Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - VISION: Denver Broncos RB Jonah Coleman Could REPLACE Tyler Badie's Role in 2026

Starting point is 00:00:00 Denver Broncos rookie running back, Jonah Coleman, might have the perfect role carved out for himself in year one inside of Sean Payton's offense. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happened in Broncos country? I'm Cody Roark, joined as always by Sarah Beninger. On today's episode of the show, we're going to be taking a look at the Broncos offensive rookies from the 2026 NFL draft and maybe projecting and creating scenarios what their roles might be like as. rookies this upcoming season. We're going to go through Justin Jolie and his potential impact inside the tight-in room, how he can learn from Evan Ingram this upcoming season while getting some rotational reps. And on top of that, the Broncos interior offensive line with Ben Powers set to depart in the near future. Could Cage Casey be a potential future starter at left guard for Denver? We're going to kick things off by talking about Jonah Coleman, one of the Broncos' biggest swings at the running back position, getting a guy who's got true power to his style and the impact he might be able to have in the rotation. as a rookie. Sarah, I mean, obviously, you did the reaction show after the Broncos selected Jonah Coleman in Saturday's version of the NFL draft here. Obviously, a player that you have

Starting point is 00:01:15 highlighted on several bonus shows here. We've done several mock drafts. We like the fit. We feel like he's the ideal fit here for Sean Peyton. Now, I think a lot of people are wondering, considering that Denver has brought this entire running back room from last year back into the mix of this upcoming season, a lot of guys on one-year deals. J.K. was the exception. A two-year deal. J Harvey and then you have a couple of guys on your practice squad, Cody Schrader and Deuce Vaughn. Denver adding a guy like Jonah Coleman to the mix, I think kind of paints one person's role specifically into question this upcoming season. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:01:49 I think he's going to take Tyler Badegh's role right away for the Denver Broncos. And we know from last season that Tyler Badee came in in a number of different specific instances. He wasn't just the third downback. He was the two minute back. He was somebody who, hey, when we're trying to go hurry up and. Maybe we want to keep defenses off balance. You know, we're going to bring him into the mix because he's one of our more trusted guys in pass pro.

Starting point is 00:02:12 He's somebody we know we can dump the ball off too because Tyler Badegh, for, you know, as much as we talk about, hey, how quickly can the Broncos replace him? I think he was third in the NFL last year and yards per reception after. I can't remember exactly the stat, Cody, but he's up there. I know it's a small sample size for him, but ultimately just figure that the Broncos telegraphed too much when Tyler Bade was on the field. he didn't offer exactly what this team needed in the depth department as a running back, certainly could do all the things as a pass catcher, you know, trustworthy and pass protection, but that's where Jonah Coleman comes into the mix. He's a bigger back.

Starting point is 00:02:47 He's obviously just as good in past protection. We'll see how he does at the NFL level, right? But he can offer you those same things in the passing game. And then, I mean, we saw at Washington. He is an absolute stud in the running game. I think so much has been made of his past protection abilities, his, you know, obviously what he brings to the table as a receiver, that not enough is getting made of how good he is as a running back.

Starting point is 00:03:10 I mean, he was one of the best in the, you know, entire country in terms of yards after contact and breaking tackles, making guys miss. So he is a very good overall running back, which when you figure that into Tyler Bade's role from last year, it can help keep defenses off balance because you're not telegraphing, hey, when this guy's on the field, we're throwing the ball. Exactly. And now, and that's the biggest key right there, right?

Starting point is 00:03:32 because you mentioned when Badee's in, everyone knows, hey, it's a pass play. They're not running the football with Badey, whereas Jonah Coleman, he is that guy. If it's third and short, you can hand him the ball. He's going to get one yards. Like that's the thing that the Broncos, in my opinion, Sarah, have needed it running back. They've got speed with R.J. Harvey. J.K. Dobbins has kind of like this finesse combination of underrated power. And I would say underrated speed as well, but he's not a burner.

Starting point is 00:03:55 The Broncos don't necessarily need a burner in today's game. I don't think that style is sustainable in today's game. can you win in the trenches? The thing I like about Jonah Coleman, when we jumped on a conference call with him right after he was drafted, he said, when I was a freshman, my coach said, hey, if you ever want to stay on the field, you have to be able to pick up a blitz. And so he says he embraces doing that dirty work. He says, I do the work that not a lot of people pay attention to or talk about.

