The Denver Broncos have an abundance of young talent on the offensive side of the ball. The most talented of the bunch is wide receiver — Courtland Sutton. The SMU product put himself into the discussion of being a top 10 wide receiver with his play this past season, a season in which he posted 72 receptions for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns.
With Sutton and the duo of Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman at running back, the Broncos have the makings of a dynamic offense. In order for them to take the next step, they need these four players to enjoy breakout seasons of sorts in 2020-2021.
Since quarterback is the most important position on the gridiron, we will start with Drew Lock. The Broncos went 4-1 with Lock as the starting quarterback and averaged 21.3 points per game in those contests.
In those five starts, Lock threw for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. With a full offseason to prepare and his rookie season under his belt, it’s fair to assume that Lock could be in store for a major breakout campaign during his second season in the league.
Fellow rookie Noah Fant had an exceptional debut season. Fant finished his rookie campaign with 40 receptions for 562 yards and three touchdowns.
Fant’s performance was good enough to earn a spot on Dane Brugler’s all-rookie team.
Fant has the makings of a top-five tight end. With his athletic ability and explosiveness, the Iowa product is a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses.
When the Broncos traded away Emmanuel Sanders they did so with the hopes of DaeSean Hamilton sliding into that role. It also didn’t hurt getting a third and fourth-round pick in return for a player that was set to become a free agent in March.
Hamilton didn’t immediately take the bull by the horns, but he finished the season on a strong note, recording 11 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown during the final two games of the season. That strong finish to the year leads one to believe that Hamilton could be in store for big things next season.
Dalton Risner is the third rookie to make this list. The second-round pick started all 16 games for the Broncos and proved to be a steal. If lineman got more notoriety Risner, would likely get some votes for Rookie of the Year.
With Risner, the Broncos have a young building block along the offensive line. Over the past two drafts general manager, John Elway has added, Sutton, Lock, Fant, Risner, Hamilton, Freeman and signed Lindsay as an undrafted free agent. They will grow together and if they build off their strong finish to this past season they could be dark horse candidates to make the playoffs next season.
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