Day 2 of the NFL draft kicks off Friday at 5 p.m. and the Broncos have the 41st (second round) and 70th (third round) picks.
After the completion of the first round, general manager George Paton and coach Vic Fangio met with the scouts to go over the board.
“We really like our board for our second pick,” Paton said. “We’re picking eighth in the round and there are eight players we really like so we’re going to get a good player (Friday).”
Paton said the Broncos have “three or four” players with first-round grades still available.
“Letap just hope they fall,” he said.
Here are nine players who could be viewed as fits:
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame: Listed at 6-foot-1 1/2 and 221 pounds, Owusu-Koramoah surprisingly fell out of the first round, but it could be that teams feel he is part linebacker, part safety because of his size. In his last two years for the Irish, he had 142 tackles, five forced fumbles, eight pass break-ups and one interception. He was first-team All-America in 2020.
Azeez Ojulari, edge rusher, Georgia: Fourteen sacks in two years for the Bulldogs wasn’t impressive enough for him to be taken on Thursday. Ojulari ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds and weighs 249 pounds, which would be a little light for a Broncos outside linebacker.
Christian Barmore, defensive tackle, Alabama: We figured Barmore would go to Jacksonville at No. 25, but the Jaguars opted for Clemson running back Travis Etienne. Barmore will be there for the Jaguars at No. 33, though. If he falls, the Broncos should consider him. At 310 pounds, he had 10 sacks in 24 college games.
Teven Jenkins, left tackle, Oklahoma State: A first-round projection by most observers, Jenkins would be a fine fit for the Broncos because of his experience starting at left tackle (seven games), but especially right tackle (26 games). The 6-foot-6, 317-pound Jenkins could serve as the swing tackle for the Broncos this year before taking over right tackle in 2022.
Richie Grant, safety, Central Florida: No safeties were drafted in the first round and Grant shouldn’t last long on Day 2. Listed at 6 feet, 197 pounds, Grant had 291 tackles in 47 games for UCF (33 starts) and was a three-time, first-team all-American Athletic Conference selection. The Broncos should consider safety depth since Kareem Jackson is on a one-year deal.
Trevon Moehrig, safety, TCU: Moehrig would have made sense to Washington at No. 19 or Jacksonville at No. 25 — he would have been a Week 1 starter at both spots. Like with Grant, Moehrig could serve a learning year before potentially taking over for Jackson. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound Moehrig had 125 tackles and seven interceptions in three years for TCU.
Javonte Williams, running back, North Carolina: Etienne and Alabama’s Najee Harris were the two tailbacks selected Thursday night. At some point, the Broncos have to add another skill-position player to help them score points, right? Williams (5-foot-10, 212 pounds) had 1,140 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns last year. Also impressive is he caught 50 passes in 35 career games.
Carlos Basham, edge rusher, Wake Forest: Five edge rushers went in the first round and Basham has the height and weight (6-foot-3, 274 pounds) to make him an ideal fit for the Broncos. Von Miller is in the final year of his contract. Basham had 20 1/ 2 sacks and 35 1/2 total tackles for lost yardage in 45 games.
Liam Eichenberg, left tackle, Notre Dame: Eichenberg started 38 games at left tackle for the Irish and checks in at 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds. Like Jenkins, he could serve as a swing backup tackle this year.
