Finding Broncos: 5 Sleeper LBs to Replace Josey Jewell

Pros

A twitchy and explosive athlete, Hopper brings good speed and flows to the football rather well once he reads the play. His first step is wicked, and he brings a lot of power as a tackler. 

Hopper does a good job taking on blockers and uses his length well to keep them at bay. When scraping through the trash, he's a heat-seeking missile and lands on his target frequently and violently. He has plenty of long speed to stick in the hip pocket of any player that he is tasked covering man-to-man.

Though he finds the football well, Hopper has horrible tunnel vision and an alarming lack of field awareness, which can cause him to get lost in space relatively easily. He is much more of a 'see ball, chase ball' style linebacker, which will limit him to a special teams role early in his career. 

While Hopper has the speed to run with anybody, there appears to be a lack of interest in giving a consistent effort, and he takes some rather strange angles to the football. He must also become a much more secure tackler and bring his arms to the party.

My Grade: Round 4

Erick Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 150

Pros

Ulofoshio is a rangy linebacker who flows to the football with ease. He has a good frame that can add some much-needed weight and is long enough to hang in coverage and get his hands on the football. 

Ulofoshio packs power as a hitter and finishes plays quickly, especially in run support and as a backside pursuit defender. He has enough speed to play sideline-to-sideline and turn and run with tight ends and running backs in coverage, though moving backward can cause some issues with his coverage ability.

There is an extensive injury history from earlier in Ulofoshio's career, but he bounced back with a ton of production in 2023. He lacks instinctual awareness and gets caught guessing sometimes, putting him out of position and opening up running lanes. 

Ulofoshio doesn't bring a lot of power taking on blocks and has issues using his hands to disengage at the point of attack. While he is built well in his upper half, he is a bit thin and needs to build strength in his lower half to help bring better physicality. He's also slightly clunky with his short area quickness and change of direction ability.

My Grade: Round 5

Trickel's Big Board Position: No. 145

Pros

Magee is an aggressive linebacker who steps into gaps quickly, looking for big hits and plays close to the line of scrimmage. He packs a good amount of power for his limited size and evades blockers when moving laterally. 

Magee shows outstanding field vision and reportedly has a very high football IQ. He rarely gets put to the ground and can bounce off of blockers quickly, allowing him to make many plays on ball carriers.

Despite bringing some decent power, Magee is dramatically undersized for the position and desperately needs to add mass and strength. There is also a lack of top-flight speed for a player of his stature. 

Magee shows a lack of patience and can overflow to the football, opening up cutback lanes and allowing explosive plays behind him. His coverage instincts are lacking, though he does a good job of hitting his landmarks in zone coverage.

My Grade: Round 6

Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 120

Pros

A fluid mover who doesn’t waste any motion or show false steps, Bethune is a run-defense-first linebacker who quickly clicks and closes on the football. He is a highly effective blitzer and brings good power as a tackler. 

Bethune's best work comes closer to the line of scrimmage, where he can avoid blockers and shoot into gaps effectively. He plays with good leverage against blockers and uses his hand techniques to fight off blockers effectively. He brings a good sense of aggression to finish the pile when runners get stacked up, and he isn’t scared to hit anything in front of him.

Bethune’s eyes misguide him, and he falls too easily for misdirection. He gets caught out of position too often and lacks long speed as a pursuit defender. 

Bethune also peeks into the backfield a beat too long, especially against play action, and doesn’t get the depth he needs in zone coverage. Though he tracks the football well, he mistimes his effort to knock the ball down and thus allows passes that he could have knocked away to get by him. 

My Grade: Round 6

Trickel’s Big Board Position: No. 178

Pros

A former running back, Chambers shows good instincts to track and flow to the ball-carrier easily. He's constantly around the ball carrier and turns them back towards help when he gets caught by blockers.

Chambers understands leverage and positional gravity, playing in a good position even when he can't reach the ball carrier. He has some chops in man coverage but can struggle a little in zone, due to inexperience. He's willing to attack quickly and step into blocks, showing a good jolt at the contact point that can disrupt the play's timing and allow pursuit to play catch-up.

Cons

Plays that move laterally can give Chambers some fits due to bad angles and lack of pursuit speed, and he needs to add strength when taking on blocks to help disengage. If he doesn't bounce off the initial block, he can get ridden downfield easily and thrown out of the play.

Chambers tends to get lost behind players in pursuit and frequently shows up late to the party. His issues in zone coverage stem from a tendency to be late getting depth and missing landmarks, as well as identifying route combinations around him. While he showed improvement there, it's still an issue.

Grade: Round 7

Trickel's Big Board Position: No. 193

Most of these linebackers figure to have special teams capabilities early on in their careers, but a couple could have starter upside if they develop properly. Ty'Ron Hopper is an intriguing player who could become a quality starter if he improves his field vision. 

Edefuan Ulofoshio, given added play strength, could as well. All of these players would fit the Broncos because of their first-step aggression in their run fits.