The NFL draft this year is deep at defensive tackle, and the Broncos couldn’t be happier. That’s a position where they need a lot of help.
Michigan State’s Jerel Worthy of Huber Heights, Ohio, is one of the defensive tackles with a first-round grade. Worthy was 6-foot-2 and 308 pounds at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last month. He would be a perfect fit in the Denver defense.
Worthy was a three-year starter for the Spartans and made 25.7 percent of his tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 12 sacks. He was Michigan State’s first Associated Press first team All-America defensive lineman since Bubba Smith in 1966 and has impressive 5.08-second speed in the 40-yard dash.
Unless they traded up in the first round of the April 26-28 draft to get him, the Broncos probably would need Worthy to fall to them at No. 25 overall. This much is sure: The team that drafts him will be getting a dominant defensive tackle.
Some personnel people in the NFL say Worthy, who turns 22 on April 28, hasn’t always played as hard as he’s capable of playing. But his production at Michigan State, against exceptional Big Ten offensive linemen, would suggest otherwise.
“I showed up in a lot of marquee games,” Worthy said at the scouting combine.
Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com
