Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - MOCK DRAFT: Denver Broncos SECURE Mizzou PLAYMAKER Luther Burden For Bo Nix

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos snaggy playmaker at wide receiver and our latest mock draft Monday to pair alongside Bow Nix as he goes into year. Number two, we'll tell you why this benefits the Broncos offense in a big way 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. Broncos country, what's happening? Welcome into another episode of Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. part of the Lockdown Podcast Network where you know it is your team every day for all your Broncos news,

Starting point is 00:00:40 content coverage, analysis more every single day all year long. Broncos Country, this is the place to be a special shout out to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thank you so much for tuning in making us your first listen. However you choose to do so, and if you're not yet in every dayer, become one. It's super simple. All you got to do is hit that follow or that subscribe button wherever you get your podcast. And you're going to stay up to date on everything happening with your favorite. team. I'm Cody Roark, Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. You can check out my written work over there,

Starting point is 00:01:09 Mile Highsports.com. I'm joined as always by my good friend. Obviously, co-host, Sarah Bedinger, the longtime site expert over there at predominantly orange.com where you can check out his written work on the daily here. And look, Broncos country, you know what it is. It's Monday. That means mock draft Monday is here. And the Broncos, they focused all on offense in our latest three-round mock draft that we did over there using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator. We're going to break it all down here today. We're going to talk about why we didn't take a defensive position in the first three rounds of this year's upcoming draft. We'll also talk about why the Broncos found a nice little running back, a little sweet spot in there in round number two. But we're going to kick

Starting point is 00:01:46 things off by talking about the Bronco snagging a playmaker here in round one, giving Bo Nix a weapon at wide receiver that can transform the Broncos offense in 2025. You can get all here on today's episode show. So Sarah, let's kick it off. Obviously, mock draft Monday. We've been very big on the a Mecca, Ibuka train here for the Broncos, but in the sense of giving some difference, you know, giving Broncos country some different options here. We went with the wide receiver out of the University of Missouri. My alumni there, right, Luther Burden, the third wearing orange and blue in our latest mock draft. Let's talk about it.

Starting point is 00:02:20 Well, Cody, it seems like whether we're talking about the John L.A. regime or the George Peyton regime, the Broncos have had a pretty significant, you know, representation at Missouri in terms of their scouting department going there. feeling really good because last year, remember, they took Chris Abrams drain out of Missouri as well and getting hands on scouting from last year. I think the Broncos will have liked Luther Burden, the wide receiver for a long, long time, especially if you look back at his 2023 game tape, Cody, I feel like he would have been a clear top 10 draft pick if he had been in last year's draft. Now, this year, different story. Shaky quarterback play, you know, battling through some

Starting point is 00:02:58 inconsistencies on the big stage. That was tough for Lou. Luther Burden this year. But the traits are still there. Former five-star prospect. Interesting factoid that I found out about Luther Burden and Cody, he's one of 10 children and he has nine sisters. That's crazy to me. But look, if you can survive that, you could survive anything. I had no sisters. I had only brothers. But look, from people that I know who had all sisters, it's a tough, tough game to play. So, but in all seriousness, Luther Burden, he has all those traits that you look for at the wide receiver position, right? He's got strong, soft hands. He can get open in a variety of different ways. He's a playmaker after the catch, and he's dominant

Starting point is 00:03:39 at the catch point. Why is he not being considered a top tier wide receiver in this draft? I think it's largely due to the inconsistent production this past season, Cody, and I feel like a lot of Broncos country really likes his potential fit there with that 20th overall pick. And our good friend Mike Cliss, he just reported over the weekend that the Broncos, has had Luther Burden in for a top 30 visit. Yeah, and look, here's the thing. Like some, we're always in the timeline, right? When the draft comes around, you always see player comps, right?

