In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos made it known to the rest of league that they were building around their second-year quarterback Drew Lock by selecting Alabama star wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. In this 2021 3-round NFL Mock Draft from PFN draft analyst Ian Cummings, the Broncos address the defensive side of the ball while adding a potential replacement at offensive tackle. Let’s take a deeper dive into Ian’s selections for the Broncos 2021 3-round mock draft review.
12th Overall – Caleb Farley, CB Virginia Tech
The 2021 NFL Draft class of cornerbacks could turn out to be one of the deepest in recent years with prospects like Ohio State’s Shaun Wade and Alabama’s Patrick Surtain, Jr. headlining top of it. In Cummings’ 3-round mock draft, this position-deep class created plenty of opportunities for the Broncos to use their first-round selection on a corner.
Related | Analyzing the Denver Broncos secondary for the 2020 season
I think Ian’s pick for the Broncos with the selection of Caleb Farley is as good as they come, with Farley being considered as one of the top corners in college football. As I addressed in my article about the Broncos’ possible draft needs in 2021, corner is still a position the Broncos will need to address.
With a history of injuries and inexperience littered throughout the Broncos’ current group, even after getting A.J. Bouye in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver should use their top pick in 2021 on a cornerback that has the potential to start right away.
What Farley can bring day one
With Farley, the Broncos would get the type of CB they’ve been looking for. He possesses fantastic technique, excellent footwork, hip movement, and utilizes his length well. Farley has excellent size for a cornerback at 6’2″ and plays with tremendous physicality.
As Cummings pointed out, Denver needs a CB that can play the boundary with great athleticism and size, and Farley checks off both of those boxes.
Another reason Farley would be a match made in heaven for the Broncos at 12th overall is his physical play style. Farley shows a polished technique in both press, off-man coverage, and maintains his level of physicality with wide receivers through their route.
Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has always been vocal about his tackling expectations with his corners, and Farley fits the bill perfectly in Cummings’ Broncos 2021 3-round mock draft review.
44th Overall – Chazz Surratt, LB North Carolina
The Broncos selected a quarterback in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and could find themselves drafting another one in the 2021 NFL Draft, but not how you would suspect.
After selecting the athletic Justin Strnad out of Wake Forest in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Ian has the Broncos selecting super-athletic quarterback-turned-linebacker in Chazz Surratt.
This pick is another strong selection by Ian, which gives the Broncos a long and rangy linebacker to work with Alexander Johnson and Strnad, assuming that Todd Davis isn’t on the team in 2021.
Chazz Surratt elite linebacker play
Some draft analysts have compared the athleticism of Surratt to that of Arizona Cardinals 2020 first-round pick, Isaiah Simmons, out of Clemson. While the jury is still out on that take, Surratt does bring an impressive skill set to the table that could rival that of Simmons.
Surratt has very similar measurables to both Simmons and Strnad, coming in at about 6’3″ and around 230 lbs. Surratt, like both Strnad and Simmons, has excellent range and fluidity in coverage. He understands his role in zone coverage, and his past as a quarterback could help him with the mental aspect of playing defense.
Related | 2021 NFL Draft: Meet Tar Heels linebacker Chazz Surratt
While he is still new to the position and still quite raw, Surratt brings a ton of upside to the Broncos linebacker group that features an experienced teacher with LB coach Reggie Herring and Fangio.
Cummings notes that Surratt’s “overwhelming combination of athleticism and length” could lead to significant production within Fangio’s defensive scheme. If the Broncos pair Surratt with the blooming Alexander Johnson, opposing offenses could be in for a tough time against this group.
76th Overall – Adrian Ealy, OT Oklahoma
It’s no secret that the Denver Broncos may be looking for an offensive tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft. With the well-documented struggles of former first-round pick Garett Bolles and the injuries that have clouded the team’s perspective on 2019 free agent signing Ja’Wuan James, the position is still one that could need addressing.
The 2021 offensive tackle class is another group that could feature a variety of potential talent and in this Broncos 2021 3-round mock draft review, Ian Cummings comes through by selecting a tackle that may still be unknown to most spectators.
Oregon’s All-American left tackle Penei Sewell is likely a top-three selection in this class. Still, there are plenty of other quality options like Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood, Texas tackle Samuel Cosmi, and North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz. However, in Ian’s mock, he has the Broncos addressing other pressing defensive needs before selecting an offensive tackle in Oklahoma’s Adrian Ealy with their third-round mock selection.
Adrian Ealy could be a steal in the third round
Ealy is still somewhat of a raw prospect who has some great traits and tremendous upside. He’s got quality size, but he is relatively lean in comparison to other offensive tackles in this class. However, what Ealy lacks in bulk, he makes up for with power. He uses his hands extremely well and can shut down pass rushers once he gets his hands inside the frame and uses his length to make sure they can’t get around him.
The most significant area that Ealy needs to improve is in regard to consistency with his technique. While watching his film, specifically against Houston, there were times where Ealy would miss picking up a pass rusher shooting the gap inside or he would fail to pick up a twist stunt by the defensive line.
There are small things here and there that don’t sell me on Ealy being the long-term solution at offensive tackle right away, but his upside, and the coaching prowess of well-respected offensive line coach Mike Munchak, could make him a quality pick in the third round.
If Bolles isn’t retained by the Broncos or the team decides to move on from James after the 2020 NFL season, selecting an offensive tackle may be a high priority for the team as they look to shore up the offensive line around Lock.