Starting point is 00:04:23 He's a thumper. He called himself, you know, thumping, running style of back here. And he believes that with he, J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey, he feels like you have a three-headed Moncier. That's what he said to us. That's kind of, I think, the vision that maybe Denver has painted for him. But I think that third down back roll, Sarah, is definitely where we could see him kind of come in. But here's also another thing about Jonah Coleman that I don't think a lot of people are talking about. George Peyton and the Broncos themselves, even Reed Burckhard, assistant GM. They said this stylistically. A lot of people are comparing how he runs or to J.K. Dobbins.

Starting point is 00:04:56 So here's what you and I were talking about in the buildup this offseason when we were going through potential free agent running backs or even if they address it in the NFL draft. What do they need? We said, well, hey, if JK Dobbins goes down with an injury, what do you have? Because it really changed RJ Harvey's role entirely. Now you have a guy that if something were to happen to JK, Jonah Coleman can step into that role. And I think the Broncos would put him in that role.

Starting point is 00:05:19 That's very much what they say is the fit there. And it allows RJ to stay in that kind of hybrid Joker style of role that Sean Payton likes versus thrusting him into being this all around everything. back that unfortunately had to become after JK's injury last year. And even using a second round selection on RJ Harvey, Cody, I don't think that anybody should be under the illusion that he's meant to be like a 30 touch per game guy.

Starting point is 00:05:43 Like you invested a second round pick in him. Think of it in terms of if you invest a second round pick in a wide receiver. You're not giving that guy 20 targets a game just because he was a second round pick. Like RJ Harvey Harvey can be a higher volume player, but he's not necessarily been picked to. be a, oh my gosh, this guy's getting the ball every single time, you know, he's on the field. That's not necessarily what you're doing. Like you said, you want him to be in that Joker role where he can affect defenses with his past catching abilities, which he 100% did. Cody, I found the

Starting point is 00:06:14 stat that I was talking about earlier when it comes to yak per reception. That was what I was thinking of with Tyler Badee. He had 11.1 yards after the catch per reception, which was one of the top 15 in the NFL. But when you hide all the non-qualifiers, guess who was up there near the top as well. That'd be RJ Harvey, number 22 in the entire NFL in terms of yak per reception. So you want him to do what he does best when he's on the field and you don't have to filter your running game through him. You can, once again, deception. When he's on the field, teams might even be thinking you're going to pass the ball, which helps RJ Harvey because then you might have a lighter box and you might have opportunities for him to bust off those big runs that he's so good at.

Starting point is 00:06:53 So I think Jonah Coleman helps everybody in this mix, especially because like we discussed, the Broncos even compared his running style to that of J.K. Dobbins. And so if you're looking at somebody who compares favorably to J.K. Dobbins, who better to come in if J.K. has any more injury issues this year, which we're really hoping does not happen. I, as much as I continue to hear about J.K., I'm rooting so hard for that guy to play a full season because, man, it would be such a great, you know, middle finger to everybody who's been kind of just saying, well, he's not, there's no way he's playing the whole season. I hope that he does. And I hope that Jonah Coleman. doesn't have to come in as an injury or replacement.

Starting point is 00:07:31 But in the event that that is the case, he has the skill set to be able to more appropriately do so than Jalil McLaughlin, Tyler Badegh or even R.J. Harvey, as we saw down the stretch last season. And stylistically, from an offensive scheme standpoint, Jonah is coming into a situation that's very similar to maybe what he experienced at Washington. So there are a lot of similar concepts involved, especially in the run game.