Starting point is 00:04:08 And a lot of people are comping a guy like Luther Burden, like Debo, Samuel, in a sense. And I think when you look at it in this context, K. Luther Burden, he's five foot 11. So he's, he's one inch taller than me at this point. But he's 205 pounds, right? And when you look at the Broncos roster as is, as we know, Sean Payton, his kind of preference is sizable wide receivers. But you can't just have size. You have to have some speed. That's why they also have a guy like Marvin Mims, who is also 511 like Luther Burtain,

Starting point is 00:04:36 but he's 177 pounds. So there's a weight differential there. And obviously like a bulk and muscle mass differential, Marvin Mims game is speed where I think Luther Burdens speed is more so dominating. As you mentioned, after the catch, he can go out there and make a play through contact. Like the thing I like about Luther Burden, you know, he's a competitive guy. And one thing I asked Chris Abrams drain, obviously throughout the season last year, you know, staying on top of what's going on with Missouri.

Starting point is 00:05:03 He says, you know, one thing about Luther Burden, the guy's ultra competitive. He's one of the toughest guys to cover because he doesn't really showcase anything in his release or pre-snap that gives an indication as to what type of route he's running. But he's also the type of guy that loves to be able to finish through contact. And also can make some guys miss here or there. He doesn't have blazing speed by any means, but he's also a guy that can hurt you, hurt opposing defenses across the middle of the field, which, to be honest with you, that seems like an area, Sean Payton wants the Broncos, their offensive production to be better at

Starting point is 00:05:33 attacking the middle of the field out of two high shell looks that we're now seeing from NFL defenses across the board. You get a guy like Evan Ingram, that's great. Now, my question here to you, Sarah, in terms of how you can make the Broncos offense better, especially for Bonix going into year number two, in what ways, consider we know Cortland Sutton is wide receiver one here, considering they love Marvin Mims, Devon Bailey, Troy Franklin, and you're going to have a big role. How does he have an impact in some of the key areas, like third down or even in the red zone? Well, he's a chain mover.

Starting point is 00:06:03 I mean, you watch him play and he works well from the slot. He works well on the outside. I think to me, he's ideally going to be lining up in the slot at the next level, Cody, where his physicality and sort of ball dominance really comes through. Obviously, just watch a handful of games over the course of this, this year's NFL draft prep and things like that. but where Luther burden to me shines is the versatility of skill set within that, you know,

Starting point is 00:06:31 that slot spots that he could play. And it's not like he's not Ladd McConkey in that he's just like got these, you know, shifty moves out there where he can break ankles and get open really quickly. What he does is gets open in such a variety of different ways that it keeps defenders on their heels every time he's trying to get a release. And so what I really love about him is that ability to be that. that what Sean Payton said with that triangle you were referencing,

Starting point is 00:06:58 where you have the tight end, you have a running back, who can catch passes, and then you have a third wide receiver or the guy that's playing in the slot who can affect the middle of the field, he's going to make those tough plays. He wants to make those tough plays. He wants to get the ball in traffic, and he wants to break tackles after he's made the tough catch.

Starting point is 00:07:15 So that to me is where I think that you get to overthinking guys a lot in the NFL draft process to where you convince yourself, enough people are saying he's not a first round pick anymore. So is he really a first round pick or can you get him in the second? I think Luther Burden has been a first round guy for the majority of this process. And yeah, you got to listen to maybe what the majority of teams are doing, but it only takes one to make a guy a first round pick. And I think for the Denver Broncos,

Starting point is 00:07:44 he's kind of exactly what they need in that same vein of Emeka and Bucca as being able to play in the slot and outside. Well, and I think it's a lot of how you use it. guy as well. I mean, in Missouri last year, you could take, you touched on it. Luther Burden's numbers from a production standpoint, they dipped over the course of 12 games. He had 61 catches for 6776 yards. That equates to around 11.1 yards per reception. He still had six touchdowns on the year, but they also used him in some ways, you know, some jet motion. They got him the ball out there in space, right? He had nine rushing attempts for 115 yards and two

Starting point is 00:08:18 touchdowns last season in that role. But, you know, we're also at a very critical juncture here. When you look at trying to figure out what you need for your team, it's like, okay, what does the data tell us? Well, 2024, if you look at just strictly the box score, right, you look at his stats, it doesn't tell the full pictures. You mentioned quarterback ups and downs, offensive ups and downs. I mean, there was one game I watched in Missouri last year where their offense had a couple of big plays and then they got hosed.

