Getty The Denver Broncos address their protection on offense with their two highest picks in a mock draft from Predominantly Orange's Sayre Bedinger
The Denver Broncos address their offensive trenches in the latest 2023 NFL mock draft from Predominantly Orange’s Sayre Bedinger — choosing a tight end and offensive lineman with their two third-round draft picks.
With the No. 67 pick, Bedinger projects South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft to be taken due to the intriguing platoon possibility alongside Greg Dulcich.
“Given the way the board has fallen here, I think the best course of action is for the Broncos to take former South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft,” Bedinger prefaced before saying, “Kraft is an impressive athlete, he can block as well as be an asset in the passing game, and the Broncos are undoubtedly looking for someone to pair up with Greg Dulcich at the TE position. This team wants to pound the ball on the ground and while there will be a place for Dulcich, he’s not going to play a ton of in-line reps and the Broncos will likely look to emphasize his strengths rather that fit a square peg into a round hole. Tucker Kraft is tremendous value in this slot as well.”
With the No. 68 pick, Denver then selected Syracuse offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron to further bolster the Broncos’ blocking.
“After taking Tucker Kraft, the Broncos turn right around and address a position that everyone has been clamoring for now for years,” Bedinger wrote. “The offensive tackle spot has been rather neglected by the Broncos in the NFL Draft and the time has come for that to end, especially if someone like Matthew Bergeron is on the board here. He can play either tackle position, but you draft him here because he projects as your starting left tackle as early as 2024.”
Broncos Take Corner With Fourth-Round Pick in Mock Draft
In addition to projecting the Broncos’ top two picks in the draft, which both come on the second day of the event, Bedinger gave a day three pick in the form of taking Iowa’s Riley Moss for Denver with the No. 108 pick overall.
“Riley Moss out of Iowa was available in this slot, and I think he makes a ton of sense given the way the Broncos have been looking so closely at versatile defensive backs,” Bedinger wrote. “Moss was a starter at outside cornerback for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but I think you can project him anywhere at the next level, whether that’s playing outside, playing in the nickel, playing some safety, dime, and certainly playing special teams. When you talk about competitiveness and toughness, Moss has those things in spades. He knows how to fight for the ball at the catch point and he has good ball skills and instincts.”
The Broncos chose two cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL draft (Demarri Mathis, Faion Hicks).
Broncos Can’t be ‘Backed into Corner’ to Draft Center
As Bedinger points out, the center position — one that was previously addressed with the signing of Kyle Fuller in free agency — is not one the Broncos should feel “backed into a corner” to take in the third round of the NFL draft.
“Although everyone seems to want a center in round three, I just don’t think that you can back the team into that corner,” Bedinger. “They need to take the best players on their board and that could lead them to any number of positions.”
Bedinger concluded that the 2023 draft class isn’t very deep — something that isn’t a good sign considering the Broncos not being on the clock until the second day of the event.
“One thing this exercise really revealed is that the depth of this class is not overly deep,” Bedinger wrote. “There are certain guys in every round that are intriguing, but that doesn’t make the class very deep as a whole. The Broncos would be wise to take advantage of the deepest position groups on their board rather than simply attack perceived needs.”