Starting point is 00:07:55 But I also think an underrated aspect of Jonah Coleman's game, look, he wasn't. brought in to be a speed guy, but he can also be an explosive playmaker out of the backfield. I mean, what was it? It was seven plus catches last season for him for 20 plus yards or something like that. I believe we talked about that in the pre-draft process. So even like it's a third down situation and he's in, it does necessarily tip the hand in the opposite of what we talk about with Tyler Badee. You know, when Biday is in, hey, it's a pass. Oh, and Coleman is in. Oh, it's a run. No, he can also be a pass catcher out of the backfield. I don't think

Starting point is 00:08:27 that's going to be his primary focus or how the Broncos will use him, but he can do it. And I think that's something that absolutely has to be talked about too. Absolutely. I mean, to your point, he was number one in this year's rookie class in terms of yards after the catch. So 12.4 yards after the catch. That was the best in this year's draft. And, I mean, he only had one drop on 123 targets, according to Warren Sharp. So, Cody, when you're talking about reliability in the passing game from the running back

Starting point is 00:08:53 position, what are the two things that you want? Well, you want your guys to catch the ball. first and foremost. But number two, you want them to go get some yards after the catch. That's why you're dumping the ball off to your running backs. And so Jonah Coleman does an exceptional job of those two things, as well as offering what he does in past protection, as well as offering the physicality in the running game, which, by the way, according to Warren Sharp as well, 71% of his rushing yards came after

Starting point is 00:09:16 contact. And that definitely plays into why I just feel like, man, in the fourth round, I know if folks don't want to overhype certain picks and things like that, but I feel like Jonah McCollman could have easily been the number two back in this class justified in terms of like, you know, I thought the Broncos could take him in the second round. I thought they could take him there. And I just feel like in the fourth round, man, what a tremendous value exactly what this team needs. It wouldn't have been a shock to me too.

Starting point is 00:09:42 And even Sean Payton said that as they were going into day four, the draft right after they had their third round pick, he said there was a little bit of worry that Jonah wasn't going to be there, that the running back that they had, which was him was not going to be there. And so there's like, where there's some anticipation, do we? move up, do we see how it goes? Ultimately, they stayed patient. He was there and they took him. So the rest of his history and look, we're going to get a chance to see our first look at Jonah Coleman, Mother's Day weekend at Broncos rookie rookie rookie rookie rookie, Manny Camp. I'll be there. We'll have you covered here locked on Broncos for that. But covered on next Broncos country as the offensive line gets a little bit older. And as some deals expire like Ben Powers, could Broncos rookie Cage Casey be a potential option to replace Ben Powers beyond 2026? We'll take a look at that on today's episode of the show. Today's episode, the show is brought to you by friends over there at Rugiit. The NFL draft has come and gone.

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Starting point is 00:11:18 but he might be taken over at a different position for the Denver Broncos. We're going to talk about that and much more with the offensive picks from this year's Broncos draft class on today's episode of the show. In Broncos Country, all you everydayers out there, we appreciate you so much for tuning in for rocking with us. If you're already an everyday listener, Cody and I want to invite you to check out the Everydayer Club, man. There's so much bonus content on there, draft pick conference calls.

Starting point is 00:11:42 I know that Cody put on there ad free episode of the show every single day. So plenty of reason to sign up for that today. And we really appreciate you considering that. So lockdownbrancos. Dot supercast.com or check out the link in the show notes. Cody Cage Casey broke the Broncos streak of drafting or not drafting offensive tackles since Garrett Bowles in 2017, although that idea might be short-lived. We might have to strip his title from him if he does end up moving to the guard position

Starting point is 00:12:08 where I know the Broncos have said like they do view him as somebody who can be versatile, can play tackle, can project as a future starter, they said, at guard or even center. So the options are endless here. I don't think it's going to be a competition this year. but maybe as early as 2027, we could see this guy in the starting lineup. Yeah, and I think that's kind of where things are going here. And look, I'm unclear and unsure as to like what the plan is with Ben Powers beyond 2026. We know he's in the last year of his deal, but do the Broncos feel like they want to

Starting point is 00:12:41 re-sign him to an extension? If that happens, then I think it kind of tells us a little bit about, okay, what can Cage Casey be eventually? I think he's got the chance to be a potential starter down the road here for Denver. But to your point, I don't think it's going to be right away. may not even be this year or next year, but the Broncos have done so much background on him. And Luca Evans, obviously, after the fact of the draft one, the conclusioner, he talked to Boise State's head coach about him.