Starting point is 00:08:43 They got, you know, I think one of the things was, I think Luther Burden in one game got called for a really bad offensive pass interference call that was not that. and it got pulled back. And then I think they had a turnover on one of the next plays. I think he scored on that play initially. They called it back there. But I mean, this is a guy that's like, okay, what do we trust in our evaluation? Are you bringing him in to be wide receiver one?

Starting point is 00:09:04 No, you're not like right now with the Broncos in our line of thinking of them going and taking a wide receiver like a burden or like an Emeka, Egbuka in round number one. It's not to be wide receiver one. It's to be that wide receiver two. Now the difference between a Bucca and obviously a guy like Luther Burden, Burden was the featured guy primarily at Missouri, whereas Egbuka wasn't necessarily the featured guy. He was a role player. He played like a wide receiver two role there amongst a handful of really good wide receivers,

Starting point is 00:09:34 and he's still produced at a high level. So he's already accustomed to that role, whereas I think you see some of the draft critiques. And I don't know how much validity there is to this, because this is smokescreen season, right? You see some bad information getting put out there to potentially take a prospect's draft, you know, where he may stand in terms of how teams view him. A lot of people said, you know, he's got diva traits to him. And, you know, he's got, you know, if he's not getting the football, he makes it very well known. And some people say he's extraordinary on Saturday, but he's ordinary on Monday through Friday.

Starting point is 00:10:05 How much of this is true? I don't think we'll ever know. But that's why John Payton, that's why the coaching staff at the Combine, they sit down and they interview these guys. They bring them in for a visit. They have a chance to meet even further on that. I'm very curious to see what kind of gets brought out of that. But I'm all aboard the Broncos taking a wide receiver initiative. year's NFL draft. That's where we went in round number one of our mock draft in

Starting point is 00:10:25 Broncos country. We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on Luther Burden wearing an orange and blue jersey? The Broncos tapping into that Missouri pipeline here. Once again, is there another pick that maybe you would have made in round one? Make sure you let us know here. We're not done, Broncos country. The offense was the theme here of mock draft Monday in the Broncos. They got a running back that has a wide variety of tools in his arsenal. That could help the Broncos offense be efficient on third down. And also in the Reds We'll highlight that pick and much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode Lockdown Broncos is brought to our friends over there at TurboTax.

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Starting point is 00:12:04 draft, but where, when, who's it going to be? There's a lot of backs in this class. Could it be in the second round like we've got in our mock draft today? Well, Broncos country, there's lots of options and you're going to want to be subscribed to lockdown Broncos if you're not already because we're going to be breaking down every selection in the 2025 NFL draft, which is just over two weeks away at this point. And I think we can all agree that the Broncos, they need a running back, maybe more than anything in this draft.

Starting point is 00:12:31 And whoever they select is going to be a fascinating pick because of that fact, Cody, because of the fact that they need a running back so desperately, whoever they emerge from this draft class is, we're going to know how highly this team thinks of that particular prospect. And so with that, I want to throw it to you, the second round pick for the Denver Broncos here in this mock draft. We got them taking our running back out of, We took Mizzou in round one to honor your alma mater.

Starting point is 00:12:58 I did not go to Iowa, Cody, but we got us a Hawkeye here in round two. I know you love your Hawkeyes, man. So we're going obviously with Caleb Johnson running back out of Iowa. Make sure you check out Lockdown Hotkeyes. We'll get some insight from some of our draft experts and obviously our college experts who cover teams here on the Lockdown Podcast Network as the buildup for the draft continues to happen here in obviously in the next couple of weeks. It's going to be a fun time here.

Starting point is 00:13:22 But for Caleb Johnson, I mean, Sarah, it's interesting when you talk about running back because I think a lot of people are wondering what type of back are the Broncos looking for and it has been reported out there. And George Payton has said this. He's told our good friend Mike Clist, this obviously had an interview with sit down at the combine that they want to find a three down back. Now that doesn't necessarily mean the Broncos are going to go into this year's draft and say if this guy's a three down back, we're going to draft him.

