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Mock Off-Season: setting up for QB of the future and a young nucleus

We all know what time of year it is. Mock drafts and dream free agent signings. This mock off-season may seem strange, but I put down stakes in the most rarely-visited corners reality stretches to to bring you what I believe to be the best possible outcome of the next 2 and a half months. Enjoy:

Current Contracts:

Case Keenum: Traded to Miami for 2020 4th. Miami gets a QB capable of starting for them next year which gives them some wiggle room this offseason and doesn’t cost them anything immediate.

Emmanuel Sanders: Traded to SF for 2020 3rd and 2020 7th. Some may think Denver won’t get this much for Sanders, but I believe he still has some gas left. He was possibly on his way to a near-career year last year before the injury. He would be a great receiver for Jimmy G for a couple years.

Ron Leary: Renegotiated. His cap hit drops to 3m, with the rest of his current contract being turned into incentives.

Brandon Marshall: Post June 1st cut. Unfortunately, Marshall’s time in Denver is done. He took a risk of losing some weight last off-season and it didn’t pay off. His play dropped and he got banged up quite a bit, plus he is getting a little older and his contract doesn’t do him any favors.

Darian Stewart: Post June 1st cut. The same thing as Marshall, except without the weight loss and add a year to his age.

Demarcus Walker: Traded to Cincinnati for 2020 6th. Walker just hasn’t turned out as Denver had hoped. He was a huge reach in the 2nd round, and switching him around from position to position didn’t help. Maybe a new team will do him good.

Su’a Cravens: Traded to Phillidalphia for 2020 5th. Just didn’t fit in Denver. Injuries and poor play when he wasn’t injured paired with Denver having several safeties who are better than he is makes Cravens the odd man out.

Shamarko Thomas: Cut. Cool name, but not quite cool enough. Denver has better safeties and they don’t incur any dead cap from the cut.


Re-Signings:

Billy Turner, G: 2 years, 8 million.

Jeff Heuerman, TE: 2 years, 4 million. Finally coming around, but not enough for a big payday.

Domata Peko, DT: 2 years, 4 million. He finishes his career in Denver.

Matt LaCosse, TE: 1 year, 1 million. I liked what I saw from him this past year, so I gave him a chance to compete for a roster spot and if not time on the practice squad.

Casey Kreiter, LS: 4 years, 3.6 million.

Jordan Taylor, WR: 2-year extension for 4 million. Half of it is guaranteed.

Shelby Harris, DT: 2nd round tender for 3.11 million. Highly rated player with a bright future; do not want to lose him.

Dymonte Thomas, FS: Tendered for 645k

Zach Kerr, DT: 2 years, 8 million.

Joseph Jones, ILB: Tendered for 645k

Tim Patrick, WR: Tendered for 570k

Matt Paradis, C: Resigned. 4 years, 40 million. Paradis gets the big contract he wants and deserves, making him the third highest paid center in the NFL.


FA Signings:

CJ Mosley, ILB from Ravens: 4 years, 42 million.

Adrian Amos, SS from Bears: 5 years, 40 million.

Bryce Callahan, CB from Bears: 4 years, 32 million.


Summary:

After all that Denver ends up with $12,430,668 in cap space (I used this calculator to calculate everything). 12 million of this won’t be gained until after June 1st due to the Marshall and Stewart cuts, but that’s fine considering draft picks only take up an estimated 10 million in cap space. Denver would be pretty cap-strapped until June 1st with only $430,668 to work with, but it shouldn’t be an issue. All the contracts that will cease to exist as guys get cut throughout the summer will give Denver a couple million more if they needed to sign someone else.


Mock Draft:

