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Denver Broncos May Scouting Report
Charles Rives
5/4/2017

Regular Season Schedule:

Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Monday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. MT on ESPN)
Week 2: vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, Sept. 17 at 2:25 p.m. MT on FOX)
Week 3: at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, Sept. 24 at 11:00 a.m. MT on CBS)
Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders (Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2:25 p.m. MT on CBS)
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: vs. New York Giants (Sunday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. MT on NBC)
Week 7: at Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2:25 p.m. MT on CBS)
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs (Monday, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. MT on ESPN)
Week 9: at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, Nov. 5 at 11:00 a.m. MT on CBS)
Week 10: vs. New England Patriots (Sunday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. MT on NBC)
Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. MT on CBS)
Week 12: at Oakland Raiders (Sunday, Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. MT on CBS)
Week 13: at Miami Dolphins (Sunday, Dec. 3 at 11:00 a.m. MT on CBS)
Week 14: vs. New York Jets (Sunday, Dec. 10 at 2:05 p.m. MT on CBS)
Week 15: at Indianapolis Colts (Thursday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. MT on NBC)
Week 16: at Washington Redskins (Sunday, Dec. 24 at 11:00 a.m. MT on CBS)
Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m MT on CBS)

The Broncos have 38 days for organized workouts and practices before the season begins and the clock is already ticking. "There is no time to waste. The honeymoon's over, guys. It's football time". (Joseph)

FREE AGENTS

Signed RB Jamal Charles. Charles will get first crack as the RB3/3rd down, If Anderson and/or Booker struggle, Charles will get a chance to show what he has left. Best not to under estimate him. This move will allow the Broncos to bring rookie RB De'Angelo Henderson along slowly.

The Broncos re-signed free agent DE Billy Winn and waived DE Bobby Richardson in a pair of roster moves.

DRAFT

The Broncos focused on adding power and bulk to their offense up front during free agency. Their next task was adding "more juice" to the skill positions, while taking the best player available in the draft. The offense lacked explosiveness last season with runningbacks and wide receivers needing additional punch. You've got to go find them and draft them. Denver drafted for production, speed and toughness.

ROUND ONE

Pick 20: OT Garett Bolles 6'5, 297 Utah. The Broncos filled their biggest need with the most athletic left tackle in the draft. Bolles will immediately compete to fill the staring spot and make the offensive line nastier and meaner. If Garett turns out to be what they think he is, he solves a big problem for the team for a long time. Bolles' athleticism, tenacity and work as a pass blocker separated him from the pack for the Broncos. He needs to improve his upper body strength, but the Broncos got the man they wanted.

ROUND TWO

Pick 51: DE DeMarcus Walker 6'4 280 Fla. St. The Broncos filled another need with a young, dynamic defensive end. Walker led the nation in sacks, had 37 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and seven forced fumbles over the past two seasons. He should be able to come in and contribute immediately with his array of pass rush moves.

ROUND THREE

Pick 82: WR Carlos Henderson 5'11 199 La. Tech. Henderson, an offensive playmaker who tied for the most receiving touchdowns in the country (19) and was fifth in receiving yards (1,535). His diverse skill set is a welcome addition for the Broncos, and he has a chance to secure the third receiver spot early on and contribute even sooner on special teams.

Pick 101 (Compensatory): CB Brendan Langley 6'0 199 Lamar. Langley is a raw, athleticly elite playmaker. Fast and physical, he is likely to be a practise team player, but could contribute earlier as a special teams player.

ROUND FOUR

Traded RB Kapri Bibbs & pick 177 to SF for 2018 fourth round pick; Traded pick 126 & pick 252 to Cle. for pick 145 & 175

ROUND FIVE

Pick 145 (trade w/Cle): TE Jake Butt 6'6 250 Michigan. Butt suffered a torn ACL in the Orange Bowl, but he was considered a potential first-round talent prior to the injury. He may be forced to "redshirt" his rookie year but he has a chance to develop into a lower-end starter capable of staying on the field all three downs. When he's healthy, he's a dangerous weapon, combining great routes with elite ball skills.