Starting point is 00:13:48 Ideally, they would love to find a guy that. But I think a lot of people are missing out on the fact that the Broncos have stated that they really love the four running backs they have on their team right now. And I can tell you this with 100% certainty that inside that building, Sean Payton the Broncos, they're hopeful that Adrick Estimate can emerge and be that favorite to be that third down back. And then everything else opens up.

Starting point is 00:14:09 I think there's going to be a lot of competition at this position. We know they're going to take it back in the draft. So for us in round number two, taking Caleb Johnson, very interesting stare because, you know, he's a little bit taller than your standard back. But man,

Starting point is 00:14:21 this is a guy who's got explosive traits. You watched a ton of eye. Iowa games. And obviously, Iowa, they're well known for their defense, but Caleb Johnson, he was their offense for the Hawkeyes for the last, you know, I would say what was it? Their last 12 games that they played and even a little bit down the stretch here a couple years ago when he really started to emerge. How did he go from obviously his freshman year, where only had 700 something yards, you know, coming in there? He had a step back the next year, his sophomore year, but then in year number three last year as a senior, 1500 yards. And I'd say

Starting point is 00:14:52 overall a handful of touches and production offensively per game for him, not only just as a rusher, but also as a receiver. Yeah, if not for Ashton Genty this past year, we would have been talking about Caleb Johnson as having arguably the best year of any running back in college football. He was just outstanding. And I think it's a really a mentality shift for those running backs at Iowa when you become the featured guy, right? Because you know, if you're running back committing to the Hawkeyes, you know you're going to get

Starting point is 00:15:21 action back there. You know you're going to get handed the ball because they don't throw well at all. And that also means that if you're running back, you're not necessarily getting utilized out of the backfield properly in a consistent basis because there's no real threat to throw the ball downfield. So teams are keying in every single week on a guy like Caleb Johnson. I think that takes a mental toughness and fortitude for him to know that when you look at his yards per carry average, Cody, I think a lot of folks will immediately,

Starting point is 00:15:52 kind of write that off, even though it's still pretty good, but you'll write it off compared to certain guys who are averaging six, seven, eight yards of carry in this draft because, well, I mean, shoot, this guy must not be explosive. You look at the yards per carry average. It's not great. That's not the case. The situation here is that he's facing an eight-man box, almost every single snap that he's playing out there. And he's still getting the ball and he's still being productive. He's still moving the chains, getting the ball into the end zone. So for my money, If you can get Caleb Johnson in round two versus, I mean, Trevion Henderson in round one,

Starting point is 00:16:28 I think that's like those two scenarios are like the dreams, right? Especially if you can get like Trayvion in round two as well, Cody. But to me, if you can get either one of these guys at either juncture, and I wouldn't even be shocked. I heard somebody say today that the over under,

Starting point is 00:16:44 they asked an NFL personnel man for over under two and a half running backs in round one of the 2025 draft, that executive said they're smashing the over right now. So I wouldn't be surprised if Caleb Johnson enters that discussion at some point. Well, I mean, obviously you saw an uptick and overall touches 240 rushing attempts last season, 1,500 yards, 21 touchdowns. I mean, Sarah, like I said, he was the offense there for Iowa, 22 catches out of the backfield, a buck 88, two touchdowns receiving there.

Starting point is 00:17:15 You know, also has, you know, in his history at Iowa and his three years there, has the ability to play the return option, which I mean, right now kind of at least seems open. I have part of me wonders here if the Broncos are looking to add one of those running backs, you know, in some competition there. Like if Johnson is added as we took him in this mock draft, if he's added to the mix there with guys like Blake Watson, Tyler Badey, is there going to be a competition in training camp to see who maybe can return next to Marvin Mims this upcoming season?

