SURPRISE PICK LOADING? ESPN Links Broncos to Unexpected 1st-Round Safety at No. 20

Everyone is trying to predict which team will draft which player later this month, and with the Denver Broncos picking 20th, it's even more difficult. 19 players will get drafted before the Broncos are on the clock, and this is a weird draft with fewer true first-round-graded players and even fewer blue-chip prospects than the NFL sees in most years.

However, it seemed safe to eliminate some positions for the Broncos early — that is, until a recent article from ESPN. 

With multiple writers contributing, ESPN dove into the biggest questions for each team entering the NFL draft. Jeff Legwold and Jordan Reid both have questions about the Broncos, but the final aspect of the latter's drew the most attention. 

After writing about the primacy of the running back position, Reid floated a "wild card" option at No. 20, writing, “Instead, league sources have told us that Denver might use its first-round pick to add to what is already one of the NFL's best defenses. Safety Nick Emmanwori is a wild card to keep an eye on there.”

After signing Talanoa Hufanga and having Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke under contract, an early safety would be something for Denver. That something will probably draw ire from Broncos fans. 

Emmanwori has received a lot of attention after his athletic testing, but a key element is missing: the agility drills. One of the concerns with him on tape is his change of direction, and the agility drills likely would’ve exposed those issues. It was calculated by Emmanwori that he would not run them, manipulating his athletic testing scores to be better than they might otherwise be. 

The other issue here is how much conflict there would be for Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to figure out with his players. Emmanwori is better in the box.

That conflicts with Hufanga if the Broncos were to keep Emmanwori as a safety. If Denver moved Emmanwori to linebacker, he would conflict with Dre Greenlaw, the other big defensive signing the Broncos made. 

You can argue that safety is still an option for the Broncos in the first round, but Emmanwori isn’t that safety. The argument comes from getting a rangy safety who can play more centerfield or high safety coverages to compete with Locke as the third guy, then potentially replace Jones after this season. 

Last offseason, Jones signed a three-year deal, and the Broncos structured it so they can get out of the deal after the 2025 season. So, the Broncos could be thinking ahead to save some money next year by parting ways with Jones or even protecting the team in case he struggles in his new role this year next to Hufanga. 

The only argument for Emmanwori to Denver is his ability to protect the team in case of an injury to Hufanga and Greenlaw, but that would be a tough pill to swallow with the 20th overall pick.