Starting point is 00:13:06 And what he had said was there was nothing that they didn't know about him. They saw him year after year, spring ball, fall camp, in season. They obviously met with him. Now, one thing he told us is when they met with him at the NFL Combine, they sat there and they pulled up his actual game tape. They pulled up reps of him. and they went over that. That's one thing that he said. And he even said that they brought up clips where maybe he made a mistake.

Starting point is 00:13:28 And they asked him, you know, what was your technique here? What could you have done differently? And they wanted to see if he was coachable. So the Broncos, they did their background process on Cage Casey and with the idea in mind that, hey, this guy, he's got the athletic traits as an offensive tackle to play tackle for us, but he also can play guard, which I think in today's game, we're seeing a transition now where there's a higher value of importance being placed on players who can play two positions on the offensive line versus one guy who's just one position because at the end of the

Starting point is 00:13:58 day, that specialization, I think, has changed over time where it used to just have guys, if they were a center, they were a center for their whole career. Now, some guys get moved to guard or it's like at the end of their season. Now what we're seeing now is like as guards, veteran guys who get a little bit older, some of those guys end up making the move to center because there isn't as much pulling involved for them depending on the scheme that they're in. So for Cage, I do think that there's a chance he'll probably be that left side. I feel like it's a left side swing tackle, swing guard option here. And I also think it's part of the contingency two of what happened last year when Ben Powers went down with the injury. You know, Matt Parrott's obviously back on a reduced deal.

Starting point is 00:14:36 Nick Garzullo is a guy that they really, really like, but man, he suffered a really, really bad knee injury. So that kind of says, hey, we need to add another option of this mix. Cache Casey's going to come in. And he's going to compete and push, I think, right away for maybe that top depth spot behind the starter and he could eventually be a future starter here. Yeah, that's where the hole really is right now for the Broncos is who is because we saw Alex Palchowski take over at left guard this past season. And I think you and I both agree, Cody, while he did a commendable job there, that's not his spot.

Starting point is 00:15:05 Like the Broncos acknowledged he had never even played on the left side, much less left guard before he stepped into that spot. And Sean Payton has gone on the record. I know things can change, but he's gone on the record as saying they envision him as a right tackle. So I know a lot of fans saw what happened last year and are thinking, well, why can't Palchewski be the heir to Ben Powers's spot at left guard? And the reason is, is because it's not his position. Well, I was going to say, too, like, folks, here's how you can answer this question. If you're left-handed, I want you to go try wiping with your right hand. If you're right-handed,

Starting point is 00:15:39 go try wiping with your left-handed, just see if you have the same level of efficiency. That's probably the best way to put it. Jason Kelsey, I can't take credit for that. Jason Kelsey has said that before in his show that I've caught him saying that because they do talk about that. But it is hard. Like so try it. And then maybe we have a better answer that question. Yeah, get some empathy for these guys, these old biman out there. Go wipe with the other hand for once and try it out.

Starting point is 00:16:03 But I agree with you. I mean, I think that's essentially, I know it's a, it might be a silly analogy, but at the same time, try writing with your opposite hand and say, hey, well, you can write with your right hand. You should be able to write with your left hand, right? Or throw or whatever it might be. So I do think that for K. Casey. The projection is on the left side, like you said, Cody. And with Ben Powers contract

Starting point is 00:16:24 situation, a lot of other guys needing their contracts addressed here in the upcoming future for the Broncos. It's obviously one of those positions where, man, the price is going up and up and up when it comes to starters who are established and the good ones who actually do reach free agency. You're paying upwards of 25 plus million per year going forward, I bet, at the guard position. So to get somebody on a rookie contract who can play there and who could swing out to tackle if need be. That's the other thing too, Cody, is I think the Broncos looked at last year and they wonder, all right, if Garrett Bulls misses any time, you know, what's the situation here? Because we have Frank Crum, but we kind of like Frank Crum as the reporting eligible guy now.

Starting point is 00:17:05 And so you're piecing all these things together, figuring out who's going to be on your game day roster, figuring out who's going to be your future starters. And I think the Broncos have a few really financially responsible options to consider for, you know, as Garrett Bowles gets older, as McGlenshy gets older, as Powers Nears Free Agency. They've got some guys in Palchewski, Crum, and now Cage Casey that could project into those spots somewhere down the line. I wonder if there has in history. I'm sure there's been. I just don't know off the top of my head. Broncos country, this might be your research question of the day.

