INDIANAPOLIS — While roaming through the hallways of the NFL scouting combine, hiding behind large plants in the ornate lobbies, I have discovered the Broncos will have to fill six spots on offense.
The positions: left guard, center, right tackle, tight end, slot receiver and fullback.
Whispering while waiting in line at the many hotel Starbucks kiosks here, I also was able to determine the Broncos will have three vacancies on defense.
The positions: two defensive linemen and a safety.
That’s nine positions total with — sh! — free agency replenishing four to six, the draft filling in one or two and in-house promotions taking care of the rest.
Here’s a look at those nine positions of need:
Left guard: Expect free agent Orlando Franklin to get handsomely paid by another team. Top free-agent candidates for the Broncos might be Mike Iupati and Chris Bolling. Ben Garland and Michael Schofield would be the top in-house candidates. Cameron Erving and A.J. Cann would be potential rookie starters from the draft.
Center: Re-signing Will Montgomery makes sense, but he just turned 32 and the Broncos may want a fresher body. Rodney Hudson, Steve Wisniewski and Samson Satele would be the best free-agent fits. Matt Paradis, who spent last season on the Broncos’ practice squad, has already caught the eye of new coach Gary Kubiak.
Right tackle: This position is the early leader for the Broncos’ first-round draft pick, No. 28 overall. Andrus Peat, Cedric Ogbuehi, D.J. Humphries and Colorado State’s Ty Sambrailo would be nice picks.
Free agency offers a zone-blocking crop that includes Derek Newton, Tyler Polumbus, Eric Winston and Ryan Harris. But the Broncos will move Louis Vasquez back to right guard.
Tight end: The first free agent the Broncos may sign back is No. 2 tight end Virgil Green. But starter Julius Thomas probably will get a lucrative contract elsewhere. It would make sense for the Broncos to replace him with free agent Owen Daniels or Jordan Cameron. Also, the Broncos probably will draft another tight end in the middle rounds.
Fullback: Kubiak likes to use a fullback primarily as a lead blocker but also to make an occasional catch. Free agents include Henry Hynoski, Jerome Felton and Will Johnson.
Slot receiver: Ideally, second-round draft pick Cody Latimer plays the outside and Emmanuel Sanders moves to the slot. If Latimer struggles, practice-squad players Nathan Palmer and Bennie Fowler could compete with Bubba Caldwell for a backup role. And the Broncos haven’t forgotten about Jordan Norwood, who missed all of last season because of a torn ACL.
Defensive line: This is going to be difficult for the Denver media to take, but it’s unlikely that Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton will return. Simply put, his market value will exceed what the Broncos are willing to pay. The Broncos will need a nose tackle to team with Marvin Austin and a “five-technique” (lines up directly over an offensive tackle) defensive end to start opposite Derek Wolfe.
Malik Jackson would play in the nickel package, and Sylvester Williams can play the three-technique (lines up outside a guard’s shoulder).
Safety: The Broncos would like Rahim Moore back, but at a home- discounted rate. If he gets a nice deal elsewhere, the top free-agent prize would be New England’s Devin McCourty. Buffalo’s Da’Norris Searcy and Indianapolis’ LaRon Landry are proven too.
That’s it. The Broncos like their young inside 3-4 linebackers behind Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall. They’re loaded at cornerback and deep with young running backs.
And they like quarterback Peyton Manning. Free agency opens March 10 and the draft begins April 30.
Mike Klis: mklis@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikeklis
