Denver Broncos’ ‘Best-Case Scenario’ for Pick 64 is Landing Wyoming LB Chad Muma per Pro Football Focus

The Denver Broncos not possess a first-round choose within the 2022 (nor 2023) NFL draft after buying Russell Wison from the Seattle Seahawks. Whereas the shortage of high draft alternatives would possibly take a little bit of the wind out of the sails in terms of fan pleasure for the upcoming draft, the hype and bonafide pleasure haven’t been increased since Peyton Manning performed underneath middle within the Mile Excessive Metropolis greater than a half-decade in the past.

Though the Broncos not possess the No. 9 general choose, nor their very own second-round choose at No. 40, followers ought to nonetheless be excited by the prospect of the group buying expertise later this month. Whereas followers mustn’t count on GM George Paton to fully replicate the success of the 2021 draft class, the first-year returns on his first haul ought to have followers optimistic that even with out high picks, the Broncos will have the ability to discover some thrilling expertise with 9 complete alternatives, 5 of that are within the top-120.

With the Broncos’ first choose within the 2022 draft coming at No. 64 general, a variety acquired from the Los Angeles Rams from the Von Miller commerce, what could be the best-case state of affairs for Paton? Professional Soccer Focus‘ Ben Linsey outlined what he believed could be ideally suited for Denver with no first-round choice.

The reply? It could be Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma sliding to the Broncos on the final choice within the second spherical. 

Broncos basic supervisor George Paton spoke concerning the difficulties of bringing again all of Denver’s free-agent linebackers — Josey Jewell, Alexander Johnson and Kenny Younger — on the 2022 NFL mix: “We’d like to convey all of them again. We are able to’t.”

Denver re-signed Jewell and added Alex Singleton from the Philadelphia Eagles, but it surely’s nonetheless a positional group that would use some extra expertise.

Muma grew up in Colorado, and profiles as one of many extra well-rounded linebacker prospects on this yr’s class. The 6-foot-3, 239-pound linebacker out of Wyoming cleared the ninetieth percentile on the place within the vertical leap, board leap and bench press. He’s a plus athlete who has good dimension and put up PFF run-defense, protection and tackling grades above 75.0 in 2021.

Tight finish and offensive sort out are the opposite positions thrown round as potential targets for Denver with this choose, however Muma needs to be underneath severe consideration if he falls right here. He presently has an anticipated draft place of 59.7 on Grinding the Mocks.

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Linebacker is a devalued place in at present’s NFL compared to that of edge rusher, inside line of defense, and cornerback. Merely put, if a group can play a defensive again to assist in the passing sport as a substitute of a linebacker that received’t fully destroy a protection in its means to cease the run, it may play the defensive again. 

In case you don’t just like the sound of that philosophy, you as a fan are in all probability not going to get pleasure from Denver’s new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who’s coming from just a few techniques that vastly deemphasized the general worth of the linebacker place. Evero hails from the Los Angeles rams, who traded beginning linebacker Kenny Younger to Denver the identical season they received a Tremendous Bowl.

There are a large number of causes for the dropping worth of the linebacker place on the entire, but when a group has an excellent one that’s stable in opposition to the run, a sideline-to-sideline athlete, and each fluid and sensible sufficient to play in protection, that participant is uncommon and exceptionally beneficial. One participant who simply would possibly match this invoice is Muma.

Popping out of Wyoming, Muma is likely one of the greatest zone protection linebackers in your entire draft class. A highschool security, Muma shows nice instincts and smoothness whereas dropping into zone protection. 

Whereas he is an efficient athlete, Muma just isn’t the kind of linebacker a group needs to be lining up in opposition to elite gamers in man protection conditions within the slot (and truthfully, that kind of linebacker won’t exist because the retirement of Luke Kuechly).

Whereas Muma collected plenty of tackles at Wyoming, he isn’t probably the most bodily downhill participant for the linebacker place. He might want to proceed to enhance upon his means to tackle and discard opposing blockers when coming downhill in opposition to the run on the level of assault. 

A lot of his sort out accumulation was extra as a result of operating down performs than making performs whereas coming down to satisfy the ball-carrier or make performs behind the road of scrimmage. Given the Broncos’ long-term questions on the proper sort out place and the issues concerning the sturdiness and availability of beginning edge defenders Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory (on high of Chubb getting into the ultimate yr of his contract), I’m undecided I might categorize Muma falling to 64 and the Broncos drafting him because the “best-case state of affairs” for Denver within the draft. 

An edge rusher equivalent to Minnesota’s Boye Mafe or Penn State’s Arnold Ebeikete falling, or maybe the Broncos loving and drafting Washington State offensive sort out Abraham Lucas or Tulsa’s Tyler Smith is likely to be extra ideally suited eventualities. Nonetheless, there are far worse choices than drafting a linebacker with Muma’s protection chops in the course of Day 2 of the draft.

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