Which linebackers will make the Broncos’ 53-man roster?
As we continue our 2020 depth chart prediction series for the Denver Broncos, today we’re going to be looking at the linebacker position.
Previously, we predicted QB, RB, TE, WR, OL, DL and CB depth charts.
OLB
ILB
ILB
OLB
Von Miller
Alexander Johnson
Todd Davis
Bradley Chubb
Malik Reed
Justin Strnad
Justin Hollins
Jeremiah Attaochu
Derrek Tuszka
Josey Jewell
Joe Jones
Malik Carney
Tre’ Crawford
Josh Watson
The Broncos’ four starting linebackers are pretty easy to predict. Unless Davis is cut for cap reasons, the top-four LBs on the depth chart will likely be Miller, Johnson, Davis and Chubb this season.
The backup spots are harder to predict.
Reed and Hollins seem like safe bets to make the team and Attaochu was an excellent injury fill-in for Chubb last season. If those three make the team, seven linebackers could be fighting for just one remaining spot.
Jones is an excellent special teams player but Strnad might be able to fill a similar role at a cheaper price. It’s hard to imagine Denver moving on from Jewell this year but he will face tough competition for a roster spot.
Some of the linebackers that don’t make the active roster could end up on the practice squad. Tuszka is a likely practice squad candidate.
Here’s why the Broncos used a seventh-round draft pick on pass rusher Derrek Tuszka.
The Denver Broncos selected North Dakota State edge defender Derrek Tuszka in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday. Denver initially reached out to Tuszka’s agent to talk about the possibility of signing him as a college free agent after the draft.
After learning of interest from other teams, the Broncos opted to select Tuszka with pick No. 254 instead of trying to get into a bidding war with other teams.
“Towards the end of the draft here this afternoon, I was getting a bunch of calls,” Tuszka said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on April 25.” They reached out to my agent and were kind of talking about free agency, but with the number of free agent offers that I was having they found it was in their best interest to take me right towards the end there.”
Tuszka probably would have been one of Denver’s top UDFA targets had they not drafted him. The Broncos ended up signing seven UDFAs.
Tuszka (6-4, 251 pounds) was a productive pass rusher at NDSU, totaling 29.5 career sacks. He’ll compete for a backup outside linebacker job in Denver this offseason.
“I don’t try to get too fancy,” Tuszka said of his pass rushing. “It all starts with a good off. When you’re thinking about too many moves that you might have, it slows you down. I keep it pretty simple and just play football.”
Here’s video of when GM John Elway told Derrek Tuszka he was going to be a Bronco.
The Denver Broncos selected edge defender Derrek Tuszka in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday. Here’s video of when Elway told Tuszka he was going to be a Bronco:
Here are highlights of new Broncos outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka.
The Denver Broncos selected edge defender Derrek Tuszka in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday. Here are highlights from Tuszka’s time at NDSU:
Tuszka is an intriguing prospect who totaled 29.5 sacks in college. Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are Denver’s two clear starters at outside linebacker with Jeremiah Attaochu and Malik Reed the favorites to serve as their backups in 2020. Tuszka might have to hope for a practice squad spot.
The Indianapolis Colts made some noise on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL draft and now shift their focus to the final four rounds on Saturday. After adding some explosiveness to the offense, Indy will now be tasked with four selections on Day 3.
There are so many prospects the Colts could target on Day 3, but there are some that stand out above the rest when it comes to value and upside in the final four rounds. After the first two days of the draft, there are a handful of sleepers to target on Saturday.
Here are six sleepers the Colts should target on Day 3 of the draft:
Hakeem Adeniji | OT | Kansas
The Colts used two of their three picks on Day 2 on the offensive side of the ball. While they came at the skill positions, the Colts have to be looking at a high-upside prospect at offensive tackle. Adeniji checks that box resoundingly and would be a wonderful addition to the offensive line on Day 3.
A team captain at Kansas, Adeniji moves well and his athleticism would fit right in with the Colts offensive line. He isn’t a pure power blocker but has the upside to thrive in a zone-base scheme. He started 48 straight games for Kansas at left tackle and has the movement skills, high football IQ and high character that the Colts love in Day 3 picks.
Eagles hold a virtual predraft meeting with Derrek Tuszka
The Philadelphia Eagles are always looking to add a high-motor edge rusher and Carson Wentz’s former stomping grounds have produced a possible addition.
According to Draft Wire, the Eagles have had a virtual predraft meeting with North Dakota State defensive end Derrek Tuszka.
.@NDSUfootball EDGE Derrek Tuszka had the best 3-cone time (6.87) of any EDGE rusher at the combine.
