Denver Broncos

Garett Bolles could be Denver Broncos left tackle of the future

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:00 p.m. ET

Fansided, Sayre Bedinger/FanSided via Predominantly Orange

While the 2017 NFL Draft is not renown for its offensive tackle depth, Utah’s Garett Bolles looks like a future cornerstone left tackle…

Taking an offensive lineman is never the sexy option in the first round of the NFL Draft, but there might be a future elite NFL left tackle for the Denver Broncos in Garett Bolles.

And, to be honest, if there’s a potential elite left tackle in this year’s draft, I am hoping the Broncos sacrifice our temporary happiness for the long-term effects of not having to worry about the quarterback’s blind side.

Bolles is an incredible study. Troubled as a teenager, Bolles was kicked out of his own home and taken in by another family, finding himself playing football at small Snow College in Utah before signing on as a four-star recruit to play for the Utes in 2016.

At 6-5, 300 pounds, Bolles has a thinner frame than you’d ideally like, but he has only been in a major D-1 weight training program for a season. When he gets to the NFL, I don’t view that as being any sort of problem.

It certainly wasn’t while Bolles was playing at Utah this past season…

NFL.com draft scout and analyst Lance Zierlein had this to say about Bolles:

Elite athletic ability with the sweetest feet at the tackle position in this draft.

After watching Bolles play, it’s clear that Zierlein’s evaluation is right on. Despite the fact that Bolles may not be at his maximum playing weight, he dominated pass rushers in the games I watched. He consistently set a wide base, and as the scouting report says, he showed off those ‘sweet’ feet every time he dropped into a pass set.

There is a sequence of plays in the UCLA tape I posted in this article, one play where UCLA pass rusher Takkarist McKinley (a sure-fire first round pick) embarrasses the right side of the Utah offensive line, getting to the quarterback for an easy sack.

The next play in the sequence, McKinley is going against Bolles, which ended up being one of those signature blocks that I won’t forget as long as this draft season lasts. Bolles throws McKinley to the ground after catching him initially.

The next play after that, Bolles drives McKinley up the field on a pass play that results in a first down.

There’s no denying Bolles has the talent it takes to be a left tackle in the NFL. He has incredible athletic ability for a big man, and is already technically refined to the point that I think he could step into the NFL and be a day one starter.

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So what’s the catch? Why is he not being talked about as a top 10 pick?

Well, those discussions have started, but Bolles is also 24-years old and has taken a much different path to the NFL than most of the other guys in any respective class. He took an LDS mission prior to committing to football full-time and also is married with a child.

For someone who struggled as a teen with behavior issues, Bolles has clearly re-shaped his image and changed his life around for the better. While his age is seemingly an issue on the surface, I’ve been convinced that the best case scenario for any draft pick is to last through a second contract. If Bolles plays 10 years in the NFL, he will be 35 at the end of it all.

There are still some pretty good tackles or linemen in the NFL playing into their mid-30s. But that’s not even the primary area of concern at this point. The Broncos would need Bolles to be a left tackle from now on, and I see someone that could definitely be a huge piece of the offense here.

After watching both Bolles and Ryan Ramczyk of Wisconsin, I would have to say that despite a class of offensive linemen that has been labelled poor by many, these two guys are capable of being major difference makers from day one.