drafting the people that were taking top 30 visits with. And maybe there is more value for top 30 visits when it comes to maybe the later round picks versus compared to bringing in a guy for a first round pick, right? Like if you had your first round pick, would you typically bring this guy? And remember when Denver drafted Pat Sertan back in 2021, they didn't even make contact with

Starting point is 00:08:50 him. They didn't have a top 30 visit. They didn't do any of that stuff. And so that's where it was kind of like, okay, maybe this is the strategy of George Peyton, a move in silence. on prospects. But now where Denver's at roster-wise, it wouldn't surprise me if this is here where they maybe flipped the script a little bit here going forward. And Broncos country, make sure you let us know here today. We took Max Clare. It was between he and Eli Stowers. Did we get it right? Did we get it wrong? Let us know your thoughts here on today's episode of

Starting point is 00:09:16 the show. But coming up next, we're going to dive into one of our first fourth round picks. The Bronco is getting a future captain. The linebacker position, it could be a great fit for this team. It could play right away as a rookie. Matt Derry here from the Lockdown Lions podcast. You know, life insurance is one of those things. You don't really think about until you have a reason to. For me, it really hit home when my father passed away over 20 years ago. You started thinking less about yourself and more about the people who depend on you,

Starting point is 00:09:43 making sure they're taking care of no matter what. That's why I like ethos. They make getting life insurance simple. It's 100% online, no doctor visits, no needles, none of that. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in just a few minutes, and even get same-day coverage. And honestly, that's huge because life gets busy. You can get up to $3 million in coverage,

Starting point is 00:10:02 and some plans are as low as just $30 a month. It's just one of those things that gives you peace of mind, knowing your family is protected. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash lockdown NFL. That is eththos.com slash lockdown NFL. Applications may vary. Rates may vary.

Starting point is 00:10:23 Today's show is also brought to you by friends over there at Indeed, If you're dealing with workplace chaos, you've got deadlines stacking up. Plus, your email inbox is overflowing. But you also have the one position that you have to fill. It's still sitting open. Well, when the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, the skills, the experience, and the location.

Starting point is 00:10:45 So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all. In the minute that I've been talking to you, companies like yours have made 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with Indeed sponsored jobs. Spend less time searching, more time, interview candidates who check your boxes with less stress, less time, and more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show, you'll get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job that premium status it deserves atindee.com slash podcast.

Starting point is 00:11:20 Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast terms of conditions apply. Need a hire. This is a job for Indeed, sponsored jobs. This is the linebacker class that never ends. We've discussed so many different prospects on this show during this NFL draft season. But one guy that we haven't talked about is who we used a fourth round pick on in this mock draft. Kishon Elliott, we're going to break down that selection on today's episode as well as a running back pick here coming up.

Starting point is 00:11:51 But Broncos Country wanted to say thank you to every single one of you out there for being an If you're already an everydayer and you listen to the show, you love the show. Cody and I want to invite you to check out the Every Dayer Club. And there's different tiers for that. But man, you're going to get bonus content. You're going to get an ad-free episode of the show. Plenty of other bonus features there, especially now during draft season. You want to check that out, Lockdown Broncos.

Starting point is 00:12:13 That supercast.com as well as the show notes. It will have a link for you for easy navigation. And Cody, let's talk about Kishon Elliott because like I mentioned, this is the linebacker class that really never ends. you and I have discussed, I can't start to rattle off names off top my head because then I'll go on a total rabbit trail here. But we've discussed so many different linebackers, whether it's Jacob Rodriguez, who's a favorite of everyone in Broncos country. We understand that. But there's tons of players.

Starting point is 00:12:41 I mean, I don't think, and I've said this before, I'll say it again. I don't think you can go wrong picking a linebacker in this draft. I think the only mistake for the Broncos context is not taking one. Kishon Elliott in round four, I think that could. be a gem for this team. Yeah, I mean, he's projected by some boards to be a fifth round pick, but here's the thing. Denver's not going to be in a position. And you don't want to get on that, as Sean Payton says, the NFL train.

