It is no secret that the Broncos were short on draft picks in 2023 due to the trades for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton. However, despite that, they were able to walk away with a decent haul of experienced and ready-to-play rookies. Some of them may even see the field with a large role as soon as Week 1.
Even then, it is important to have proper expectations for these players going into their rookie seasons. With that said, with only a few weeks before Training Camp opens for Denver, it is a good time to look at the Denver Broncos Rookie Preview and set expectations.
Denver Broncos Rookie Preview
Broncos WR Marvin Mims (83) – Michael Owens/Getty Images
2nd round, pick 63: WR Marvin Mims
The Marvin Mims pick was really interesting, considering when it happened, the Broncos were in heavy rumors to trade one of their big three WRs, as in Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, or Jerry Jeudy. However, all three of them are still there, and Mims is currently at the highest fourth on the depth chart.
Despite that, I think Mims is in for a productive rookie season for several reasons. One of them being the Sean Payton factor. Sean Payton has been known in his career to get a lot out of a WR right away.
Tre’Quan Smith 2018: 28 catches, 427 yards, and Five TDs
Michael Thomas 2016: 92 catches, 1,137 yards, and Nine TDs
Brandin Cooks 2014: 53 catches, 550 yards, and Three TDs
Marquez Colston 2006: 70 catches, 1,038 yards, and Eight TDs
That is what some of the rookie WRs Sean coached in New Orleans did during his time there. I do not expect Marvin to put up numbers like Thomas and Colston did, considering his spot on the depth chart, but I do believe numbers similar to Cooks’s are reasonable.
Despite being far down on the depth chart as of now, with this trio’s history of not being able to stay on the field consistently due to health, Marvin should be able to naturally fill in those spots. He also does things the other WRs do not excel in. He is exceptional as a deep threat, averaging 20.1 yards per catch in his last year at Oklahoma. That and the fact that he was the most productive WR every year in college at Oklahoma shows that he is not a fluke or a one-hit-wonder; he is capable of being a highly productive WR.
He may be set behind the eight ball right now, but if he gets a shot to get on the field, with his combination of speed and playmaking with the ball in his hands, he compliments what the rest of the WRs do very well, and I would not be shocked if he is among the leaders in production by the end of the season.
3rd round, pick 83: CB Riley Moss
Broncos CB Riley Moss 37 – David Zalubowski/AP
Riley Moss is in a similar position as Marvin Mims where he is ready to play now and compliments the way Pat Surtain plays very well, but he is, as of right now, not in line to get playing time right away. However, his only competition is Damarri Mathis. Mathis had a really good finish to the season last season and is coming into this season as the projected number two outside CB.
I would not be surprised if he gets playing time right away. With Mathis and Surtain able to play the slot if needed, it is reasonable to assume a defense with four CBs on the field together simultaneously. Moss was exclusively an outside CB in college, so if he is going to find the field consistently, it may take either an injury or Mathis underperforming.
In a scenario where Moss has a lot of snaps this season, I have confidence that he will be more than solid. He was a five-year college CB getting around 500 snaps or more each of the last three seasons. He is coming into the NFL very polished and with a defined skillset to his disposal that fits this team. He played in almost exclusively zone coverage in the Iowa Hawkeyes defensive scheme, which is a nice change of pace to the man coverage-heavy group the team currently has.
He brings great size as well, being 6’1” tall and 193 pounds, while bringing in 4.45 speed. His rare combination of size, speed, football IQ, and technical skill is rare for a rookie, and playing along with one of the best CBs in the NFL on the other side and one of the best Safeties behind him could unlock his potential early. He ended his college career with 11 interceptions and 20 passes defended while being one of the better tacklers in college football for a CB. It is not totally up to him if he makes the field, but if he finds his way on there, Moss could be a huge factor for this defense next season.
7th round, pick 257: C Alex Forsyth
Former Oregon C Alex Forsyth (78) – Andy Nelson/AP Photo
It is no surprise that the number one need for Denver going into the offseason was to fix the Offensive Line. Well, they are getting their All-Pro LT Garett Bolles back from injuries, and they signed RT Mike McGlinchey and LG Ben Powers. They have confidence in RG Quinn Meinerz continuing to improve, so that leaves the Center position to be decided.
As of right now, the projected starter is fourth-year pro Lloyd Cushenberry. While Cushenberry has been solid his whole career, it is clear the weak link to the team is still the Center position, and that is why they took Forsyth with their last pick. Forsyth brings a bigger frame standing at 6’4” in height, and weighs over 300 pounds, both of which are significantly larger than Cushenberry.
Not only does he provide a bigger size, but he was one of the best pass-blocking centers in college last season. In 408 pass-blocking snaps, he only allowed one hurry and did not allow a single hit or sack. In his career as a starter, he only gave up three sacks in three seasons.
I would expect Cushenberry to open up training camp as the starter, but for it to be some sort of competition going into the year. I would also not be surprised at all if Forsyth ended up winning the competition and opens up as the week one starter for Denver. If that is the result, it may even improve the team’s Offensive Line right away in a lot of ways, as he is another player who is ready to play right away and was praised for his football IQ.
Overall, I would expect every rookie from this class to get a shot at a significant amount of snaps this season. The team clearly looked for players that could come in and fill roles right away, so I would not panic if any of them see the field early. I do expect these three to make the most impact on the field this season, though.
