Biomechanical Review: Preseason Week 1- Quick Takes
RB
CJ Anderson appears healthy, unlike this time last year. He is noticeably quicker, and appears more comfortable making reads in the Kubiak scheme.
Devontae Booker shows soft hands and good vision/ patience. He also shows good burst through the hole. He may be prone to lower-body injuries- his balance between medial-lateral mechanical pathways is less than optimal, and he tore his meniscus in college.
(side note- I embarrassingly scouted the wrong college player when I thought I was scouting Booker. Anything I previously wrote about him is total nonsense)
Ronnie Hillman appears healthy and will likely remain an important part of the running game this season. He is rightfully criticized for his lack of anterior lumbar power, but his speed to the outside is a legitimate asset for the Kubiak offense. He also shows good burst and the ability to hit the 2nd level quickly.
The above 3 RBs are locks to make the roster, and are likely to be heavily involved on offense.
If the team opts to keep FB Janovich on the roster, Juwan Thompson will also likely make the team. His positional versatility and overall versatility are key assets for a FB-based scheme.
Kabri Bibbs likely wins the award for the little engine that just couldn’t quite. He runs with skill and patience, but offers neither power nor speed. Unless one of the above players gets injured between now and the start of the season, it is doubtful that he makes the roster.
WR
Both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders appear healthy and in tip-top shape. DT is coming off a down year, in which his lack of offseason training was apparent right from the start. The difference this year is noticeable- he looks like he’s regained his previous quickness/ agility.
Bennie Fowler continues to show improvement with his route running. His main asset is his posterior thoracic/ lumbar efficiency- he runs with power and speed, including after the catch. His lack of anterior efficiency means he will likely never run truly crisp routes, nor be able to make tip-of-the-finger grabs. But he is shaping up as a plus 3rd WR in the Kubiak offense, especially when his blocking is considered.
Cody Latimer benefits most of all the WRs from the change in scheme. His main asset is his ability to grab contested balls (due to overdeveloped forearms); running slants/ drags against single coverage shows this skill nicely. Due to scheme-fit and plus-blocking, Latimer gets a bump, although his routes remain somewhat imprecise (and will likely stay that way).