Starting point is 00:17:39 Look it up and drop it in the comments down below for us. but I wonder if there's ever been an ambidextrous offensive linemen. And if there has been, could that player play left side and right side? I feel like that's maybe something that we'll throw out there as our research question of the day. And to your point about Krum and Pau Chesky, I do think from a roster developmental standpoint, I do believe that the Broncos view Frank Crum as a backup to Garrett Bulls. I think with Pau Chesky, it's clear that they value him as a backup to McGlinchie. And then I do think here for Cage Casey, I think the I, I think the I,

Starting point is 00:18:11 idea is that we want him to be that backup to Ben Powers and maybe the guy that could potentially start. There is a chance for all three of these guys that we talked about, even though that two of those guys had the undrafted path, that because they've been in the system and they've accelerated very nicely in their development, they could eventually be the future starters. I mean, we could be talking about a potential future offensive line that has Frank Crum, Cage Casey, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Miners, and Alex Paucheske. It's weird thinking of that, just knowing what we know, the offensive line. line is right now. Yeah, it is really weird to think about that because they are the like,

Starting point is 00:18:47 I don't know what's the comparison, you know, like the, I'm obviously I'll reference something that I know, which is like the 90s bulls, right? Those guys were together forever. I mean, it was Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, Dennis Rodman, all these guys that were together for such a long time. That's what the Broncos O line kind of feels like, you know, in terms of the continuity. It's like every year, it's the same group, the same five. The Broncos have had these guys together now for going on four years, right? I mean, since 2020, most of them. So it's really enviable continuity, but all good things in the NFL come to an end. And the last thing you want to do is, is be caught in a rough situation where you haven't planned for the future. That's why I love the Cage Casey pick, even though unlike the Broncos,

Starting point is 00:19:29 I wasn't at every practice and every, you know, spring game for the Boise State. And I didn't watch every Boise State game. I still love the pick because of the strategy of how you're building your roster in the trenches with two of your top three picks this year. Cody, that's that's music to my ears. And this whole draft and specifically here with Cage Casey, it is we like the traits that this player has. There are things that this player can continue to develop and get better on. We feel like him coming here, we have the coaches, we have the system that will allow him to sharpen up on those things that he needs to improve in. That's what this draft was all about here for Denver. So, you know, when people are getting on us about, oh, you guys,

Starting point is 00:20:10 just yes, man, like pound sand. We're looking at it for what it is long-term future. Like that's where I'm at right now with this team. And as we've said, once again, and it's going to go over some people's heads. They may not have the ability to understand what you and I are saying. On paper, we like these picks. Does that mean that they're good picks? We don't know yet.

Starting point is 00:20:28 It's too early to tell. Three years from now, we'll have this conversation and revisit it here. But with that said, Broncos Country, we're going to take a look coming up next at the Broncos tight end position. They double dipped in the NFL draft and they have several guys. who are back in free agency, but could this room look entirely different? And how could Justin Jolie play right away as a rookie? We'll dive into that here on today's episode of the show.

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Starting point is 00:21:54 Justin Jolie will have a chance to maybe play in a rotation for the Broncos offense as a rookie, but he'll have to learn from Evan Ingram as the season goes on. Broncos country, thanks for tuning in making us your first listen. However, you choose to do so here on the lockdown podcast network. the number one sports podcast network in the country. That's all thanks to all of you. Sarah, we've talked about Cage Casey. We've talked about Jonah Coleman, but now let's talk about Justin Jolie.

Starting point is 00:22:17 We can factor in Dallin Bentley into this conversation at some point. But the focus here is going to be on Justin Jolie, who the Broncos vision for him, they view him as one of those F move around type players, F meaning flex, meaning that he can play in the slot, play on the outside, they can put him in the back field as a wing.

Starting point is 00:22:33 They can offset him underneath the formation and bring him back under. They view him as that type of player. And he can play inline. But the primary vision for him is not being an inline guy. He's kind of this move around, do a little bit of everything. And it kind of fits into maybe the category of what Evan Ingram is. Now, while I'll say that Justin Jolie isn't necessarily as fast as Evan Ingram, there are things to his game that the Broncos like to be able to work, sit in space.

