Mock Draft Round-Up: Who Do The Experts Have The Broncos Taking At No. 10?
DENVER (CBS4)- Following a 6-10 season in 2018, the Broncos hold the 10th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, which gets underway Thursday, April 25th in Nashville, Tennessee. As the draft draws near, let's take a quick look at who the CBSSports.com team of draft experts and others have John Elway selecting next week.
Starting with the CBS Sports guys, every single one has the team selecting Missouri quarterback Drew Lock in the most recent version of their mocks. There has been plenty of talk in the lead up to the draft connecting Elway, the Broncos and the 22-year-old signal caller. Lock started for most of his four years at Missouri throwing for over 12,000 yards and completing 56.9% of his passes in his career.
At 6'4" 220-plus pounds, Lock has the prototypical size that teams have tended to look for a the quarterback spot. But, his accuracy has been inconsistent over time. As Lance Zierlein says in his draft profile of Lock that his biggest weakness is inconsistency with accuracy and touch. If there's one thing that has been frustrating to Broncos fans in recent years, it is exactly that.
On NFL.com, Charles Davis agrees with the CBSSports.com guys and has Lock mocked to the Broncos with the 10th pick. But, his three colleagues have different choices at that spot.
Daniel Jeremiah: Devin White, LB, LSU- White is arguably the top linebacker in this class alongside Michigan's Devin Bush. He recorded 256 tackles in the last two seasons at LSU including 25.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks. That ridiculous production is a by-product of his his raw athleticism, which was on display in full force at the Combine. He was first among linebackers in the 40 (4.42), 2nd in the vertical jump (39.5 inches), 8th in the three-cone (7.07 seconds), and 7th in the 20-yard shuttle (4.17 seconds). The only knock on him is that he is still learning the position in terms of diagnosing plays and play fakes. But, by all accounts, he is a studious worker in the film room dedicated to better understanding the position.
Charley Casserley: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa- Hockenson was mentioned by Jeremiah on a conference call yesterday as being a potential target for the Broncos and it's easy to understand why. The three tight ends currently on the roster have struggled with injuries and failed to provide a consistent threat in the passing game. Hockenson would provide just that having tallied over 1,000 yards for the Hawkeyes in the last two seasons. He needs some work in the blocking game, but he has shown the ability to be a go-to option in the passing game.
With a week to go before the picks are officially announced, plenty is still up in the air. But, for the moment, these guys are who the experts think will be coming to Denver this season.