Starting point is 00:13:06 You're going to learn when to get off there. And there's things that I look at his game that make a lot of sense. We go back to the traits. I always think we start off with traits. That's one thing that Sean Payton said. It's one thing that George Payton said. They like guys with high upside traits. Well, you talk about the linebacker position what you need in today's NFL, the ability to process

Starting point is 00:13:24 the field, see everything quickly. be able to get the things out. He's got blue chip processing. He snap IQ recognition, post snap processing, reaction, adaptability. He's got blue chip physicality. He's got elite level pass rushing in his repertoire as a linebacker, 8.28 grade, which is elite level explosiveness, 7.83 agility, Twitch. He's good coverage in terms of above average there. He's got pretty average long speed. The one critique that I would say about him that stands out, he had an 18% mistackle grade last season. And that's obviously something that you don't want to have happen

Starting point is 00:13:58 consistent. This is probably why he's not going round one, round two, or even round three at this point. Round four, I think, is a fine place to start with him. He's fast. And one thing I like about it, it goes back to where Denver was at previously, I would be curious to know what Drew Sanders scouting report said initially when they took him when they did in 2023. He had seven sacks in 2025. So he can blitz the quarterback, can be effective. And once again, one of the moves of Jonah Ellis off ball linebacker. They like his ability to get after the quarterback. But the ability for Drew Sanders to get out to the quarterback was a big reason why

Starting point is 00:14:33 they drafted him. Sean Payton said division for him was a pressure player. You get that here with Keishon Elliott. But now here's why I think this pick works here. If this was your only pick, your premium pick the year to making this guy had to start for you right away, I would say probably not going with this pick in this situation. But he doesn't have to start for you right away. He can learn the nuances of Vance Joseph.

Starting point is 00:14:54 system this year while learning behind Justin Sternad, Alex Singleton, Jonah Ellis. He would probably be that fourth guy that he would play a ton of special teams for you right away. I like this because this guy has the pathway here to be a special teams player, role player potential on defense, but future starter for you down the line. That is why this pick for me makes a lot of sense. And you're getting a high character guy, which is another thing that the Broncos value in their processing of these prospects.

Starting point is 00:15:21 Big time character guy, somebody who. I mean, that's part of his strengths. When you look at the Dane Bruegler Beast report on him, it says already a professional in terms of his work ethic and study habits. It says that an NFL scout told him he wears out the coaches in the best way possible. And he's been a captain at multiple stops, right? I mean, he started off his collegiate career at New Mexico State and then became part of the Pat Tillman Leadership Council there at Arizona State. So really great mature young man, obviously got a good head on his shoulders, progressing well. in 2025, Cody, get this.

Starting point is 00:15:55 He was the only player from a power conference with 90 plus tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 7 plus sacks. And I think the biggest difference between him and somebody like Drew Sanders is that Drew was, you know, he was the athlete designation coming out of the high school ranks, played off the edge at Alabama and converted to linebacker. Whereas I think Kishon Elliott, what he really brings to the table is more of that Justin Sernad style where he's, you know, not the same type of build. He's 6-1, 6-2, 233 pounds, but he's obviously an off-ball linebacker first who can blitz really well.

Starting point is 00:16:29 I think that's the biggest difference as, you know, a pressure player. He's not an edge guy who can blitz and do those sorts of things like a pass rusher who's playing off-ball, if that makes sense how I'm putting it there. But he's somebody who he can rush the passer as a traditional off-ball linebacker as opposed to like a player who switched those positions. So I really like what he brings to the table as. the, like you said, instant special teams ability. He's got the size and speed that you look for.

Starting point is 00:16:58 38 inch vertical jump at 233 pounds is pretty crazy. So really good stuff athletically, like you mentioned. And I just think overall, when you look at this opportunity in round four or round five or even both for the Broncos to take a linebacker, it feels like the sweet spot because ultimately these guys are going to drop down the board because there are so many players at this position in this particular draft class. And when a class is strong like that, you kind of feel like, man,

Starting point is 00:17:27 we might be able to get a guy that we have graded in the third round. We could get him in the fourth. And I mean, Kishon Elliott would be a perfect fit for this team culture. I mean, I like this pick a lot, but I've said that about a lot of linebackers in this class. So once again, I mean, you can't go wrong at this position. We like the picks on paper. And we look at maybe how they fit initially.

Starting point is 00:17:50 And here's a little note, too. You mentioned New Mexico State. What is over a New Mexico state that is so appealing? Because not only did you have Keishon Elliott there, you had Diego Pavia at one point. You also had Eli Stowers over there at New Mexico State. So that was like a little bit of a hot spot for some really good players. I know that when Diego Pavia was down there, they were really dang good. Same thing with Stowers.

Starting point is 00:18:14 That's why they ended up kind of connecting a little bit at Vanderbilt there. There was the coaching connection that obviously went over to Van derbya. underbuilt. That's how Diego Pavia got there. I don't know if folks have been able to check out John Gruden's quarterback camp. You learn a lot. I mean, especially if you want to see Eli Stowers a little bit on that, you're going to see that because he's going over that with John Gruden, Diego Pavia's episode there.

