Football forecast: Predicting the Broncos' offensive and defensive rookies of the year

[Miles]

MEDIA PICKS FOR THE BRONCOS' DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR


(Individuals polled: Nicki Jhabvala, The Athletic; Lindsay Jones, The Athletic; Ryan Koenigsberg, DNVR; Brandon Krisztal, KOA; Mike Klis, KUSA; Jeff Legwold, ESPN senior writer; Steve Levy, ESPN/KUSA; Dave Logan, KOA News Radio; Ryan O'Halloran, Denver Post; James Palmer, NFL Network; Troy Renck, KMGH; Peter Schrager, NFL Network; Michael Spencer, CBS Denver)


CB Michael Ojemudia: 9 votes


Jhabvala: "Ojemudia will likely be given a chance to start at corner opposite A.J. Bouye. He'll undoubtedly face challenges as a rookie in a complex system with little offseason prep, but he should also see the most playing time of Denver's defensive rookies. Linebacker Justin Strnad also bares watching; his play on special teams and in reserve at linebacker could land him a bigger role."


Jones: "Harder time choosing this one. These awards tend to go to players who rack up stats, so if Ojemudia gets playing time early, maybe he'll have some INT opportunities."


Krisztal: "This may be an easy choice, because he was the highest drafted defensive player this year. But there's a reason the Broncos took him when he did. He's long and rangy. He's smart, real smart. … He has an engineering degree, and his dad is an engineer, so odds are he's smarter than you (he's definitely smarter than me). He was a member of Iowa's Leadership Council, so you know he had his teammates' respect on the Hawkeyes. And, I was told he was a Vic Fangio pick, which means the Broncos' head coach will likely want to get him on the field to show that he was worthy of his investment. He should be on the field a lot early, and prove that he belongs there quickly, thus remaining on the field all year."


Legwold: "His size, speed and on-field awareness should get him some snaps in the some of the specialty packages on defense and he should be a regular contributor on special teams."


Levy: "Less options here since it seems like the majority of the Broncos' upper-end rookies are all on offense. Very talented young man; he too will benefit from a big pass rush and veterans to guide him in the secondary. He should block out Chris Harris comparisons."


Logan: "[He was] drafted at a position [where] depth is an issue, which means opportunity for playing time."


O'Halloran: "If things go as planned, Ojemudia, a third-round pick from Iowa, will take over the No. 3 spot behind Bouye and Bryce Callahan and play as much as 70 percent of the defensive snaps. I also considered defensive lineman McTelvin Agim, whose versatility is intriguing as a situational player."


Renck: "He will have an opportunity to play significant snaps. If he can become a starter or the third corner, he will a significant impact in Vic Fangio's defense."


James Palmer also selected Ojemudia for the award.


DL McTelvin Agim: 2 votes


Spencer: "The Broncos went heavy on offense in the draft, and I think it might take a while for Michael Ojemudia to provide solid production, so Agim gets my vote here. He has the potential to get the most time on the field and therefore have the biggest impact, even if the numbers don't show it, of the Broncos' defensive rookies."


Peter Schrager also selected Agim for the award.


LB Justin Strnad: 2 votes


Koenigsberg: "Strnad's numbers from the combine aren't going to blow you away, especially not his 4.74 40-yard dash, but when you watch him on tape, he appears much faster than that. A little Vic Fangio tutelage could give Strnad the chance to contribute early and often as a coverage backer."


Klis: "Plays fast and tackles well. Gotta chance to get some playing time in second half of season."