2021 NFL Mock Draft: Bears trade into top 10, Washington Football Team goes offense

After moving down, the Broncos are able to target a position that they have a need at: Linebacker. But the prospects available certainly fit the range better than the No. 9 overall pick.

The Broncos have the makings of a potentially great defense, especially after adding Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby to the mix at corner this year. The weak point of their stop unit is the linebacker spot. Alexander Johnson is a good three-down player, but Josey Jewell is probably best served as a rotational player or top backup.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would give the Broncos a linebacker to help in coverage and rotate with Jewell, but JOK is more than that. The versatile playmaker can line up at the safety spot and in the slot, so he should have a chance to make some plays wherever the Broncos want to play him.

Last year at Notre Dame, Owusu-Koramoah posted 62 tackles, 11 TFL, 1.5 sacks, three pass defenses, and an interception while playing all over the defense. Need a linebacker? The 6-foot-1, 215-pound playmaker can do it. Need someone to play at safety? He can do that too. He checks the box at the slot and on the edge as well.

Frankly, there’s nothing JOK can’t do save for play the defensive line. He may be a bit light to be a full-time linebacker, but Vic Fangio will find a way to use him. Given that the team has tried to use the likes of Will Parks and Su’a Cravens as a sub-linebacker/safety hybrid, they could be looking for exactly what Owusu-Koramoah can provide.

Maybe Fangio would prefer a bigger linebacker like Jamin Davis here, but Owusu-Koramoah seems to be the better fit. So, he’ll be the selection at this juncture of the mock draft.