Starting point is 00:18:34 So I thought a lot of good stuff there. But man, New Mexico State, what the heck is going on? Cody, maybe the Broncos just take those guys as teammates. You know what? They're like, hey, let's fire this back up. Get the New Mexico State boys back together in the NFL. Maybe that will happen. You never know.

Starting point is 00:18:49 man, you never know there. But no, I'm with you. And especially we've talked about this as well on our squad shell. Like the Broncos, this is a draft where it's not necessarily about getting a day one starter. It's about getting a guy who can potentially be a starter for you at some point down the road. Kishon Elliott has all the traits to be a starter at linebacker at the NFL level. And you know what? If Denver believes that he can come in and develop within a year or two there, he might play right away going, you know, in a rotation world this year.

Starting point is 00:19:14 But the ideal projection could be going into 2027, 2028, There's not like a time rush on a player that you're taking a round four to have to start for you right away. If they could play valuable special teams reps, you know the Broncos, they'll milk it as much as they can with all the guys that they have, especially in those mid-rounds. Can these guys stay on and earn a spot on special teams and be a really good player? Absolutely. Look at J.L. Skinner since he's coming to the NFL. He's been a really great special teams player for Denver. Hasn't gotten on the field much defensively just yet.

Starting point is 00:19:44 But for some guys, special teams is the key to staying in the NFL for longevity here. Kishon Elliott has that plus the ability to be a potential future starter and captain for you defensively in the next handful of years. Broncos country, let us know your thoughts on the Kishon Elliott selection here on today's episode of the show. But coming up next, the Broncos with their other fourth round pick, we went with running back. We took Penn State, Nicholas Singleton, and what he's going to bring to the table as a guy who's got some explosiveness and some power behind his game, adding that to the mix alongside J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. Today's show is brought to you by friends over there at Quo. Spring is a natural reset point. And if there's one thing that can quietly cost businesses money, it's messy communication.

Starting point is 00:20:25 Missed calls, scattered text, no clear threat of who said what. That's why today's episode is brought to you by Quo, spelled QUO, the smarter way to run your business communications. Quo is the number one rated business phone system on G2 with over 3,000 reviews, trusted by more than 90,000 businesses, and let your entire team share one business number so you never miss a call, text, or an opportunity. The part I love, everything lives in one clean thread, calls, text, voicemails. The whole team sees the conversation, so nothing falls through the cracks and the AI summaries save serious time by logging calls and highlighting the next steps automatically. It just makes your business feel more organized and responses.

Starting point is 00:21:03 Make this the season, no opportunity and no customer slips away. Try quo free and get 20% off your first six months at quo.com slash locked on NFL. That's QUO.com slash locked on NFL quo. No miss calls, no miss customers. Nicholas Singleton lands with the Denver Broncos with their second fourth round pick in our final mock draft in the buildup for Thursday's big event. The Broncos not on the clock until Friday. And then they'll be on the clock several more times on Saturday as well.

Starting point is 00:21:34 We'll have you covered all week long here. Lockdown Broncos is in the buildup plus the aftermath, plus as the draft is ongoing. So a lot of bonus content coming your way here. We appreciate you so much here. Sir, let's talk about it. We were looking at this mock draft together initially in rounds two in the first pick in round number four. And we decided to go with tight-in linebacker. You know what?

Starting point is 00:21:53 Let's scratch the other edge. That is the running back position. Something that George and Sean have said since the NFL Combine, the NFL coaches meetings, that they're not afraid to add to this position that they could still be looking. We went with Nicholas Singleton running back out of Penn State as our option here with our second fourth round pick. Yeah. And I really like him. I've mentioned this on a number of previous draft episodes.

Starting point is 00:22:15 I just think that that five-star prospect, Cody, and I have to point this out because this is just my stupid sense of humor. So hopefully somebody else will think it's funny. But his high school that he went to in Pennsylvania was called Governor Mifflin. So, I mean, what the heck? If you're a fan of the office and there's a place out there's actually a, yeah, Dunder Mifflin. This guy played high school football at Dunder Mifflin.

