For the past six weeks or so, I’ve projected the Broncos taking a right tackle with their first-round draft pick, No. 28 overall.
Broncos general manager John Elway has said — and is likely to reiterate during his predraft press conference Thursday — that he will select the best player available.
Two players who visited with the Broncos in recent weeks — Oklahoma’s enormous defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and Florida’s nimble, athletic offensive tackle D.J. Humphries — offer the combined theory that the Broncos will give serious consideration to the available offensive tackles, but will shift to another position of need if that player has a higher grade.
The Broncos do need a stout a nose tackle-type who can fill the middle in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defensive system. Phillips is large at 6-foot-5, 329 pounds — and considering he declared for the draft after his redshirt sophomore season at Oklahoma, he will likely get even bigger.
In his two upperclassmen high school seasons, Phillips had 32 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns and also averaged nearly 37 yards a punt. So he’s also an athlete.
Humphries is a tad light as top-round offensive tackles go at 6-foot-5, 307 pounds, but he is quick and athletic, the type of edge blocker who would fit well in the Broncos’ zone-blocking system that will be coached by Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison and Clancy Barone.
The Broncos have also visited with at least three other highly regarded offensive tackles — Andrus Peat, T.J. Clemmings and Cedric Ogbuehi — and one other defensive tackle in Angelo Blackson.