Starting point is 00:17:41 As the kick return option, as we know, that has obviously led to some more opportunities made for Marvin to go off. But like if teams want to kick away from Marvin and they want to kick it to the other guy, you have to have another guy back there. So I'd be very curious to see how a guy like Caleb Johnson fits in the mix here. You watched more Iowa games than I did. Pass protection obviously is a talking point that people are talking about when you're looking to replace what Javante Williams did really well in the offense at the tailback position. How does he stand up here in past protection? I think he's good.

Starting point is 00:18:11 I think he'll be able to be utilized in that way right away in the NFL. He's got that big body, you know, six foot, 220. He looks like the quintessential, like late 90s, early 2000s running back. I mean, I think I've mentioned before he was made in a Shanahan Kubiak factory, basically. He's got that size to him, and he's going to be able to stick his nose in there right away. Again, Iowa not throwing the ball a ton, but they play a pro style offense still. So, I mean, that's the caveat to all this is that, yes, they run the ball ad nauseum. You know, they run the ball as much as about, you know, Georgia Tech or whatever, running the

Starting point is 00:18:49 triple option, but they don't run the triple option. They run a more pro-style attack very much in the, you know, the old New England style of doing things. And so I think that'll translate well with what Sean Peyton wants his guys to do. You have to know a lot of stuff to be able to play and start for Kirk Ferrence for a number of years. And so Caleb Johnson earning that trust. And I think that that's a huge notch on his belt to be able to have been the face

Starting point is 00:19:15 of that offense, even though it wasn't a great offense, for you to be able to produce like that in in those circumstances is rather impressive and so i think as a three down back he has untapped potential especially as a receiver we saw against nebraska you know our good friend cameron and i text back and forth every Nebraska iowa game because he's a big Nebraska guy and i shut that game off because i'm like i'm gonna watch i can't remember what show i was watching but i'm like i'm going to watch the show instead and uh he's like texting me Caleb johnson's not getting anything they're not giving him anything given him not giving him anything all of a sudden the dude busts out the clip that's been circulating around the internet.

Starting point is 00:19:52 When it comes to his past catching abilities, catches the ball on the right sideline, takes it up field for like 80 yards or whatever it was. I mean, he's just explosive and has untapped potential there. So I think he's going to play a lot faster than he timed. Yeah, they don't win that game if he doesn't have that because obviously,

Starting point is 00:20:08 you know, Iowa hung on to that 13 to 10 over Nebraska. And you mentioned the ground game, 17 carries that game for 45 yards. Nebraska's defense was hell bent on St. we're going to stop Caleb Johnson. We're focusing our efforts on this, which is crazy. I mean, you mentioned the amount of stack boxes that he's had.

Starting point is 00:20:26 I'm looking at his game production log here. I mean, he had one, two, three, four games in a row to start the season of over a hundred plus yards. One of those games against Minnesota on the road, he had 21 carries for 206 yards in that game and three touchdowns there overall. And then his next best game there obviously came against Washington where they won that one, 40 to 16, 21 carries a buck, 66 and three touchdowns in that game. This is a guy who I think can produce it. And the NFL level, you're going to see eight-man boxes. You're going to see dynamic

Starting point is 00:20:57 blitzes. He's got the physicality, I think, will thrive. And if the Broncos can find a way to get him into the scheme, I'm very curious to see how Sean Peyton would plan to utilize him here. But Broncos, country, want to know your thoughts on us, taking Caleb Johnson in round two here on mock draft Monday here on

Starting point is 00:21:13 Broncos. But coming up next, we're going to discuss the other offensive position that the Broncos take. We ignore defense. Defense is pretty rock-solid for Denver, but we took a tight end out of Miami for Bull Nicks and the Denver Broncos. But what does this mean pairing him alongside a guy like Evan Ingram? We'll talk about that much more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. Today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by our friends over there at Monarch Money. And, Sarah, you ever check your bank account and wonder, where did all my money go?

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Starting point is 00:22:47 That's monarchmoney.com. and the code locked on NFL for half off your first year. The fourth quarter action of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is here. And we believe the value here for Denver in this year's NFL draft is really going to be their first three picks inside the top 100. Can you make the most hay there when you already have a strong defense? And we have offensive pieces already around Bo Nix that are thriving. You have an offensive line that's intact. But how can you make Bo Nicks better?