A three-year starter with a high motor, Tuszka amassed 28.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss, finishing his career with 13.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss as a senior.
You know the names at the top. Joe Burrow. Tua Tagovailoa. But the NFL Draft has seven rounds. Who are the top sleepers for the 2020 Draft?
The hay, as they say, is in the barn.
Here at Touchdown Wire, we have made you as ready as possible for the start of the 2020 NFL Draft. We have broken down our top 11 at each position. We have put together our top 50 overall players, along with a list of comparisons for each player, to get you ready for Thursday night. We have assembled various film breakdowns, watched tape with prospects, and given you a variety of mock drafts to game out various scenarios.
But the work goes on, and the dream never dies.
By “the dream,” we mean the NFL hopes for players that might not be included in those previous pieces. Players that might not have cracked a top 11 at their position. Players that might not break into a top fifty list, and players that might have to wait until Friday or even Saturday to see how their NFL story begins.
Part of the reason that people love sports is the underdog story. Rocky. Rudy.Miracle. Movies that capture our attention are rooted in pulling for the longshot. Before they became the Evil Empire, the New England Patriots were the crappy underdog, led by a sixth-round sleeper of a quarterback, taking on the Greatest Show on Turf. It is why people love March Madness, as it taps into our love of Cinderella stories, and why we still get choked up when Gene Hackman says his team is on the floor.
In that spirit, here are some of the best sleepers in this draft class. Underdogs that might not hear their name called until late on Saturday, but players that have both NFL dreams, and NFL potential.
Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming
(Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports)
Logan Wilson cracked Touchdown Wire’s list of the top 11 linebackers, but as we get closer and closer to the draft the Wyoming defender might be moving even higher on draft boards. Wilson received just one scholarship offer coming out of Natrona County High School in Wyoming, despite being a two-time All-State performer at both defensive back and wide receiver. But after a redshirt year, Wilson was slotted into Wyoming’s defense as a linebacker, and never looked back. Over his four years on campus he played 3,618 snaps, which is almost a Cal Ripkenesque number in today’s college game.
On the field, Wilson is a smart, experienced and patient linebacker who is ready to take on the responsibilities asked of him in an NFL defense. Wilson is a sure tackler between the tackles in the run game, moves well as a blitzer and handles his coverage responsibilities well. Over his career he tallied ten interceptions, an impressive number for any college linebacker. Given the need to stop the pass, linebackers who can both cover and still stop the run are a desired commodity, and Wilson checks both of those boxes.
Beyond that, Wilson checks some of the throwback desirables at the position. If you are a coach or a general manager that loves seeing a linebacker standup a lead blocker in the hole, shed him at the point of attack and make the tackle, then Wilson is going to get you excited.
But he can also contribute plays like this, one of the more amazing moments from the 2017 college football season:
Wilson has the coverage chops and experience to handle the pass defense aspects of the position, but the nose for the football, along with the stack and shed requirements, that will allow him to play on both first and second downs in the league. Perhaps it is no surprise that in Bob McGinn’s pre-draft piece on the linebackers (his pre-draft series is must-read every year) a scout told him that Wilson is a starter with a chance to play every snap given his experience.
The 49ers could add to their deep defensive line with a high-motor defensive end in the NFL draft.
While much of the pre-draft focus has been on the positions the 49ers need to get better at, the club may also opt to bolster a strength at some point during the 2020 selection process. San Francisco has very good depth at defensive end, but that didn’t stop them from having a video meeting with North Dakota State defensive end Derrek Tuszka. He told Justin Melo of the Draft Wire that the 49ers were among a group of teams he talked to over FaceTime.
Tuszka started for three seasons on a dominant North Dakota State club that’s turned winning Football Championship Subdivision titles into a yearly tradition. He started 34 of 45 games across his last three years, and racked up 28.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss. Tuszka capped his career with 13.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss as a senior.
There’s nothing athletically that jumps out about him. He’s 6-4, 251 pounds and doesn’t have the pass rush arsenal to become a dominant edge rusher. What does stand out on tape is how often he makes his way to the football. Even when he gets stuck on a block he doesn’t quit the play.
His intensity on a snap-by-snap basis, combined with his consistent effort will make him worth a late-round pick to a team like San Francisco just looking to add depth their defensive front. If Tuszka can show an ability to set the edge in the run game against NFL tight ends and tackles, that added versatility would get him more snaps.
A high-energy player with a nose for the football would be a perfect rotational piece that the 49ers can use to maximum effectiveness late in games against tired tackles, and throughout a contest to give their defensive ends plays off. Fresh legs late in games helped the 49ers’ pass rush dominate last season, and adding players like Tuszka will give them the best chance to replicate that.