Now that Denver has acquired Flacco, some believe a QB at 10 becomes less likely. In my opinion, this would be for the best as I don’t see anyone in this draft worthy of a top 10 pick, or even a 1st round selection at all. In previous mock drafts, I have had Denver going BPA, which was usually one of Ed Oliver, Jeff Simmons, Quinnen Williams (hoping for a miracle that he would fall), or Devin White. Since the recent news of Jeff Simmons tearing his ACL has come forward, he will likely see his draft position fall quite a bit. Simmons had an altercation back in high school, resulting in a video surfacing showing a physical confrontation. That was already enough for the NFL to not send him a combine invitation. The incident was years ago and since then Simmons and the people around him have been very vocal about how he has changed, and nothing has happened since so one tends to believe him. That incident alone could have dropped him into the 20’s of the first round, so pairing that with an injury that will make him sit out his rookie season he could be facing a slide of more than a full round. Because of this, I have created a scenario in which Denver trades back. A lot. Here I have a top defensive player (Bosa, Williams) slipping a little to 5 overall where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently reside. There have been rumors that TB will be looking for a QB to replace Jameis Winston, and it would make sense. They clearly haven’t been too fond of Winston, benching him twice last season for Ryan Fitzmagic, now a free agent. The Bucs are truly a dark horse for a first round QB, but they also need help elsewhere. Here I have them planning on taking a QB in the 1st but don’t due to a defensive player they just can’t pass on. Instead, they draft Bosa, Williams, or whoever and then wait a couple picks to see what the Giants and Jags are going to do. They then make their move when Drew Lock falls to 10 overall. Just about anyone will tell you that if Lock falls to 10, you might as well give him an orange and blue jersey. However, if there is one thing the NFL draft is not, it’s predictable. For all we know Elway may have leaked the information that he loves Lock to the press. This would possibly make a team trade up to draft Lock, letting a player Elway truly likes to fall to 10 overall. Sneaky, and very believable given Elway’s past drafting QBs similar to Lock (big, rocket for an arm, decent athleticism, but not much else). So here, the Buccaneers fall for Elway’s little ploy and trade up with Denver to 10 overall. The move is a big one, as they go from early in the second round to a top 10 pick in the first. It costs them their second, third, and fourth round picks this year as well as their first, second, and third round picks in 2020. Denver relinquishes it’s right to a first round pick this year, but stockpiles some picks moving forward. The following ensues:

Round 2 P1 (2:7:39): TJ Hockenson, TE, Iowa

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Denver selects who I believe to be the best tight end in the draft class. In most big boards and mock drafts I have seen, it's really just a toss up of who goes first, second, and third in the draft between Hockenson, Fant, and Smith, Jr.

Round 2 P2 (2:9:41): Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas St.

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One of the better tackles in the draft, and a guy who could start pretty much right away, I have Denver taking Dalton Risner with their second pick in the draft. The offensive tackle class is pretty good this year, and someone is bound to fall a little. In this scenario, it's Risner, a guy who should be on Elway's radar after their meeting at the Senior Bowl that you can read about here.

Round 3 P1 (3:6:70): Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State

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Like I said before, Simmons is going to see a bit of a fall this April. It likely won't be anything like what happened to Maurice Hurst last year, where he slid to the 5th round, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up going somewhere in the second half of day 2. Here, Denver decides to end his fall, realizing how ridiculous putting him between Von and Chubb would be.

Round 3 P2 (3:21:85): Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn. St.

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With their second consecutive pick, Denver goes defense again with Amani Oruwariye, CB. Oruwariye isn't in that top tier of guys with Murphy, Baker, or Greedy, but he is a great pick in the third round. He has pretty immediate starting ability, unlike a couple of the corners Denver has picked in the third in recent years (Yiadom, Langley). With the slot being manned by FA acquisition Bryce Callahan with Harris, Jr. in on relief occasionally, Oruwariye would have his own side of the field to work, probably taking on a lot of #2 receivers of opponents. He may have to compete with Yiadom for a starting job, but iron sharpens iron so that can only help.

Round 4 P1 (4:5:100): Germaine Pratt, ILB, N.C. St.

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Pratt is the type of linebacker Fangio loves in his defenses. Fast, smart, and tough. He has experience playing safety and is really quite rangy. If Pratt can get a little stronger, he can turn into a star, despite only starting for one year in college. This would be an amazing pick, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if he would be able to take the starting job next to Mosley by the end of his rookie year.

Round 4 P3 (4:21:117): Brett Rypien, QB, Boise St.

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Rypien is one of my favorite QBs of this class, even though he isn't in that top 3 or 4 guy conversation. Rypien, in my mind, is a very high floor prospect who would be an excellent backup at worst, and could end up being a Cousins-level starter. I find it hard to believe that Denver will pass on a QB this draft. If they take one, Rypien has just about as high of a round value as you're going to get.

