ENGLEWOOD Von Miller Jersey White , Colo. (AP)The Denver Broncos mandated DeMarcus Walker bulk up this offseason. That was a big weight off his mind.As a rookie last season, Walker slimmed down to about 238 pounds in order to be more of an outside pass rushing threat. This season, he’s back at 280 and playing inside along the defensive line.He feels this should tip the scales back in his favor. After all, it’s a similar weight from when he flourished at Florida State and became a second-round pick.”Knowing what weight to play at, what I’m playing – smooth sailing,” Walker said. ”Just do my job and get better every day.”Walker began slimming down as a contingency plan when linebacker Shane Ray suffered a left wrist injury in training camp last July. Denver’s defense features a 3-4 scheme and it’s predicated on a multitude of pass rushers to assist Von Miller.The 23-year-old Walker struggled at times with his new assignment and played in just 10 games with one sack (Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes in the season finale). It was a difficult transition as his role sometimes required him to help out in coverage, which he hadn’t done since his sophomore year in college.”I had to refresh my brain and my body,” Walker said. ”I wasn’t the best at it. But I can do it.”Now, he’s on more solid ground. These days, he heads into the defensive line room with the likes of Derek Wolfe (285 pounds), Adam Gotsis (282), Shelby Harris (290), Domata Peko (325) and Zach Kerr (334).”It’s kind of funny, they still try to call me light,” Walker said. ”It’s all fun and games.”He bulked up over the last few months by eating four to five meals a day. Going back to Florida and dining on his mom’s cooking helped as well.As it turns out, he’s not a bad cook himself. His specialties?”Love lobster and shrimp,” he said. ”Love seafood.”He’s listed as a defensive end on the roster. But ask him what position he plays and he grins.”Athlete Royce Freeman Jersey ,” he said. ”Just say athlete.”Among his roles during the workouts is helping rookie pass rusher Bradley Chubb get up to speed. He’s learning plenty from Chubb as well when they play side by side.”Just how to take advantage of the offensive line. I think we’re undefeated right now,” Walker cracked of the two of them getting the best of their counterparts in offseason practice.While at Florida State, Walker had 164 tackles, 28 sacks, eight forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. That was playing mostly with his ”hand in the ground,” he said.That wasn’t always the case a season ago when he had seven tackles and spent six games as an inactive.Feel like the forgotten rusher heading into this season? ”Nah,” he said. ”I’ll wake them up. Trust me.”His coaches certainly appreciate what he brings to the table.”He’s improving,” defensive coordinator Joe Woods said. ”Last year, he was a versatile player for us.”Right now, we said, `Hey, you’re a defensive lineman.’ So, he’s put the weight on. … I got on the scale with him – or watched him get on the scale – he was up to 278, and he’s really making some tremendous improvements.”Definitely a step in the right direction.”To me, if he’s in the 270s or 280s, that’s good enough for us, to play the defensive end position and to play as an inside rusher John Elway Jersey ,” Woods said.Defensive line coach Bill Kollar will take it from there.”He understands what Bill wants,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. ”Bill’s obviously a demanding coach, so being with Bill has helped DeMarcus play harder, and obviously being bigger is going to help him play better for us.”NOTES: OL Garett Bolles plans to play this upcoming season between 300 and 305 pounds. ”Just so I can anchor when I get those bull rushes and things like that,” Bolles said. ”Feel more comfortable there. Feel more explosive and powerful there.” Bolles was in the vicinity of 290-295 in his rookie season.— If there is one area that is loaded with premier talent and depth in the 2019 NFL Draft the defensive line class is undoubtedly it. That’s a good thing for the Denver Broncos who will certainly be in the market early on to acquire more talent in their trenches on the defensive side of the ball. Let me elaborate on that.The Broncos’ currently have six players on their active roster on the defensive line: Domata Peko Sr., Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Zach Kerr, Shelby Harris and DeMarcus Walker. First and foremost, Peko Sr. and versatile backup defensive lineman Kerr will be free agents at the end of this season. Additionally, defensive ends Gotsis and Wolfe are set to hit free agency at the end of the 2020 season. One should expect the franchise to retain Shelby Harris on an affordable one-year restricted free agent contract, but also be concerned with the lack of opportunity and playing time for second-year defensive end DeMarcus Walker.Without question, the Broncos have a lot of unknowns moving forward on their defensive line. How many of the aforementioned will they retain long-term? Not only that, if the Broncos do end up making a coaching switch in the future that could mean significant changes for the defensive side of the ball in respect to schematics. Would the Broncos remain a 3-4 defense or will they switch to a four man front? Either way, the franchise would be smart to take advantage of the talent in the upcoming NFL Draft to fortify their defensive line for the future. That being said, most of the talent in the defensive trenches will rely upon the declarations of underclassmen. Though with teams always in need of pass rushers and talented prospects on the line you should expect many of the following players to declare. I won’t be offering preliminary reports on them, but just want to give Broncos Country a heads up on the crazy amount of prospects in the defensive trenches.Nick Bosa of Ohio State is widely-regarded as the top prospect in the draft regardless of position and is a mortal lock to be a top selection. He has already declared for the draft and will most certainly not be an option for the Broncos Womens Joe Flacco Jersey , but is unquestionably the blue-chip prospect that highlights a talented group of defensive ends. The ACC boasts handful of prospects who could all be first-round selections in Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell, Florida State’s Brian Burns, Boston College’s Zach Allen and University of Miami standout Joe Jackson. If the Broncos are interested in upgrading their pass rush, those are all players they need to consider. Day two prospects at the position to keep your eye on are headlined by a crop of seniors such as Charles Omenihu of Texas, Austin Bryant of Clemson, Cece Jefferson of Florida, Carl Granderson of Wyoming and Corbin Kaufusi of Brigham Young.The immense talent available doesn’t stop there. The prospects on the interior of the defensive line is just as good. Ed Oliver of Houston is often spoken of as the top man in the class, but Quinnen Williams of Alabama may give him a run for his money. I can’t forget to mention versatile Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary either. Other first-round caliber prospects include: Dre’Mont Jones of Ohio State, Jerry Tillery of Notre Dame, Jeffery Simmons of Mississippi State (character concerns could drop him significantly, but he is extremely talented), and the Clemson duo of Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins.Folks, it’s highly unusual for that many defensive line prospects to be so highly-regarded. While I expect a handful of the juniors above to head back to school, I believe many of them will take their talents to the next level and make this year’s draft class unprecedented in respect to how many defensive lineman are taken in the first round. It has the makings of being one of the best all-time and the Broncos would be fools to ignore it given there future need for reinforcements inside and out.Which of the aforementioned prospects would you love the Broncos to acquire in the 2019 NFL Draft? Sound off in the comments section and make your draft voice heard.