Denver Broncos mock draft: 3rd pick: Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona State
One thing that became clear while Wilson was in Seattle, was the fact that Wilson felt as though the offensive line was poor. Wilson found himself running out of the pocket many times and was forced to get a little creative due to his offensive line, and while part of that is due to Wilson leaving the pocket early at times, Seattle still had a weak offensive line.
The Broncos don’t necessarily have a bad offensive line, but they don’t have a great one either certainly. Garrett Bolles has been the best offensive lineman on the Broncos for the past couple of years, and he should continue to be as he is still under contract with the Broncos for the next couple of seasons.
Outside of Bolles, you just don’t have much to write home about. Going from left to right, the Broncos will likely be starting Dalton Risner, Llyod Cushenberry, Graham Glashow, and new free agent, Billy Turner. All four of these linemen are about average to below average. The newest piece is Billy Turner as he has returned to the team after a few years with the Packers.
In recent years, the Broncos have had a revolving door at the right tackle position as the likes of Demar Dotson, Elijah Wilkenson, Jared Veldheer, and Bobbie Massie have all played right tackle for the Broncos. That should likely continue with the signing of Billy Turner.
Turner was an okay right tackle with the Packers, but certainly nothing special. While Turner can be an okay tackle, the Broncos should somewhat at least look to the future.
For starters, Diesch is nimble. Diesch has shown the ability to be light on his feet in pass sets and also very quick when going forward in the run game. It also helps Dieschs case that he has some quick hands to go with his quick feet. Diesch is a bit on the lighter side of things while also being 24 years old currently.
Diesch has likely moved up some draft boards in recent times as he had a great combine. According to Mockdraftable, Diesch had a 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle within the 95th percentile compared to other offensive linemen, with his 10 yard split being within the 93rd percentile.
Diesch also had a good vertical that landed him within the 91st percentile and a broad jump that landed him in the 86th percentile.
Diesch will likely not be a starting offensive tackle for the Broncos, but if you give him a year to develop, Diesch could turn into a quality offensive tackle.
Other Players Considered: Luke Goedeke, Justyn Ross, Max Mitchell