The Broncos recently brought in Laiatu Latu for a pre-draft visit. Here is considered one of the top pass rushers in this year’s class.
The Denver Broncos recently hosted UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu on a pre-draft visit, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Latu (6-5, 259 pounds) was a defensive end with the Bruins last fall, but he would likely transition to outside linebacker if drafted by a team that runs a base 3-4 defense like the Broncos.
Latu started his college career at Washington, totaling 15 tackles and a half sack as a freshman in 2019. Latu then suffered a career-threatening neck injury and sat out the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He later transferred to UCLA and was cleared to play ahead of the 2022 season.
In two years with the Bruins, Latu recorded 85 tackles (34 behind the line of scrimmage), 23.5 sacks, five fumble recoveries, three pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble in 25 games.
If medicals check out, I strongly believe Laiatu Latu is the clear EDGE1.
One of the most natural pass-rushing prospects I’ve seen
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Latu to T.J. Watt, who was a first-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2017. Latu is also projected as a first-round prospect this year and he might be in play for the Broncos at pick No. 12.
The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.
Draft Wire’s recent three-round NFL mock draft has the Broncos selecting UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu at No. 12.
With the NFL draft season entering the home stretch, ridiculous takes are flying in to pass the time. Luckily, some draft boards are continuing to remain consistent.
In his recent NFL mock draft, Jeff Risdon of Draft Wire has the Broncos selecting UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu.
“Latu instantly becomes the best pass rusher on the roster with his craftiness and technical savvy, plus his pretty impressive athletic prowess,” Risdon wrote on Draft Wire.
While Denver’s pass rush does need help, it’s worth noting that this is one of the most talented quarterback draft classes in recent memory. Some quarterbacks who Risdon has teams selecting before Denver’s 12th pick: Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears at No. 1, Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders at No. 2 and J.J. McCarthy to the New England Patriots at No. 3.
Notable quarterbacks selected after Risdon’s belief that the Broncos will select Latu are Bo Nix to the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 44) and Michael Penix Jr. (No. 47) to the New York Giants in the second round.
Fans in Denver want a QB, but Latu is still a solid pick. At 6-5, 265 pounds, his size enabled him to lead the nation in tackles for loss average (1.8 per game) while also nabbing 13 sacks for the 2023 season. Adding another talented defensive playmaker would only elevate the Broncos’ defense.
Former Broncos free agent bust Randy Gregory has landed with the Bucs.
Former Denver Bronco Randy Gregory has joined his third team in three years after signing a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The one-year contract has a base salary of $3 million.
Gregory played for the Broncos at the beginning of 2023 before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2024 sixth-round pick in the middle of the season. Gregory ended up being a better fit for the 49ers’ defense, helping them to the Super Bowl, where they eventually lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Gregory was thought to have been a marquee free agent signee when he came over from the Dallas Cowboys under the leadership of Denver general manager George Paton. Gregory initially signed a five-year, $70 million contract, with the hopes of becoming a defensive cornerstone. Instead, Gregory never found his footing as a member of the Broncos.
Gregory finished his time in Denver with only 21 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles after only starting six games in 1.5 seasons.
The Broncos need more from their pass rush in 2024. Here are some edge defenders they could target during free agency.
The Denver Broncos need to get more from their pass rush in 2024. Jonathon Cooper led the team with 8.5 sacks last season, followed by Nik Bonitto (8.0 sacks). Those are fine numbers for rotational players, but Denver needs an elite edge defender.
Baron Browning has the potential to emerge as a top pass rusher in 2024, but injuries have prevented him from having a breakout season thus far. The Broncos will likely look to add reinforcements to the outside linebacker room this spring, so we’ve put together a quick list of 16 pass rushers the team could consider during NFL free agency next week.
Jared Verse is considered one of the top pass rushers in the NFL draft and he might be available when the Broncos pick at No. 12 in April.
The Denver Broncos met with FSU’s Jared Verse at the NFL combine last week, the pass rusher confirmed during his media availability on Feb. 28.
Verse (6-4, 254 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 31 times at the combine. He was a defensive lineman for the Seminoles, but Verse would likely transition to outside linebacker if picked by a team that runs a 3-4 defense like the Broncos.
Verse played one year at Albany (FCS) before transferring to FSU ahead of his sophomore season. In two years (25 games) with the Seminoles, Verse totaled 89 tackles (29.5 behind the line of scrimmage), 18 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Before the combine, Draft Wire did not have Verse ranked among the top five pass rushers in this year’s class, but that will likely change when the rankings are updated. Verse could be an option for Denver at No. 12 overall.
The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27. The Broncos currently hold six picks, but they could acquire more through trades.
Mohamed Kamara ran a 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at the NFL combine last week.
Colorado State pass rusher Mohamed Kamara revealed at the NFL combine last week that he met with the Denver Broncos at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
The Broncos did not get enough production from their outside linebackers in 2023 and they are now looking to add some reinforcements.
Kamara was named as the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl. A sixth-year senior, Kamara played in 49 games with the Rams, starting 33 of them.
Thursday was the day for linebackers and defensive linemen to work out, and Kamara definitely raised significant interest with his performances. Kamara ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, which was the second-fastest time of the day behind only Penn State’s Chop Robinson (4.48). Kamara also had a 10-yard split of 1.58 seconds, a 34.5-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump.
The Broncos are no strangers to bringing homegrown talent to the team, with products such as Philip Lindsay (University of Colorado) and Jordan Jackson (Air Force) joining the club in recent offseasons.
Denver holds six picks, including 12th overall in the first round. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.
Broncos draft prospect Chris Braswell totaled eight sacks at Alabama last season.
