As the Denver Broncos get ready to open training camp, the spotlight is landing on a rookie class that may need to do some heavy lifting. Denver reached the AFC Championship game, added a few veterans, and now the pressure shifts to the first-year group to help close the gap.
That’s not an easy ask when the draft haul was limited. The Broncos had just one pick in the first three rounds and made seven selections overall, with three coming in the final 15 picks.
History says most rookie classes don’t produce major contributions from five or six players, which makes the search for a true surprise a little tougher. Still, one name stands out.
Red Murdock, Denver’s final pick and Mr. Irrelevant, is the rookie with the best chance to turn heads.
The label usually doesn’t come with much optimism, but Murdock’s path to Denver helps explain why he was still on the board so late. He spent the draft process sidelined by an injury, which kept him from showing teams much on the field. That left clubs with tape and interviews, and injuries have a way of making teams cautious when the board starts thinning out.
Even so, Murdock carried fourth-round grades from most draft analysts. He slipped partly because of the medical concerns, but not only because of them.
His film also showed some issues in coverage, and that matters more than ever for linebackers in today’s NFL. Offenses keep forcing those players into space, and Murdock’s movement skills there are not his strongest trait.
Add the lower-half injury on top of that, and the concern only grows.
But Denver may be able to hide some of those flaws and lean into what he does best. The Broncos’ usage of linebackers could allow Murdock to play downhill, where he’s at his best as a thumper. That’s the kind of role that could make him useful right away.
There’s another part of his game that fits what Denver needs. Murdock set college records for forcing fumbles, and the Broncos could use more help creating takeaways or at least giving themselves more chances to do it.
His special-teams value also gives him another path onto the field. On tape, he shows strong technique and a real knack for punching the ball loose, or even prying it free.
If the Broncos can put him in positions that play to those strengths while minimizing the coverage issues, Murdock has a real shot to be one of the biggest rookie surprises on the roster, even as the final name selected in this year’s draft.
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