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Comparing the Broncos inside linebacker position group

The Denver Broncos inside linebackers are vital in both run support and tight end coverage.

By Joe Mahoney
NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The next position group is the inside linebackers and the guys listed simply as “LB” on the roster. Most of these guys did not get an invite to the NFL combine (only Corey Nelson and Brandon Marshall did). Below are the measurables for the group.

NAME POS. HT. WT. Arm Hand 40 Bench Vert Broad 3-cone 20-yd ss CoD Quix
Gause, Quentin LB 6/1 243 ? ? 4.73 23 36.0 117 7.01 4.12 11.13 110.8
Marshall, Brandon ILB 6/1 250 33.8 10.4 4.81 28 30.5 108 7.05 4.09 11.14 113.6
Davis, Todd ILB 6/1 230 ? ? 4.87 24 35.0 118 6.93 4.23 11.16 103.8
Snyder, Kevin LB 6/2 245 ? ? 4.58 23 35.0 117 7.09 4.31 11.40 101.5
Anderson, Zaire ILB 5/11 220 ? ? 4.82 18 34.5 118 7.15 4.45 11.60 85.1
Nelson, Corey ILB 6/1 226 31.4 8.9 4.60 23 33.0 117 7.37 4.48 11.85 80.2
Garcia-Williams, Jerrol ILB 6/2 235 ? ? 4.84 20 36.0 121 7.46 4.48 11.94 80.9
Banderas, Josh ILB 6/2 225 ? ? inj inj inj inj inj inj N/A N/A

Takeaways from the data:

  1. Brandon Marshall and Quentin Gause are incredibly quick. Todd Davis is no slouch in terms of lateral agility either.
  2. Marshall has no hops as he has the smallest vertical of this group.
  3. Kevin Snyder has a good combination of size, speed, and strength. I have not seen any film on the guy so I have no idea if his athleticism allows him to make great plays on the field or not.
  4. Corey Nelson and Kevin Snyder have some really good straight-line speed.
  5. Jerrol Garcia-Williams has a really powerful lower body (vertical and broad jump) , but he has slow feet (3-cone and 20-yd shuttle). Slow-footed ILBs can carve out a career in the NFL, but they have to find a niche and stick with it (think Joe Mays). They also tend to be liabilities in coverage like Joe Mays.

We kept four ILBs on the final 53-man roster last season - Zaire Anderson, Davis, Nelson and Marshall - and we did not keep any ILBs on the practice squad last season to start the season. Gause was added to the practice squad in the middle of the season.

Poll

Do you see any of the 4 ILBs who were not on the team in 2016 making the roster either in place of the 4 guys from 2016 or in addition to them?

This poll is closed

  • 21%
    Yes - Gause in place of someone from 2016
    (102 votes)
  • 18%
    Yes - Gause in addition to the 4 from 2016
    (88 votes)
  • 31%
    No - none of these 4 make the final 53
    (148 votes)
  • 3%
    Yes - Banderas in place of someone from 2016
    (17 votes)
  • 3%
    Yes - Banderas in addition to the 4 from 2016
    (18 votes)
  • 12%
    Yes - Snyder in place of someone from 2016
    (57 votes)
  • 4%
    Yes - Snyder in addition to the 4 from 2016
    (21 votes)
  • 2%
    Yes - Garcia-Williams in place of someone from 2016
    (10 votes)
  • 2%
    Yes - Garcia-Williams in addition to the 4 from 2016
    (11 votes)
472 votes total Vote Now

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