Pick 172 (trade w/GB): WR Isaiah McKenzie 5'8 173 Ga. The Broncos went for more speed and competion with McKenzie. He possess impressive start-stop ability, speed and return ability. The Broncos are looking to be more aggressive on returns and McKenzie is a legitimate special teams player as a kickoff and punt return man with 4.42 speed.

Pick 175 (trade w/Cle): Traded to packers

ROUND SIX

Pick 203 (via Titans): RB De'Angelo Henderson 5'7 208 Coastal Car. Henderson is a space player- tough, instinctual runner with good athleticism (4.48/40) who plays bigger than his size, scoring a touchdown in 35 straight games. He could make his first impact catching passes out of the backfield. Henderson will have opportunities for multiple special-teams roles, which are essential responsibilities for a No. 3 running back.

ROUND SEVEN

Pick 238:Traded to the Packers

Pick: 253 (compensatory): QB Chad Kelly 6'2 224 Ole Miss. This is the Broncos' first "Mr. Irrelevant" selection. Being Diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) is something that could be a "challenge" with a NFL playbook. There's no reason not to pick Kelly given his arm strength and football acumen -- if he can calm himself and focus on the task at hand.

ORANGEMAN'S TAKE

The Broncos went for toughness on Days One and Two with Bolles, Walker, Henderson and Langley who have the right mentality and hate to lose. Bolles will be the Broncos starting left tackle sooner than later. Walker will immediately bolster the defensive end rotation. Carlos Henderson will upgrade the wide receiver corp and its production. Langley will be a special teamer and the cornerback in waiting. Day Three, the Broncos drafted "the juice" HC Vance Joseph wanted. Butt will play extensively as a three down tight end. McKenzie's game-breaking potential will provide some enticing possibilities for Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy and Special Teams Coordinator Brock Olivo. De'Angelo Henderson's college work with STC Olivio makes him a favorite to make the 53-man roster. Kelly landed with the best organization to develop as an NFL quarterback.

2017 undrafted free-agents

Deon Hollins, 6'0, 234 OLB, UCLA;

Jamal Carter, 6'1, 218 SS, Miami;

Orion Stewart, 6'0, 203 DB, Baylor;

Tyrique Jarrett, 6'2, 340 DT, Pittsburgh;

Shakir Soto, 6'2, 282 DE, Pittsburgh;

Kyle Sloter, 6'5, 211 QB, Northern Colorado;

Josh Banderas, 6'3, 240 ILB, Nebraska;

Erik Austell, 6'3, 301 OL, Charleston Southern;

Marcus Rios, 5'11, 192 CB, UCLA;

Ken Ekanem, 6'3, 257 DE, Virginia Tech;

Anthony Nash, 6'4, 211 WR, Duke;

Cameron Hunt, 6'4, 307 OL, Oregon;

Dante Barnett, 6'0, 192 SS, Kansas State;

Jerrol Garcia-Williams, 6'2,230 LB, Hawaii

FANTASY OUTLOOK

The Broncos' new pass-heavy offense is one that maximizes players’ strengths and provides plenty of explosive plays. Denver’s schedule the first 9 weeks contains solid defenses, but the second half is extremely favorible, including the last 4 games, with the Jets, Colts, Redskins and Chiefs.

QB1 Trevor Siemian a go, low-end fantasy QB2. He is head and shoulders above QB2 Paxton Lynch.

RB1 C.J. Anderson a fantasy RB2 with RB1 upside if fully healthy. RB2 Devonte Booker. RB3 Jamal Charles RB4 De'Angelo Henderson: monitor.

WR1 Demaryius Thomas and WR2 Emmanuel Sanders are great bounceback candidates this year. WR3 Carlos Henderson: monitor. If Henderson plays the slot, he can get on the field for about half the team's snaps.

The tight ends are waiver wire pickups only. Monitor Butt (mid-season stash).

PK Brandon McManus is a number one fantasy kicker.

Broncos DST is a number one fantasy defense which may have finally found a dynamic return man for both kickoff and punt returns.

End.

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