Broncos end draft night on surprising note that we thought would happen earlier
The Denver Broncos had rumors all offseason of grabbing a particular position in the draft, and they ended up doing it with their last pick.There were rumors in the offseason that the Broncos were going to grab a center to replace Lloyd Cushenberry, or to at least have as a backup, depending on who the […]
The Denver Broncos had rumors all offseason of grabbing a particular position in the draft, and they ended up doing it with their last pick.
There were rumors in the offseason that the Broncos were going to grab a center to replace Lloyd Cushenberry, or to at least have as a backup, depending on who the player was. Well, they got a center, but waited till the very end, literally.
With the 257th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos took Oregon center Alex Forsyth.
Lloyd Cushenberry, the Broncos starting center, wasn't great last year. He is actually better as an interior offensive lineman at the guard spot, but can play center. That is where the rumors stemmed from.
The Broncos need a guy who can play the position or even move to another spot on the interior offensive line. I'm honestly more surprised they didn't take an offensive guard at all considering the depth they have, or don't have, I should say. Forsyth isn't going to come in and be a starter or anything like that, but if he needed to play he would be able to.
Here is what The Athletic's Dane Brugler had to say about Forsyth and his strengths:
Balanced in his snap-and-step with adequate foot quickness … his punch is patient and timed right to stay underneath defenders … able to re-leverage his hands to anchor … his attention to angles allows him to cut off the pursuit angle of defenders … his lower-body flexibility and athleticism shows as a puller … stays controlled on redirect blocks … very smart and is the key man making line calls … senior captain and was considered a pillar in the Oregon locker room (was named a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award) … all 28 of his college starts came at center, but he also saw backup snaps at left guard, right guard and right tackle as an underclassman.
Here is what he had to say about his biggest weakness:
Lean blocker and lacks girth in his lower body … doesn’t have the leg drive or body power to be a people-mover in the run game … his hands are precise, but his punch isn’t heavy or explosive … average arm length lowers his margin for error … inconsistent timing and breakdown at the second level to work off combos or pick off linebackers … flagged six times for false starts in 2022 … battled back spasms over the second half of the 2021 season, missing four games (October 2021); missed one game as a senior because of a shoulder injury (November 2022) and also pulled out of the Senior Bowl; limited at the scouting combine because of a hamstring injury (March 2023) … already 24 on draft weekend.
The Broncos capped off their 2023 draft by taking Forsyth, and I don't think it was a bad one at all.
