2. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos still had nine picks in the 2022 NFL Draft despite not having a first-rounder and made some solid picks in the process. The team's first pick of the 2022 NFL Draft was the 64th overall pick, where Denver took outside linebacker Nik Bonitto.
This selection made sense for the Broncos as you can never have too much depth on the edge and Bonitto was a solid choice in himself. This was right in the range where he was expected to go in the draft and in Bonitto the Broncos are getting one of the most talented pass-rushers in the class.
Bonitto leaves some meat on the bone when it comes to defending the run but as a pure pass-rusher, the Broncos are going to be really happy with what they get out of the former Oklahoma Sooner.
It is the next two selections by the Broncos that hammer home this being a solid class. After trading away Noah Fant in the Russell Wilson trade the Broncos got my TE1 in the class in Greg Dulcich. Prior to signing Gerald Everett, Dulcich was someone who potentially made sense for the LA Chargers in the mid-rounds of this draft. He is going to be yet another vertical threat for Wilson to throw to.
Then the Broncos drafted Damarri Mathis in the fourth round. The Chargers wound up taking Isaiah Spiller in the fourth round and I would not be shocked if they would have taken Mathis instead if he was still on the board. Mathis has the athleticism that the Chargers were targeting in the secondary in the draft and is going to be a solid slot corner at least for Denver.
Eyioma Uwazurike should be a solid nose tackle for Denver while the rest of the picks are going to be project picks, similarly to the LA Chargers' later picks. This is a solid class for Denver, especially without a first.