Starting point is 00:22:38 No, but I mean, a five-star prospect, I remember when he was coming out. out. He was one of the top 10 players in the country. He was supposed to come into Penn State and be like the next version of Sequin Barclay. And obviously that didn't necessarily happen, right? When we look back at kind of what he accomplished there was an instant impact player. And I love this note about him, Cody. He is the only player in in the big 10th since Jonathan Taylor to rack up over 5,000 all purpose yards and 50 plus total touchdown. So when you talk about the last decade, I mean, That's a pretty good company to keep. And he is the type of talent that I just almost feel like looking at what he did at Penn State, barely scratched a thousand yards and two out of his four seasons. There was just at one point there was first round hype for this guy. At one point, everybody's saying like, hey, watch out for Nick Singleton when he gets to the NFL. Like he's going to be the next NFL guy coming from Penn State. And then he spends four years there.

Starting point is 00:23:38 I just think maybe he's getting overthought, if that's even a word. people are overthinking Nick Singleton a little bit, he brings all the traits to the table that this Broncos running back stable needs the most. Well, in combination with the size, he's very explosive as well. He's got what we call blue chip explosive speed. He's been clocked at 23.6 miles per hour. That's pretty damn fast, folks. But the thing is, is there's no official 40-yard dash on him just yet.

Starting point is 00:24:05 But the rumor is a 4.35 40-yard dash. So we'll see. But you can see that explosiveness to where if he can, could just hit that hole and get there, boom, he's gone. The Broncos need that type of guy, especially someone who can hit that in between the tackles, whereas the Broncos last year with RJ Harvey, they tried to stretch him out wide to see if he can get that explosiveness to the outside edge. Teams knew that, but you need a guy that can be a very, very good north-south runner that can get vertical quickly and that could be an explosive guy in space. You need that. And also, I think

Starting point is 00:24:35 he's got some power to him as well. You know, you can't squat over 500 pounds and lack power in the run game. So when guys try to tackle him at the ankles, he's got the ability there. And that's where you can look at maybe squat strength, squat wattage right there. What does that look like? How does that translate to the field? Well, when people are wrapped up around you, you know you have a low center gravity. You know you can keep your legs turning. You can keep going. You might be able to run through those tackles. Denver didn't have anybody necessarily like that last year. So I think you add him to the mix. He's not going to come in to be your starter at running back, but you're adding him to be into this rotation. And let's say

Starting point is 00:25:08 RJ Harvey eventually grows in to be in the starter for Denver down the road. Well, now those two guys could be your one two punch right here at the running back position. Nicholas Singleton to Denver here in the fourth round, I would not be opposed one bit if this was how things played out on Saturday for the Broncos. He's got the ability to return kicks as well, which is a huge plus in his favor, had a hundred yard kickoff return touchdown a couple of years ago. And so he's got the ability to bring that to the table,

Starting point is 00:25:35 which I think it's worth mentioning again because it's, It's an underrated thing to watch for in this draft is what the Broncos do to sort of supplement the kickoff return game because last year, I mean, they, I feel like we all expected them to be among the best teams at returning kicks. And it just didn't happen even with Marvin Mims out there. But then when Marvin starts getting hurt on kickoff returns, now you start to think to yourself, okay, now we got to figure out some alternative options here, not just to improve this, but also to potentially get him off of there if that ends up being a. a hindrance to our offense or our punt return game because he's also a huge asset there. So you need to get additional help in the kickoff return game. Nick Singleton can do that for you. And like Cody said, I mean, the explosiveness is there.

Starting point is 00:26:21 The power is there. The past catching ability is very much there. We're talking about a guy, again, a former five star prospect. Now, that doesn't always mean everything. The Broncos will go after the Quinn Miners, you know, types just as much as they go after the Pat Sertans. but the five-star thing is interesting because you see a guy who's a five-star who played four years at Penn State and stuck through, I think he was there during the transition of James Franklin and all these sorts of things.

Starting point is 00:26:50 So, I mean, there's a lot going on there that you find out about these guys. And George Payton does emphasize when he looks at these prospects, who are the guys who really love football? That's one thing that we're discovering through the NIL. And it's not just saying, okay, who's the most loyal to like North. Dakota State when the NIL money is there for it's not about that but there are things that you can glean from players who start to get money at the college level now that they're being paid to play especially big time prospects and guys like Nick Singleton who in the Penn State world of things Cody he's he's the man like he's one of the guys I'm sure he walks around

Starting point is 00:27:28 campus can't get from class to class without taking any pictures I mean that's the type of guy that he is he's stuck there for four years so I do think that's something that's meaningful to the Broncos when they're evaluating these guys coming out of the college level. He's almost got a career thousand yards receiving as well. So not only does he offer value in terms of the rushing department, the impact and the production is there, but also he's proven to be an effective pass catcher out of the backfield as well. That that overall versatility to be able to run to be able to receive, but also play special teams in the