Round 4 P3 (4:22:118): Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple

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I believe Denver will be inclined to double dip at the cornerback position, even with the Bryce Callahan pick-up. Ya-Sin is a developmental guy that has some great tools to work with and already has a knack for man coverage, something Denver's "No Fly Zone" has been known for. Even with the likes of Talib, Ward, and soon to be both Roby and Stewart gone, the Zone could easily make a comeback with Chris Harris, Callahan, a couple young guys, and a defensive mastermind at the helm. Look for Ya-Sin to make waves by year 2 or 3 as he works on his footwork and and ball skills.

Round 5 P1 (5:10:138): Joe Jackson, 3-4 OLB, Miami

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It might be odd seeing Denver pick a 3-4 OLB with Von and Chubb on the roster, but outside of them the position is short on guys. Jeff Holland remains with the team after surprisingly going undrafted a year ago, and he will be looking for a rotational role moving forward with both Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett on their way out. However, only having 3 outside linebackers on the roster is a risky move. Jackson is another more developmental player with good upside later in his career. He is rather vanilla in his pass rush moves, and isn't quite as quick as he was at the beginning of his career due to gaining a few pounds. Sitting immediately would be good for him.

Round 5 P2 (5:18:146): Connor McGovern, G, Penn. St.

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McGovern has already had ties to Denver, a team already starting another "Connor McGovern" on the offensive line. With Max Garcia's time in Denver coming to an end, it's time for the team to look for some depth. McGovern 2, like McGovern 1 already on the roster, is a project player with extreme strength but some technique issues coming out. I imagine McGovern will take almost the exact same path as McGovern and Paradis did before him, practice squad or depth player for a year or two before competing for a starting job. This would be a great pick, giving Denver good depth along the interior OL with Sam Jones and Billy Turner if needed. Here's to Denver's offensive line's reputation for being a weakness on the team coming to an end!

Round 6 P1 (6:9:169): Will Harris, S, Boston College

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I was going back and forth between making Harris the pick vs a couple other late round safety prospects like Khari Willis or Marquise Blair, but ultimately chose Harris due to his school. Boston College, as Denver Broncos fans know, is just about as close to "DBU" as you're going to get. This would be the 3rd defensive back in 4 years Denver has drafted from the school, with the other two (Justin Simmons, Isaac Yiadom) turning out to be really good picks. I wouldn't expect Harris to start soon, as in this scenario Simmons and Amos would be the starting duo with Parks, Dymonte Thomas, and Jamaal Carter coming in in rotation. Harris is great in man coverage and can really cover tight ends and running backs. He got an interception at the Senior Bowl, picking off a pass intended for Andy Isabella. That isn't the only pick he's ever made, though. There are very few defensive backs I have seen fight as hard for balls as he does.

Round 7 P1 (7:23:215): Max Scharping, OT, Northern Illinois

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Max Scharping's results look a lot better than his technique. A 4 year starter, Scharping has found a way to be pretty consistently dominant despite having some pretty strange footwork and hand technique. He is also somewhat athletically limited, but projects as a good swing tackle on the next level once he gets his technique figured out. Munchak will be able to squeeze every ounce of potential Scharping has out of him.

Round 7 P2 (7:30:222): Mecole Hardman, WR, Georgia

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Since former head coach Vance Joseph screwed up the Isaiah McKenzie situation pretty bad, with the last pick I decided to bring in another speed demon to be the return guy moving forward. Hardman is hoping to break the Combine record for fastest 40 time, which would be extremely impressive. He has received some recent buzz from Matt Miller saying he will go as high as the second round, but Miller seems to be the only one. Most big boards have him undrafted.

Trades: DEN gives: 1:10:10; TB gives: 2:7:39, 3:6:70, 4:5:100, 2020 1st, 2020 2nd, 2020 3rd; DEN gives: 3:7:71; BAL gives: 3:21:85, 4:21:117, 2020 6th

You may have caught on, but most of the trades I have done have been very 2020 draft pick-heavy. If Elway is to skip out on a QB this year, there is no doubt in my mind that next year is his year. I have created a scenario where Denver gives up some players as well as draft position this year in order to stock pile picks to move up in the draft next year. A big concern for many is that we wouldn't be able to trade up to the top 3 picks or so to get a franchise QB, but with this scenario Denver would have more than enough capital to move up. I assumed Denver finishes with the 20 pick in each round, Tampa Bay finishes with the 15th pick in each round, San Francisco finishes with the 10th pick in each round, Miami finishes with the 12th pick in each round, Philadelphia finishes with the 25th pick in each round, Cincinnati finishes with the 13th pick in each round, and Baltimore finishes with the 24th pick in each round. I think some of these teams, like Tampa Bay and SF, won't do nearly that good but this just shows it would be possible to move up if those two teams were to do better than expected. All of the picks we would have in 2020 would equal a value of 3574. The value of the first overall pick is 3000, so if Denver would probably be able to trade up from 15 to 1 if they gave every pick they had. Chances are Denver's draft capital would be worth more than that if this were to come due to some teams doing worse than I am projecting them to. If Elway plays his cards right, he could easily acquire enough draft picks to get all the way up to 1 overall without giving anything away in 2021. Note: this doesn't include any compensatory picks, which Denver is bound to get with several high profile players leaving like Roby and Barrett. Here is a list of all the compiled picks Denver would have in 2020 in this scenario:

1st round (Original)

1st round (TB)

2nd round (Original)

2nd round (TB)

3rd round (Original)

3rd round (SF)

3rd round (TB)

4th round (Original)

4th round (MIA)

5th round (Original)

5th round (PHI)

6th round (Original)

6th round (BAL)

6th round (CIN)

7th round (Original)

7th round (SF)

Projection of the 2020 53 man roster:


Position

# Of Players

1st String

2nd String

3rd String

Roster Spots Remaining (53)

QB

2

Joe Flacco

Brett Rypien


51

RB

3

Phillip Lindsay

Royce Freeman

Devontae Booker

48

FB

1

Andy Janovich



47

WR1

2

Courtland Sutton

Tim Patrick


45

WR2

3

DaeSean Hamilton

Jordan Taylor

Mecole Hardman

42

TE

3

TJ Hockenson

Jeff Heuerman

Jake Butt

39

LT

2

Garett Bolles

Max Scharping


37

LG

2

Ron Leary

Connor McGovern


35

C

2

Matt Paradis

Sam Jones


33

RG

1

Connor McGovern



32

RT

2

Dalton Risner

Billy Turner


30

LOLB

2

Von Miller

Jeff Holland


28

LDE

2

Derek Wolfe

Zach Kerr


26

DT/NT

3

Shelby Harris

Domata Peko

Jeffery Simmons**

23

RDE

1

Adam Gotsis

Shelby Harris*


22

ROLB

2

Bradley Chubb

Joe Jackson


20

LILB

2

Todd Davis

Josey Jewell


18

RILB

3

CJ Mosley

Germaine Pratt

Joseph Jones

15

CB1

2

Amani Oruwariye

Isaac Yiadom


13

CB2

2

Chris Harris, Jr.


Rock Ya-Sin


11

Nickel CB

1

Bryce Callahan



10

FS

3

Justin Simmons

Dymonte Thomas

Jamaal Carter

7

SS

3

Adrian Amos

Will Parks

Will Harris

4

K

1

Brandon McManus



3

P

1

Colby Wadman



2

LS

1

Casey Kreiter



1

KR

3*

Mecole Hardman

Phillip Lindsay


1

PR

3*

Mecole Hardman

Phillip Lindsay

DaeSean Hamilton

1

Gunner

1*

Joseph Jones



1

*Does not count against 53 man roster number

**Kept on 53 man roster with intentions of putting the player on reserve/non-football injury list to potentially return after week 8

Summary: There is still an extra spot on the 53 (two, actually, if you count Jeff Simmons’ spot once he is put on reserves) for a possible undrafted free agent or two impressing in camp and taking a spot or another free agent signing. Denver could sign Mike Wallace later on in the summer (after June 1st) on a pretty cheap 1-year deal like he got this past year with the Eagles to give the WR corp a veteran presence other than "Sunshine" Taylor. He had a pretty bad season last year riddled with injuries, but in 2017 he was still doing well. This roster would likely be one of the youngest in the NFL, with 14 positions having starters with rookie contracts. Adding a QB in 2020 to be the guy of the future would mean almost instant serious contention and a future of some great seasons hopefully capped with a Superbowl or 6.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.