A look at analysts’ top picks after the Combine

As we take early steps toward the 2022 NFL Draft, NFL analysts are starting to feel out potential targets for the Broncos and other teams with their top picks.

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports (March 7): CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati

Drafting CBs with back-to-back first-round picks might seem like overkill, but Denver will lose some members of its secondary to free agency, and more than that, they also play in a division that includes Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.

James Dator, SB Nation (March 7): DT Jordan Davis

The combine performances of the DL duo, Jordan Davis and Travon Walker were on an entire other level. Both players were inhuman in Indianapolis, redefining how men of their size move and carry themselves. When we look at production in the NFL, plus what teams crave, so much of it hinges on versatility. I don’t want to get too hyperbolic comparing anyone to Aaron Donald, but I will say that both Davis and Walker have similar traits that will allow them to move around the defensive line and work almost any position.

Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire (March 6): QB Kenny Pickett, Pitt

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports (March 2): CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Cincinnati

Gardner glides around the field and plays the ball outstandingly in the air. Lockdown tandem in Denver.

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN (March 1): DE Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State (via trade)

Johnson is one of the biggest risers of the past month; he dominated at the Senior Bowl, showing that his 12 sacks after transferring from Georgia weren’t a fluke.

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com (March 1): ILB Devin Lloyd, Utah

The versatile Lloyd is a sideline-to-sideline playmaker with exceptional instincts, awareness and ball skills.