Starting point is 00:22:57 They feel like he's got a strong frame and a big body to be able to make catches in traffic, to be able to box out defenders. He's got a former basketball background. As a rookie, it's hard right now, I think, for people. when they look at this pick to say, okay, well, he's not going to start right away. I don't think that's the expectation. I don't think Denver expects that from him. But I think he can play as a role player right away, especially as Denver goes to 12 and 13 personnel.

Starting point is 00:23:20 For me, how do you see his fit in this room being considering they brought back Lucas Kroll, Nate Atkins? If anything, I feel like this pick right here puts those guys, even though they re-signed on one-year deals, those guys roster spots into jeopardy. 100%. those guys roster spots are in jeopardy, especially after drafting two guys. And I think that Justin Jolie is going to be the sort of, you know, I mean, underrated maybe a secret chess piece throughout the course of this season.

Starting point is 00:23:50 And maybe he starts off not even being active, Cody. I could see a scenario where it's like Evan Ingram, Adam Troutman, and then, you know, Nate Adkins as the top three guys at the tight end position to start the season. And then at some point when the Broncos feel like Justin Jolie is ready, man, they can unleash him. And as he gets up to speed in the offense, there was a really interesting note from Chris Thomason who said he talked to Charles Davis.

Starting point is 00:24:13 I don't remember if it was before or after the draft. It must have been right after the Justin Joel Lee pick or something like that. But he said that he played last year at NC State at 260, when in reality he probably is best served playing 20 pounds lighter than that. So Charles Davis's point was like, I don't know if somebody asked him to gain all that weight or if he just felt like he needed to prove to NFL teams,

Starting point is 00:24:34 like, hey, I can be, I can be big. You know, the comparisons that I've seen to his game are guys like Gerald Everett, Jonu Smith. I think that's perfect when it comes to the long arms, the big mitts, the ability to make plays after the catch that wasn't really amplified

Starting point is 00:24:51 or highlighted too much at NC State, although he did have quite a few fabricated touches. And what I mean by that is like they designed quick pass plays to get him the ball. And so I think that you can unlock a lot of different things from his game. He played almost 50%, according to Dane Brugler, almost 50% of his snaps were played from the big slot position. So he was split off the line. And I think that that's the little Jordan Humphrey role, as much as it is the Evan Ingram role.

Starting point is 00:25:18 I think you cross-trained him at both of those spots because when you have a tight end who's playing in those 12, 13 personnel looks, you get somebody who's a mismatch player with his ability to beat linebackers. He can win jump ball, contested catch situations against nickel defensive backs. I think Justin Jolie is that type of weapon that, okay, the clock is ticking with Evan Ingram. He's a free agent after this season. That's going to be Justin's role, hopefully going forward. But for now, he can still be a valuable weapon within the offense in a number of different

Starting point is 00:25:50 ways. And because of that, I have a hard time seeing him having a red shirt year. I think there are going to be other guys on this roster that I have a red shirt year that they drafted. But Justin Jolie is not going to be one of those guys. If I had to predict it here today, I do think he's going to play in that rotation quite a bit. Because you need that as well. And look, I think the Broncos, and I'm curious to see how this all changes with Davis Webb is now the new play caller for Denver, how the personnel kind of diversifies itself a little bit.

Starting point is 00:26:15 Whereas last year and nothing against Sean, but we knew, hey, when Denver's coming out in 12 personnel, it's primarily Adam Troutman, Nate Atkins. When they come out in 13 personnel, it's not necessarily them. It's Nate Atkins, Adam Troutman. And then at some points, it was Mercedes-Lewis as those three tight ends that were on the field. And it was more of those bigger jump-o sets where we want to have a. an extra blocker. We want to try to get the run game going. Justin Jolie, I think if he even plays in that big slot position as a blocker, he's going to give you that physicality advantage. Now, here's the thing. When you're blocking guys at the college level, it's a little bit different.