Starting point is 00:23:17 You go out there and you get them weapons. We've already taken a wide receiver who could be a. playmaker in round number one. We've taken a running back who's got the capability of being a three down back here for the Broncos and Caleb Johnson in round two. Round number three, Sarah, we went with the trend here of getting that triangle as Sean Payton talks about a tight end, Miami tight end, Elijah Arroyo in round number three. Your thoughts on obviously why we decided to go with this pick.

Starting point is 00:23:44 There were several other tight-in options available. I know there were Terrence Ferguson. He was an option there. Gunner Helm was available. But we decided to go with this direction here. of a royal. What trace does he bring to the table that pair well with Bo Nix, but also alongside Evan Ingram, who was signed to be the Joker here in Free Agency? Well, I think first of all, you got to look at Sean Peyton's history with Miami guys.

Starting point is 00:24:05 I know you don't scout the helmet, obviously, but he had Jeremy Shockey back in the day when he was with the Giants and Saints. That worked out pretty well for him. Mix tape Shockey. Mix tape Shockey. The dude was ahead of his time. There's no question about it. He was awesome. So much fun to watch. Jimmy Graham, of course, with the New Orleans Saints as well, coming from Miami as well. So you can't help but wonder, does Sean Payton want to dip back into that talent pool again and see if he can strike gold for a third time? I don't know that there's necessarily anything to that, but it's an interesting potential, you know, storyline to monitor. But we talk about that triangle. You talk about the tight end position and it's importance.

Starting point is 00:24:44 We know Evan Ingram, he signed a two-year deal. And that's not forever. And you want to make sure that you are equipped because, well, Evan Ingram has missed a lot of games, right? And if he misses any games this year, the Broncos don't really have anything beyond him to go out there and be that past catching option. Yes, Lucas Crowell came back. Yes, you saw Adam Troutman and Nate Adkins,

Starting point is 00:25:06 but nobody like Elijah Arroyo, who is extremely athletic. He finally got the chance this past year after dealing with knee injuries, his first two years at the U, finally got the chance to really blossom with Cam Ward, the potential and probably not even potential anymore, Cody. He sounds like he's going to be the number one overall pick to the Titans. He really blossomed with him at the quarterback position, showing off after the catch abilities. Every time I would watch Cam Ward, because you always watch the intriguing guys for the draft,

Starting point is 00:25:36 right, when it comes to quarterback. Every time I turn on Cam Ward, I'm like, who the heck is number eight? Who the heck is this guy out there? And it's, I mean, Arroyo is good. He's got some chops. I think he's just beginning to scratch the surface. So would this be a little bit more of a risky pick for the Broncos, considering obviously the previous injury history,

Starting point is 00:25:56 like I said, he played in 12 games his freshman year, played in five games, obviously his sophomore year. He played in six games, you know, kind of continuing on to another sophomore year there, a little bit of an asteros on that,

Starting point is 00:26:06 but obviously a senior year, I mean, he played in all 13 games, which is what you're hoping for, right? He's got good size of 6 foot 4, 235 pounds. I imagine it'll probably be 235, maybe 225 for where the Broncos might play him along if this is obviously a selection air.

Starting point is 00:26:21 But I mean, you talk about it, 16.9 yards per catch. What was it that he necessarily brought to the table for that Miami offense? Obviously, had a playmaker at the quarterback position. It's going to, as you said, go number one overall. But they also had a handful of wide receivers that could also produce. So he was another guy that came out and played big here for them this past season. 100%. He's got that, you know, dominant after the catch mentality, which I think,

Starting point is 00:26:46 becomes a theme for me when I'm looking at NFL draft guys, Cody, because we know that Sean Peyton likes to get the ball out as quickly as possible. This is something that, hey, this guy, he catches the ball, he's got soft hands. He can do all those different things. But really, when it comes to making plays after the catch, I think that that's where he really shined, in my opinion. And so it's not every single time he catches the ball. He's got that vertical field stretching ability as well. But he just, you get the feel that. You get the feel that. he's he's not wanting to go down immediately. And so I really like that about his game.

