Why the Broncos should prioritize front seven additions in 2023 NFL Draft

If Dre’Mont Jones was going to walk out the door when free agency began, the Broncos knew they needed to quickly pull someone else through it.

“Obviously, one of the musts was Dre’Mont and/or (another free agent at) that position, and we didn’t feel like it was deep,” new Broncos head coach Sean Payton said at the NFL owners’ meetings in Arizona two weeks ago.

Enter Zach Allen, the 25-year-old defensive end who last month landed a three-year contract with Denver worth up to $45.75 million, including $32.5 million in guaranteed money. With that deal comes an expectation that Allen can replicate — or exceed — the production of Jones, who signed a comparable deal with the Seahawks after leading the Broncos over the past four seasons with 22 sacks. The move reunited Allen with new Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who held the same role with the Cardinals during Allen’s four seasons in Arizona.

“Effort, his energy, and we loved how he improved in this past season,” Payton said when asked why the Broncos targeted Allen as a “must” replacement for Jones. “Obviously, Vance has been with him. When you’re in free agency and you have a little bit more intimate knowledge with a player, it’s really important.”

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If all goes according to plan, Allen, who had a career-high 5 1/2 sacks last season, will be a disruptive interior pass-rushing force for the Broncos in the same way Jones was for much of his four-year stay in Denver. But even if Allen proves to be a perfect fit for his new team and its defensive scheme, that development alone wouldn’t answer every question about whether the Broncos can more effectively rush the passer in 2023.

The trade of Bradley Chubb, knee injuries to Randy Gregory and a stint on IR for Jones all contributed to the Broncos failing to produce much pressure on the quarterback during the second half of the 2022 season. It didn’t help that the Broncos were often forced to play from behind, lessening true pass-rush opportunities, but the bottom line is that Denver ranked 31st in pressure rate over the final nine games of the season, and that shortcoming led to an overall dip in the defense’s performance.

Have the Broncos done enough this offseason to reverse that trend?

The Broncos didn’t just lose Jones in free agency. They also lost another starting defensive end in DeShawn Williams, who signed with the Panthers in free agency after posting a career-high with 4 1/2 sacks last season. On the edge, the Broncos have not signed a clear replacement for Chubb, who was traded to Miami last year for the first-round pick that ultimately helped the Broncos acquire Payton. Without a first- or second-round pick this month, the Broncos won’t be in the mix for a player as obviously talented as Chubb, who was the No. 5 pick in the 2018 draft. Then there are the injury concerns related to Gregory, who flashed when he was available last season but has missed 22 games since 2020.

There are intriguing young players on Denver’s roster. Eyioma Uwazurike and Matt Henningsen were 2022 draft picks of the Broncos who saw action as rookies at defensive end and should be stronger heading into their second seasons. Baron Browning showed tantalizing talent while switching from inside linebacker to the edge during his second season, finishing third on the team with five sacks. The Broncos will also hope for a leap from Nik Bonitto, the second-round pick in 2022 whose college position coach, Jamar Cain, recently joined Denver’s coaching staff.

Still, the Broncos could use reinforcements in their front seven as the 2023 NFL Draft approaches. With only five picks, Denver can only address so many needs, but coming out of the draft with an edge rusher or defensive end who could occupy a rotational role this season and then grow into a starter would be an ideal outcome. Here are five players at those positions who could interest the Broncos when the team begins its participation in the draft with the 67th pick. The players’ overall and positional rankings in Dane Brugler’s “The Beast” draft guide are in parentheses.

BJ Ojulari is a fringe first-round prospect, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. (John Korduner / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

BJ Ojulari (No. 33, edge No. 6), LSU

Ojulari, rated by Brugler as a fringe first-round prospect, will most likely be out of reach for the Broncos if they don’t move up from No. 67, where they are scheduled to make their first pick. Still, Ojulari (6-foot-2, 248 pounds) is an intriguing name to watch given that Cain was just hired by Denver after coaching edge rushers at LSU in 2022. Ojulari, the brother of the Giants’ 2021 second-round pick Azeez Ojulari, was a first-team All-SEC selection under Cain last season. His 103 pressures over the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, were more than all but two players in the FBS.

Again, this is probably a reach, but if the Broncos are somehow able to move up a bit or Ojulari falls further than Brugler projects, he’s a name to keep an eye on.

Brugler’s bottom line: “Overall, Ojulari doesn’t have ideal size for every scheme, but he offers a dynamic pursuit package with his explosive traits and unrelenting effort. He offers scheme versatility as an NFL starter, projecting best as a stand-up edge rusher for an odd-front defense.

Isaiah Foskey (No. 60, edge No. 11), Notre Dame

If the Broncos are putting a premium on college production as they evaluate edge prospects, they will be underlining Foskey’s name. He had 11 sacks during each of his final two seasons at Notre Dame, earning consecutive All-American nods (third team in 2021; first team in ’22) in the process. He also forced seven fumbles during that 25-game stretch. Foskey (6-5, 264) did not miss a game during his final three seasons at the school. Another plus as the Broncos try to build a more competent and dynamic special teams unit: Foskey blocked four punts during his college career, including two in one game against UNLV last season.

Brugler’s bottom line: “Foskey needs to be more consistent versus the run and his pass-rush arsenal lacks variety. However, he has promising traits, and his play speed and nonstop hustle raise his floor as an NFL player. He projects an impactful sub-package rusher as a rookie with the talent to develop into a full-time edge rusher.”

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Adetomiwa Adebawore (No. 68, DT No. 7), Northwestern

There are deep Northwestern ties on Denver’s new coaching staff, so the Broncos will figure to have a comprehensive read on what Adebawore could provide. The impressive physical feats the 6-foot-1, 282-pound lineman displayed in the pre-draft process begin with this: He is the only player in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine to run a sub-4.5-second 40 (4.49) while weighing more than 280 pounds. That athleticism helped him make 17 1/2 tackles for loss during his final two college seasons. He was also durable, playing in every game across his final three seasons.

Brugler’s bottom line: “Adebawore needs to become more consistent in several areas, but he has explosive power in his body with the long arms and natural leverage to be disruptive. An outside rusher in college, he projects best inside as a 3-technique in the NFL.”

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Zach Harrison (No. 74, edge No. 13), Ohio State

What’s one more Buckeyes pass rusher to add to the mix, George Paton? Denver selected two of its outside linebackers, Browning (third round) and Jonathon Cooper (seventh), out of Ohio State in 2021. That came after former Broncos general manager John Elway took Dre’Mont Jones out of Ohio State in the third round in 2019. Payton got into the Ohio State act in 2021 when he and the Saints took Buckeyes linebacker Pete Werner in the second round.

Harrison did not have eye-popping production at Ohio State (13 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in 40 games), but he showed improvement as a senior with eight tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles. At 6-foot-6, 268 pounds, Harrison has the longest arms and wingspan of any defensive lineman in this draft class, physical traits that help explain why Harrison was the 12th-ranked prospect nationally in the 2019 recruiting class.

Brugler’s bottom line: “Harrison’s pass-rush construction and edge-setting execution are works in progress, but he is a remarkable linear athlete with elite length, upfield quickness and the ability to affect the game in different ways. He can play defensive end in even or odd fronts and projects as a key member of an NFL defensive line rotation.”