Starting point is 00:27:57 return game. That maximizes the value here. And obviously, we all know, maybe there's going to be some questions about, you know, where's he at with this foot from what I have scene because he broke his foot at the NFL at the senior bowl. I think it was on day three of the senior ball. He broke his foot. I think he's medically cleared now. He should be ready to rock and roll. And we've heard the Broncos come out and say players who have injury histories or

Starting point is 00:28:21 are coming off an injury, they're not worried about that, especially when they get their hands on the medicals and they say where things are that, they believe in their sports performance there with Bo Lowry and their trainers, their athletic trainers that they have there. They feel like they can bring players who have had an injury, bring them back and they can come back stronger than ever. I mean, you can see that in-house with some of the guys that Denver has on their own active roster as is. So I'm not opposed to that. I think this would be a great pick here for the Broncos.

Starting point is 00:28:44 And really, when we were looking at the list of names, I know there wasn't anybody else that we were kind of looking for in this situation here. Nicholas Singleton was the one guy. We're like, all right, hey, if we're going to go with a running back, it's going to be this guy. It's not going to be anybody else or else. We would have pivoted to another position. I would be fine if the Broncos top three picks here in this year's draft, obviously this week on Friday. on Saturday end up being Max Claire, Kishon Elliott, and Nicholas Singleton. I feel like, like, PFN gave us a C minus grade.

Starting point is 00:29:12 I don't give a damn about what they grade that. Sean Payton doesn't care about your dang grades. Neither do we. I feel like this is a pretty solid draft for the top three picks. It's a really good draft. I mean, at least in my opinion. And I think that what we're trying to do with these thought exercises, because I know that last year there was some talk of like, hey, like you guys got all

Starting point is 00:29:32 your picks in the mock draft wrong. And it's like, well, these. Mockdrast are they function as, you know, thought exercises as much as anybody else. I mean, nobody last year was talking about RJ Harvey. Nobody was talking about Pat Bryant. So I think what we've tried to do this year is really take a look at different players for the most part with all these different scenarios. And yeah, we've maybe developed some favorites. Like, you know, Cody loves Jacob Rodriguez and I love my Hawkeyes guys.

Starting point is 00:29:59 And so there are guys that we would love to see maybe even a little bit more than others. but at the same time, like when we're looking at these exercises, there's so many different ways the Broncos can go and have a great draft. They could go offensive line with that second round pick and build a great draft class out of it. So it really feels like George Payton, Sean Payton, they're entering this week with so many different scenarios that could be a huge win for this team for the long run. And that's what feels great, especially knowing that you're going into Thursday night with Jalen Waddle already on the roster.

Starting point is 00:30:34 You know, and that's the thing. I think that's the perspective Broncos country has to realize, hey, Denver's first round pick, Jaylon Waddle, I'm sold. I'm happy about that. I think he's going to be a great addition here to Denver's offense. I am going to be very curious, though,

Starting point is 00:30:46 Sarah, to see how the rest of the round one kind of plays out. And obviously Friday's episode is Denver's going into their first pick of the NFL draft that day. I'm wondering how round one's going to determine maybe what Denver does a little bit early on or even in some of the other instances, you know, for other teams there from, I'd say what, picks 33 to about 45.

Starting point is 00:31:05 What players go in that range and how that influences. Maybe Denver's weariness, they're at 62, but I wouldn't expect them to move up. But you know what? This is what mock draft simulations are for folks. It's a thought exercise. It's to look at every potential option. If we get them right, that's great. But we don't care about getting them right in this situation.

Starting point is 00:31:23 We're giving you every player. We're telling you about them at the same exact time. So that way, if it happens, maybe you go into it with a little bit more knowledge than you did beforehand here. But with that said, Broncos Country had a wrap up today's episode of the show. Just a quick reminder, join the everyday club. If you haven't done so already, it's in the show notes down below, or you can check it out

Starting point is 00:31:39 lockdownbroncos.supercast.com. You get access to our Discord where you can talk with other members of our Broncos country community here in the lockdown network, the number one sports podcast network in the country. Sarah and I, we're going to have you covered for another episode tomorrow as the Broncos continue their buildup to the NFL draft.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - FINAL MOCK DRAFT: Denver Broncos Take Ohio State TE Max Klare at 62nd Overall

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.