After finding what appears to be the quarterback of the future, the Denver Broncos need to be a team that goes on the offensive, literally.
Drew Lock surprised many this season and as a result of his play, the Broncos must push forward with him. The best way to do that is to surround him with playmakers.
The team has certainly found one of those in Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant has shown flashes of being a playmaking tight end. The team also has a sound running game. But having another great wide receiver could change the entire dynamic of the offense.
The Broncos could definitely take a wide receiver with the No. 15 overall pick in the first and ESPN’s draft expert, Mel Kiper agrees, giving the Broncos Henry Ruggs out of Alabama in his most recent mock draft.
This is one of the best draft classes for wide receivers in a long time and the Broncos should take advantage by getting one of them in the first round.
But for all the talk about guys like Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins and Jalen Raegor, there is also a guy close to Denver that can light it up.
Laviska Shenault, Jr. played his college ball in Boulder at the University of Colorado and he is an absolute stud.
One of the most explosive players in the draft, Shenault has great hands, catching just about anything thrown his way. But what really sets him apart is his versatility.
Shenault can line up anywhere on the field whether it be outside or in the slot. At Colorado, he got plenty of experience running the Wildcat and he would be great for a gimmick play here and there.
His route running will need to be coached up at the next level but in terms of raw athletic ability, Shenault has as much of that as any wide receiver in this draft class.
Shenault is a physical specimen and he’s built like someone chiseled him from stone. It’s not easy to take him down as you often see him running through tackles and running right over defenders.
Add in the fact that he’s got enough speed to get past guys on the deep ball and make guys miss in the open field and you have a guy that has drawn comparisons to Julio Jones.
There are those who will fall in love with the Jeudys and Lambs of the draft, and with good reason, but Shenault is on their level and there is little that he can’t do and do well.
The NFL doesn’t work like college football in the sense that organizations should do their best to keep local products in the state. After all, Shenault is actually from Texas. But when a guy plays this close to home, why would you want to watch him go play somewhere else?
It’s similar to the situation with Phillip Lindsay when he came out of the same school. I argued well before the draft that the Broncos should use a late-round pick on him. Though they chose not to draft him, luckily, no other team did either, allowing the Broncos to sign him after the draft.
That has kind of worked out.
The Broncos won’t get a second chance on Shenault. They will only get one. If they don’t draft him at No. 15 (if he’s not already off the board), they won’t get another shot.
And if you don’t believe everything said here, have a look at some of Shenault’s highlights from his time with the Buffaloes.
You can make the argument for the Broncos to take several different players in the first round of this year’s draft. But can you make a more convincing one than for the team to take this guy?
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