As the Denver Broncos prepare for the 2024 NFL draft, the team continues to meet with promising collegiate players. One of the players they met with was Alabama’s Chris Braswell, the linebacker confirmed during his media availability at the NFL combine last week.
In recent years, the Broncos have become enamored with players from the Crimson Tide, including cornerback Patrick Surtain and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy,
At Alabama, Braswell had 75 total tackles, 10.5 sacks and one interception in his three-year career.
Braswell is projected to be an eventual starter from his NFL combine profile. This means that Braswell may likely be a Day 2 or Day 3 pick. On Thursday, Braswell participated in several events in the combine, including the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump. Braswell ran a 4.6-second 40 and had a 33.5-inch vertical, and a 9-foot, 7-inch broad jump.
The Broncos are hoping to upgrade their pass-rush, which only totaled 42 sacks in 2023 (opponents totaled 52 sacks against the Broncos’ offense).
Denver holds six picks, including 12th overall in the first round. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.
Breaking down the outlook for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at outside linebacker heading into 2024
2023 was a transitional year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ edge defenders.
Veteran Shaq Barrett returned from an Achilles injury. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka entered a pivotal third season. Tampa Bay added rookies YaYa Diaby and Markees Watts. While they were one of the least productive edge rushing groups in the NFL, the Bucs’ outside linebackers did give the team a road map heading into the 2024 offseason.
As is typical with Achilles injuries, Barrett’s clearly had an impact on his burst and overall effectiveness as a pass rusher in 2023. He recorded just 49 total pressures per Pro Football Focus, his least in a full season in a Bucs uniform. At 31 years old, the likelihood that Barrett will fully regain his pass rush effectiveness is low.
Tampa Bay’s original 2023 starter opposite Shaq Barrett, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, needed a big season to prove himself a viable starter. With just five sacks and 26 total pressures in 2023 per PFF, Tryon-Shoyinka does not appear to be the next marquee edge rusher in Tampa Bay.
The Bucs coaching staff apparently came to that conclusion around Week 13 when they replaced him in the starting lineup with 2023 third-round pick YaYa Diaby. The rookie earned the starting job with impressive play against both the run and pass. He led the team with 7.5 sacks, which was also third-most among all rookies, and was second on the team with 12 tackles for a loss, which led all rookies.
Diaby will no doubt start the 2024 season. The question is who will start opposite him.
Finding a starting edge rusher in free agent is rarely an inexpensive proposition. Tampa Bay does not have a ton of flexibility to bring in a free agent as they make efforts to bring back their own players like Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield and Antoine Winfield Jr.
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucs will have to approach the free agent edge rush market like they did when they signed Shaq Barrett in 2019, forgoing the top of the market to find value deep in the free agent class. Veterans like Markus Golden and Yannick Ngakoue are not every-down players but would make useful additions to Tampa Bay’s edge rotation, particularly as pass rushers.
The draft is where the Bucs will be looking to truly upgrade their outside linebacker room. With the 26th overall pick, they will likely miss on the premiere edge prospects like Dallas Turner, Jared Verse and Laiatu Latu, who is probably the best fit for Tampa Bay given their immediate need for pass rush help. A trade-up would likely be needed to grab the UCLA edge rusher.
Barring a trade-up, the Bucs will have Penn State’s Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, Kansas’ Austin Booker and Alabama’s Chris Braswell in range of their picks in the first and second rounds. None would likely be full-time starters come Week 1, but they would be slated for major contributions in 2024 and beyond.
Jonathon Cooper (8.5) led the Broncos in sacks in 2023, followed by Nik Bonitto (8.0) and Zach Allen (5.0).
The days of Von Miller recording double-digit sacks seem like a distant memory for Denver Broncos fans.
The Broncos are going to need more from their pass rush in 2024 after an underwhelming campaign from Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto last fall.
In terms of sacks, Denver’s third-best pass rusher this season was Zach Allen, an interior defensive lineman who recorded five sacks in 2023. That’s a good total for a defensive tackle, but the fact that the Broncos did not have a third edge defender with five or more sacks is alarming.
Consequently, bringing in a top pass rusher should be a priority for Denver this offseason. Before free agency and the draft arrive, here’s a quick look back at the Broncos’ leaders in sacks from the 2023 season.
The Broncos did not have any players with double-digit sacks in 2024 and the defense ranked 22nd out of 32 teams with 42 total sacks.
The Denver Broncos totaled 42 sacks in 2023, tied for the 11th-lowest total in the NFL, and the worst total in the AFC West. Elsewhere in the division, the Las Vegas Raiders (46 sacks), Los Angeles Chargers (48 sacks) and Kansas City Chiefs (57 sacks) got more production from their pass rushers.
The Broncos will need more from their edge defenders in 2024. Part of the problem in 2023 was leaning on Randy Gregory and Frank Clark early in the year. Both players were off the team by mid-season.
Another hindrance was Baron Browning’s meniscus tear that sidelined him for the first six games of the campaign. After he returned from that injury, Browning had modest production, totaling 4.5 sacks in 10 games.
Jonathon Cooper (8.5 sacks) and Nik Bonitto (8.0 sacks) were the team’s most productive pass rushers in 2023, but both of them might be better suited for a rotational rusher role instead of a regular starting gig.
If Browning is able to reach his potential in 2024, Denver could pair him with a high-profile pass rusher. Cooper and Bonitto would be excellent rotation options in such a scenario. If Browning never turns into the kind of pass rusher the Broncos hope he can be, Denver will eventually need two starting-caliber edge defenders.
The Broncos are set to select 12th overall in the 2024 NFL draft and that might be an ideal place to land a top pass rusher. Recent mock drafts have Denver landing Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse and Chop Robinson at that spot. Whether it’s one of those options or another prospect, the Broncos would be wise to bring in a high-profile pass rusher in 2024.
