The Broncos Drafted a Rolls Royce for their Backfield

The Denver Broncos took the self-proclaimed Rolls Royce, Royce Freeman, with the seventy-first selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Freeman is…

The Denver Broncos took the self-proclaimed Rolls Royce, Royce Freeman, with the seventy-first selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Freeman is…

The Broncos Drafted a Rolls Royce for their Backfield

Freeman’s running style is patient and mature

The Denver Broncos took the self-proclaimed Rolls Royce, Royce Freeman, with the seventy-first selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Freeman is an experienced, big back, who shows tremendous patience, short area burst and change of direction ability. Freeman walks into a wide open situation for immediate playing time. While he isn’t the most spectacular runner nor did he excel at the combine testing, his resume is impressive.

RB Royce Freeman

  • Size: 5’11” / 231
  • Draft Selection: #71 (2018)
  • Depth Chart: RB1 (competing w/ vets Davontae Booker & De’Angelo Henderson)
  • ’18 Outlook: RB2 (RB1- if he quickly adapts to NFL & Denver’s offense clicks)
  • Athletic Profile: Above Average (Player Profiler)
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rolls_royce21/
  • NFL Comparison: Le’Veon Bell (sans elite receiving ability) / Steven Jackson

Outlook: Freeman is currently undervalued due to a variety of factors: an unspectacular running style, a dense college workload and average athletic testing. Yet this is one of the most productive runners to enter the NFL in recent history. He also landed in an ideal spot to exceed even the most positive expectations in 2018. The “Rolls” Royce isn’t a home run hitter, he doesn’t have the open field burst or Barry Sanders type quickness that jump off the screen. He is a patient runner who knows how to set up his blocks, to take advantage of short area vision & burst to churn out 10+ yard runs. This is where the Le’Veon Bell comp originates from. Freeman had over 2100 total yards & 19 TD’s as a true sophomore; excluding an injury-plagued ’16, he never had less than 1500 total yards and 16 TDs in 4 college seasons. Sometimes we over think the analysis. Royce Freeman only needs to outplay Davontae Booker (a player he was better than against the same competition — Pac12 Conference) and second-year man De’Angelo Henderson to be the primary ball carrier. Outside of Saquon Barkley in NY, no other rookie back has a clearer path to 200+ touches and likely RB2 production.

Opportunity: The Denver Broncos want to deploy a ball control, high-efficiency offense in 2018 that’s predicated on a consistent running attack. The Broncos released their primary runner from 2017, CJ Anderson (now in Carolina), leaving a big opportunity in the backfield (245 carries and 40 targets). Freeman has a chance to be in the top-10 RB touches for ’18.

Long-term: Royce Freeman has the size, agility and football skillset to have a long, fruitful NFL career. The probability of him being the “next Le’Veon” is low, yet the college production, size and key measurables (decent speed, speed score, agility) indicate a player with more talent than the casual fantasy (and pro) pundit is giving him credit. He needs to improve his passing game skills (pass protection & route running) and stay healthy. He has the talent & situational opportunity to be one of the top offensive rookie of the year favorites, and the size/productivity to hold onto the Denver job for the foreseeable future (4 years min.). He will be in my top 10 rookie rankings, and I’ll target him as a good value (high floor) play just outside the top 5 (Barkley, Penny, Guice, Michel & Jones?).