Starting point is 00:27:21 I feel like that translates to the next level. And I do think there's some inherent risk involved. And that's why you maybe get him here in round three. You could also consider, you know, Harold Fan and who's, I believe, coming to Denver for a visit as well. He had a chat with Kay Adams and she gave him the pointer like, hey, when you meet Sean Peyton, have all football stuff in your backpack. I thought that was kind of funny. But so I like that.

Starting point is 00:27:43 but I want to just quickly say with the defense stuff, like the Broncos have spent so much money on the defensive side of the ball that it really does make sense to go heavy offensively. That doesn't mean, hey, the right guy falls to you defensively on the defensive line or linebacker, whatever, go ahead and take them.

Starting point is 00:28:01 But I don't think you necessarily need to like force balance in this kind of draft because you've spent so much money already on the defensive side of the ball. I think it's just trying to figure out, you know, how do you balance it, right? Because eventually, you know, you have one of the highest paid defenses in all of football. So now obviously your defense was one of the top units last year. But the offense has to catch up at some point, right?

Starting point is 00:28:24 While you have that window of these guys who are on these big deals, we anticipate Nick Benito, Zach Allen, probably going to get some big deals here very soon for the Broncos. Could JFM be in that conversation? We've discussed that here on the show in the last week or so. But, you know, now this is where it's like, all right, hey, while you have one of the highest paid defenses is that on paper, if they stay healthy, they're going to be very good. can you take all these young pieces who are on rookie deals and maximize your offense and your production with bone mix, right? Because eventually you may lose some of your defensive guys. That may not be your

Starting point is 00:28:52 strength anymore over time, but you're hoping that your young guys can develop to where your offense eventually becomes the team's strength. So that's the balance. That's the gamble that every NFL team has to play with. So I see the reasoning for that. And honestly, I think you and I are on the same board here. I think a lot of people in Broncos country are as well. I would not be upset if the Broncos took an offensive player with their first four picks in this year's NFL draft. Why not load up on the offense an area that has to be better, that can be better, and that showcase signs of growing, but the defense has been your bread and butter, obviously this last year.

Starting point is 00:29:25 We expect them to be the dominant factor here once again. Now can your offense catch up to that a little bit? I think that's the game the Broncos are trying to play here. You know, going back to Arroyo as well, like, you know, he's played against some good competition. Their season opener against Florida, they won that 141, 7. He had four catches, 89 yards. Kind of interesting against Florida State.

Starting point is 00:29:44 He didn't have a lot of production in the past game. He had two catches for 24 yards. But he did have a seven-yard passing touchdown in that game. And then obviously they lost to Iowa State and obviously a bowl game, 42 to 41. He had four catches, 64 yards. The overall statistics there don't showcase that. But when you watch the tape of him, his size is evident. His ability to box out smaller defenders is there.

Starting point is 00:30:07 You don't need him to be a game-breaking guy. that has this ridiculous speed, but you just need him. Can he be a possession guy for you? Can he be a consistent chain mover? That's where I think we have to analyze maybe what the Broncos could be looking for at the tight end position. So, Sarah, I think that this was a great mock draft. Obviously, here on mock draft Monday, but we're going to leave it up to our friends

Starting point is 00:30:27 and family out there in Broncos country. Make sure you let us know your thoughts on our mock draft Monday. Next week's is going to be a big one as well because we're going to choose another Broncos fans mock draft. You get to submit it. We'll pick the best one and we'll feature it here and share our thoughts on your mock draft here on lockdown Broncos. But what they say, Broncos country, that'll wrap up today's episode of the show for you. Every dayers tomorrow's episode.

Starting point is 00:30:51 We're talking about one of the Broncos's most underrated defensive players that they have who just signed it his exclusive rights, tender. Dondray Tillman. We did a film breakdown on him. We looked at it and we said, you know what? This guy was better than we thought. We'll tell you exactly what he's going to bring to the table here for the Broncos defense in his second season, in the NFL on tomorrow's episode, Lockdown Broncos.

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