Having taken two wideouts and a cornerback, John Elway turned his attention to the offensive line with the Broncos’ second pick of the third round on Friday night.
The Broncos selected LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry with the No. 83 overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 312-pounder was the linchpin of the Tigers’ offensive line the past two seasons, and projects as Denver’s starting center in 2020 following the departure of Connor McGovern to the Jets in free agency.
“The future’s bright for the Denver Broncos, and I can’t wait to be a part of it, and to try to do my part to get some wins,” Cushenberry said.
Cushenberry was a second-team All-American selection in 2019 and played 39 games at LSU, starting the final 28. He was the team captain and team MVP last year as LSU won the national title.
“Having that year in an NFL-style system under (then-offensive coordinator Joe) Brady has helped me a lot,” Cushenberry said. “I’m looking forward to getting to Denver and diving into the playbook.”
The 22-year-old is a native of Carville, La., and played his prep football at Dutchtown High School. In 2019, he became the first LSU offensive lineman to be awarded the honor of the No. 18 jersey patch, which is presented annually to a Tigers player with high character and leadership.
“That was a huge deal for me,” Cushenberry said.
With Cushenberry penciled in at center, the rest of the Broncos offensive line for 2020 is slated to be Garett Bolles at left tackle, Dalton Risner at left guard, Graham Glasgow at right guard and Ja’Wuan James at right tackle.
Denver’s other picks so far in the draft were Alabama wideout Jerry Jeudy (No. 15 overall), Penn State wideout KJ Hamler (No. 46) and Iowa cornerback Michael Ojemudia (No. 77).
Lloyd Cushenberry
Round/pick: Third/83rd overall
Age: 22
Position: Center
Height/weight: 6-3/312
College: LSU
Hometown: Carville, La.
Notable: Committed to Louisiana Tech, South Carolina and Mississippi State before signing with LSU. … Declared for the draft after his redshirt junior season. … Started two years at center for the Tigers (28 games). Was second-team All-America and first-team All-SEC in 2019. … Was named team MVP in ’19. … Is expected to immediately become the Broncos’ starting center.