Starting point is 00:26:48 When you get to the NFL, there's going to be this learning curve for Justin, certainly, because you're going to be going against nickel defenders that are probably bigger than like college nickels that you're facing against. You're going to be going up against bigger safeties that are going to be trying to play force on you, especially if you're trying to get an outside run. it's just about reacting to the speed and the physicality difference of the NFL versus the college game. I think he's equipped to handle that, and I'm curious to see what his role actually looks like. But I think out of maybe all the rookies offensively, I feel like he and Jonah Coleman probably have the best chance. They'll probably play more than anybody else on the offensive side of the ball that was drafted this year in this class specifically.

Starting point is 00:27:28 And maybe even over some of the defensive guys that were drafted, they'll probably play a lot more. these are the two guys that I feel like will have an impact right away on offense. Absolutely, because I think you can envision them in those packages, like you mentioned, especially when you get down into the red zone and you look at what Jolie's best qualities are right now. I mean, we talk a lot of with the NFL draft. I mean, quite frankly, it's a lot of like, hey, what is this player not at this point? Because obviously he's not going to bring that to the NFL. But what can these guys be?

Starting point is 00:27:57 That's to be determined. What is he right now? Well, shoot, this guy can go up and dominate. eight contested catch situations. I saw him make one-handed catches. His hands look like the, like when I hold like my son's tiny little Broncos football, Cody, I mean, I just feel like I'm a, I feel like I'm a giant. I feel like I'm Goliath holding this football. And then all of a sudden, you know, you get that at the NFL level. This guy just engulfs the football. Go watch some of his plays to all the listeners of the show that you haven't watched them. I mean, he just, he's,

Starting point is 00:28:27 his hands are humongous. And so you get him in a red zone contested catch situation. throw the ball up to him or get the layer concepts like we've seen in the play action bootleg off to bow nix is right bow's a threat to run you've got somebody coming underneath who could be you know coming from across the formation and just jo lee's sitting there in the back of the end zone and you throw the ball up to him and let him go make a play like you can envision those types of scenarios year one for him because he's ready for that he has a high volume from yukon to nc state there's a lot of stuff out there already of him executing in those situations. That's where the Broncos emphasize.

Starting point is 00:29:06 And we don't, we won't get to talk about it on this show, Cody, but man, they emphasize so much in the last couple of drafts, just games played. I mean, when you look at games played amongst these,

Starting point is 00:29:17 this, I mean, it wasn't Dallin Bentley, certainly, but almost every rookie they're bringing in has played like 39 games, 40 plus games, 50 plus games. So there's a lot of experience for these guys, especially with Joe Lee, to completely,

Starting point is 00:29:30 blow his draft slot out of the water. I think if we're going to talk about Dallin Bentley here for a moment, I feel like it's going to be hard for him to make the 53-man roster early on. But once again, this is why you have training camp in the preseason and you have competition all across the board. You put guys out there and maybe they surprise you, right? I think on paper, when you look at it, ideally it doesn't project that way for a guy like Bentley.

Starting point is 00:29:53 But I think his best role, if I had to envision it here early on, he comes into training camp and preseason. He competes. the Broncos like him, he ends up making the practice squad. And I think that moves a couple of guys off the practice squad there. Denver's looking to just revamp this room entirely. You never know what you're going to have with one of these guys. They're surprises every single year.

Starting point is 00:30:12 I mean, think about where George Kittle was initially drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in that draft round. They didn't expect him to emerge and all of a sudden become this guy that we now know of him today. But once again, you find some gems in the draft. We'll see how things play out here for the Broncos. but I would imagine right now early projection for him would probably be practice squad here for Denver. So we'll see how things go with that. And then obviously, Barraco's country,

Starting point is 00:30:36 we want to know what you think of today's episode shows. We talk about the Broncos offensive draft picks here, some of their premier guys. How do you project them to fit inside of their roles as rookies this upcoming season? Who do you think will have a red shirt year? Let us know your thoughts today. But we'll catch you later for a bonus episode shows. We do a little bit of a breakdown on what we feel like is the still for Denver defensively of the draft.

Starting point is 00:30:57 And that is a full-on bonus episode dedicated to Mr. Irrelevant Red Murdoch. You'll get that. And then on tomorrow's show, Broncos Country, we're going to take a look at all the defensive players that Denver drafted and project their fits and their potential roles inside of the defense as rookies or maybe in the long term. You'll get all that. Tomorrow's episode of the show.

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