2018 NFL Redraft: Lamar Jackson saves the Cleveland Browns
By Samuel Teets
5. Denver Broncos: Quenton Nelson, G (Bradley Chubb, EDGE)
Even with safety Derwin James still on the board, Nelson is the best remaining player in the 2018 NFL Redraft. The best offensive lineman to enter the NFL since Dallas’ Zack Martin in 2014, Nelson dominated during his first two seasons in the league. The Notre Dame product earned First-Team All-Pro selections in both years.
The Indianapolis Colts originally selected Nelson with the sixth overall pick. Based on talent alone, Nelson should go in the top three selections, but team needs drop him back to fifth. If not for the New York Jets desperately needing a quarterback at third overall, they would’ve taken Nelson.
In this scenario, Nelson heads to Denver and replaces either Ronald Leary at left guard, which is where Nelson plays for Indianapolis, or Connor McGovern at right guard. Leary played 11 games for the Broncos in 2017 before landing on injured reserve (IR). He only made six appearances in 2018 before heading back to IR.
NFL.com Senior Analyst Gil Brandt recently released an article pinpointing 12 players whose teams should never let them leave. Not surprisingly, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Donald appeared on the list, but so did Nelson. Brandt praised the Colts for selecting the guard, writing, “Nelson, who will be eligible for a contract extension after the upcoming season, should be the unit’s cornerstone for most (if not all) of the coming decade.”
With Drew Lock recently joining the Broncos as the team’s quarterback of the future, Denver cannot pass on drafting a generational offensive lineman.