Finding Broncos: Five Versatile Defensive Backs to Boost the Secondary

Alex Austin | DB | Oregon State

Pros

• He has solid size, length, and a good build. 
• He is a solid athlete with a good short-area burst. 
• There are good range and ball skills, with four interceptions and 13 passes broken up. 
• He positions himself well and uses length to attack the catch point. 
• He has plenty of versatility to play multiple spots and in different schemes. 
• There is an attitude there to work as a run defender. 
• When working in off-coverage, he stays in phase and reads the routes well. 
• He is praised for his football IQ and communication skills. 

Cons

• He isn't the smoothest when changing directions. 
• He has 31 missed tackles in his career and 23 in the last two seasons. 
• There is a significant issue with penalties, with 20 penalties over the last three seasons. 
• He may not have enough speed to hang when challenged vertically. 
• There needs to be better route mirroring and recognition when in man coverage. 
• His timing and technique as a run defender can be a bit off. 
• His tackling technique is a mess, and he does a poor job of coming to balance and bringing force as a tackler. 

Fit with Broncos

Austin has the traits to play multiple roles in the secondary, but he may project best as a split safety. That versatility is a boost, and Vance Joseph has liked to deploy a versatile defensive back over the years. While Austin is a solid fit overall, he is a better fit as a safety than as a corner. 

Carrington Valentine | DB | Kentucky

Pros

• He is a good athlete with a solid frame and build. 
• There is plenty of burst, speed, and excellent explosion. 
• He played over 1,500 snaps in the last two seasons. 
• There isn't any concern about the scheme he is being drafted to play in. 
• Flashes of elite traits need to be developed and used consistently. 
• He does well to squeeze along the sideline. 
• He has solid footwork to click and close on underneath throws.
• He has good body control to adjust to attack the catch point.  

Cons

• He missed 18 tackles over the last two seasons. 
• There is a lack of ball production, with one interception and nine passes broken up. 
• His overaggressiveness is an issue leading to big plays on the offense, with seven touchdowns. 
• He is easy to fool with the eyes of the quarterback and get baited with double moves. 
• His angles are consistently poor. 
• His burst isn't great to close quickly on the ball. 
• There isn't a great recovery there, so he can't catch up when he is beaten. 

Fit with Broncos

There is good versatility with Carrington in the scheme, and he might be better working as a safety in the NFL. He has upside at corner, but he does better when the play is in front of him but needs to develop some discipline with fakes. The fit with the Broncos is there, at corner and safety, though he will take time to transition to safety.

Jordan Howden | DB | Minnesota

Pros

• There is a solid build with good size and length. 
• He has good athleticism, with plenty of speed, burst, and explosion. 
• He is a leader and has exceptional experience. 
• He has played over 3,000 snaps, with over 600 in the box, nearly 1,000 as a safety, and about 1,200 as a boundary corner. 
• He has great ball skills with four interceptions and 16 passes broken up. 
• His tackling mechanics are great, missing only 22 tackles over five years. 
• He kept it clean with penalties, with only two called against him in his career. 
• His football IQ is easy to see with how quickly he reads routes and breaks plays down. 

Cons

• There isn't a great backpedal, which creates issues opening up and flipping. 
• He takes a bad angle when closing, and there isn't a great recovery to compensate for it. 
• When blockers get outside, he struggles to avoid or disengage. 
• He has to improve his run defense with his run fills on the outside. 
• While he has good versatility, there is a question about his primary role for the NFL. 

Fit with Broncos

His versatility is a good boost for the Broncos, and in the scheme Vance Joseph runs, he may be a better fit as a full-time safety. However, there is enough to compete with Caden Sterns as the starter, with the ability to drop into the nickel. As a natural fit in the scheme and the ability to help out anywhere in the secondary, he could be a great pickup. 

Anthony Johnson

Pros

• He has good size and build. 
• He has great length that he uses extremely well. 
• There are excellent instincts and awareness that naturally translate to zone coverage. 
• He has excellent ball skills with seven interceptions and 26 passes broken up. 
• He has good experience with 2,347 snaps in his career, with 1,511 in the last two seasons. 
• He does well in maintaining eye balance between the receiver and the quarterback. 
• He does trigger quickly on underneath throws to close, limiting yards after the catch. 

Cons

• The athleticism isn't great, with poor long speed, burst, and explosion. 
• His change of direction can be clunky, with wasted steps and movement. 
• The penalties were an issue, with 24 flags thrown against him over five seasons and 16 in the last two seasons. 
• He is stiff in his backpedal and not overly fluid as a mover. 
• He has a bad habit of grabbing and holding on. 
• His footwork is clunky and needs a significant overhaul. 
• He needs to be more calculated when jumping routes for the interception. 
• Despite his size, he is timid as a run defender. 
• He has missed 17 missed tackles in the last two seasons and 30 in his career, with two seasons of 10 missed tackles. 

Fit with Broncos

Johnson is a natural zone corner, but he projects better as a safety in the NFL. He does fit well with the Broncos as a safety but not as a corner with his issues in man coverage. There is also an issue with his run fills and being timid, which isn't good for the Broncos. 

Ekow Boye-Doe

Pros

• He has excellent speed, running a 4.27-4.35 ranged hand-timed 40-yard dash at his Pro Day.
• He has great explosion, with a good change of direction. 
• There is plenty of experience, with 1,899 snaps and 35 starts. 
• He does well attacking the catch point and broke up 12 passes. 
• He allowed only 59.3% of his targets to be caught during his career. 
• He is a solid athlete and has the speed to recover. 
• There is a good range with his coverage ability. 
• His awareness in coverage is solid. 

Cons

• He has a light build that can use a bit of mass. 
• His light frame was an issue with tackling, with 19 missed tackles in the last two seasons. 
• He has no interceptions in his career, despite getting his hands on a solid number of passes. 
• There is a boom or bust to his play, where he has allowed seven touchdowns in his career. 
• Penalties were an issue in 2022, with seven penalties. 
• He has a habit of grabbing and holding on. 
• He doesn't have the best instincts. 
• There will be limitations in coverage if he stays as a corner. 

Fit with Broncos

He isn't a great fit as a boundary corner in the NFL, but he can handle work in the slot in zone concepts. There is also the ability to move him to safety to see if he can hang there. If he goes undrafted, he would be an interesting piece for the Broncos to try and develop. 

It is easy to see how the Broncos need help in the secondary. There are some versatile pieces in the draft that can play corner or be moved to safety. Obviously, they would have a set position for the Broncos, but they would have the option of finding the best place for them, and it helps them in emergency situations that hopefully don't come up this next season.