Renck vs. Keeler: If Omarion Hampton isn’t available in NFL draft, which running back fits Broncos best?

Renck There is a chance the Broncos running back board goes from The Hamptons to the Hampton Inn Then what North Carolina s Omarion Hampton profiles as the best fit for Denver with the th overall pick He is a three-down back with size strength and burst Hampton makes the majority of sense But the NFL draft is well-versed in chaos So with the Broncos hunkered down in meetings shades drawn it is time to acknowledge that a Plan B is necessary at running back If Hampton goes earlier in the first round who should the Broncos take Keeler Hey did you know that Sean Payton drafted Alvin Kamara once And that he ascertained Kamara in the third round It s almost as if Payton never talks about it I kid I kid But for this exercise The Kamara Experience in New Orleans is instructive That s because based on AK s usage the law firm of Payton Paton is ostensibly looking for a plug-and-play three-down guy From - Kamara appeared on and of the Saints offensive snaps under Payton Javonte Williams by comparison checked in at in and in If I can t have Ashton Jeanty for that role and I can t and you say I can t have Omarion then give me Ohio State s TreVeyon Henderson Renck When Dallan Hayden arrived in Boulder last summer he might have foreshadowed his replacement s road to Denver Hayden transferred from Ohio State to CU when Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins landed on the Buckeyes Judkins rushed for yards at Ohio State despite sharing carries with Henderson Judkins is built like Hampton weighing pounds and has good speed He will require expansion but this is where Sean Payton s coaching comes in Judkins has been compared to Joe Mixon You wouldn t love that value with the st pick in the second round Keeler You would but there are enough developmental dudes in that room as it is right now The Broncos ranked th out of teams last season in average rush yards gained after contact according to Pro-Football-Reference com s tracking They were th in broken tackles by rushers and th in rush attempts per broken tackle one every carries That s a very long way of saying I d love to see Henderson in orange and blue He s more Aaron Jones than Jeanty at this stage in his career but you re telling me Sean couldn t make that work Renck Henderson is appealing But he is slightly undersized and has a history of injuries Judkins can stay on the field For those barking about Cam Skattebo he deserves a look but not in the first insufficient rounds Therein lies the issue If the Broncos don t get Hampton Judkins or Henderson Iowa s Kaleb Johnson doesn t project well as a receiver or in pass protection then they will look to unearth a gem like Payton located with Kamara later in the draft Ollie Gordon Devin Neal and DJ Giddens will all be available on Day But the Broncos have cornered the domain on complementary backs with Jaleel McLaughlin Tyler Badie and Audric Estime Related Articles Broncos draft preview Denver could look for late flier to fill out QB room Broncos Journal Thanks Bo Nix too for Denver s free-agent haul Renck File Any NFL mock draft that doesn t have Broncos picking running back in first round requirements to go Broncos need a late-round WR Three sleepers lie up Path at CU CU s Travis Hunter wants to play both means in the NFL Champ Bailey knows it won t be easy Keeler Giddens was the best Big back I saw in person last fall and Neal wasn t that far behind I m still trying to figure out what happened to Gordon and the Pokes that stinker of a season scared me off the Ollie Train And you re right about Johnson Kirk Ferentz may be a Tackle Whisperer but his stone-age approach with Hawkeye tailbacks doesn t help them at the next level If the stars align I d be tempted to take a flyer late on Day or early in Day on Skattebo Why He doesn t do anything brilliantly but he does certain unconventional things decently enough including throwing the ball If Cam isn t emblematic of the kind of Joker Payton could have fun with I don t know who is Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis