The Broncos are a Tightend and a Safety Away from being an Elite Team

[MilitantDBFan]

As we all know nothing is guaranteed in this league. But the broncos have visible weaknesses on a very strong team. They lack a true possession reciever after rod smith and a playmaking ball hawk saftey. Nick Ferguson and John Lynch have been adequate but are both in the later stages of their career. Its time for new blood its time to start looking forward to the 2006 NFL Draft.

Pick Range 12-15 from Redskins - Mercedes Lewis UCLA - Playmaking TE in the mold of a widereciever like tony gonzalez. He would be a much needed addition. 6'6 a great redzone target. Someone that could take this offense to another level.

Pick Range 27-31 - Darnell Bing USC - excellent player at the saftey position. stout in the run game and a solid coverage safety. This guy is ALWAYS around the ball. He would be a perfect fit for this high speed defense.

I truly believe with these two additions we could focus ONLY on keeping the guys that we already have. No need to spend money on big name free agents at the skill positions. The broncos could be COMPLETING a team that has talent in all areas. Every level of the field would be covered.

With that being said i would not be shocked to see us resign Matt Lepsis and take our pick between Trevor Pryce and Gerrard Warren. I have a feeling mike is getting hot and is feeling pretty confident in his draft picking skills, so dont be surprised if in the the 2nd, 3rd and 4th you see a run on DT, and DE. He rebuilt the secondary like that whey not the dline. Only time will tell.

[BroncoRT]

As we all know nothing is guaranteed in this league. But the broncos have visible weaknesses on a very strong team. They lack a true possession reciever after rod smith and a playmaking ball hawk saftey. Nick Ferguson and John Lynch have been adequate but are both in the later stages of their career. Its time for new blood its time to start looking forward to the 2006 NFL Draft.

Pick Range 12-15 from Redskins - Mercedes Lewis UCLA - Playmaking TE in the mold of a widereciever like tony gonzalez. He would be a much needed addition. 6'6 a great redzone target. Someone that could take this offense to another level.

Pick Range 27-31 - Darnell Bing USC - excellent player at the saftey position. stout in the run game and a solid coverage safety. This guy is ALWAYS around the ball. He would be a perfect fit for this high speed defense.

I truly believe with these two additions we could focus ONLY on keeping the guys that we already have. No need to spend money on big name free agents at the skill positions. The broncos could be COMPLETING a team that has talent in all areas. Every level of the field would be covered.

With that being said i would not be shocked to see us resign Matt Lepsis and take our pick between Trevor Pryce and Gerrard Warren. I have a feeling mike is getting hot and is feeling pretty confident in his draft picking skills, so dont be surprised if in the the 2nd, 3rd and 4th you see a run on DT, and DE. He rebuilt the secondary like that whey not the dline. Only time will tell.

I agree with you on the safety. The TE position right now I feel is OK. The TE's do what Shanny asks from them block and catch when thrown their way. They are not game changers, but there are only four of them in the NFL in Shockey, Gates, Gonzalez and Crumpler, so they are hard to come by. Last year Shanny had a chance to pick up Miller and he passed. This year I won't be surprised if he picks Lewis, he is a good looking receiving TE that Shanny likes. Personally I want a ball hawk safety in either Bing, Huff or Landry and DT Claude Wroten out of LSU in the first round. Darnell Bing is not going to drop that low in the draft, so he would have to be our first pick. He will be taken by #20.

[PsychoChicken]

First of all, the tight end to get is Vernon Davis of Maryland (if he declares). I feel Davis is a better fit for the Broncos offense; his athleticism means he can be utilized much like Shannon Sharpe was.

But I've always downplayed the need to draft a tight end in the first round. Productive tight ends are found all over the draft. Heath Miller, who was the lone first rounder, had 26 catches for 248 yards going into this week. Alex Smith, who was taken in the third round, had 22 catches for 220 yards going into this week. Bo Scaife, who was taken in the 6th round, had 22 catches for 162 yards. And Adam Bergen, who went undrafted, is working his way into the starting lineup, and had 4 catches for 35 yards last week.

And then there are my two favorite examples: Ben Coates was a fifth rounder; Shannon Sharpe was a 7th rounder.

So the point is, I feel like TE is a position that can wait until later on in the draft. Kubiak's scheme tends to get the best out of the TEs, so a first rounder just isn't necessary. I personally like Jeff King of Virginia Tech or David Thomas of Texas.

Outside of Jimmy Williams, who will probably opt to play corner, there really aren't any elite safeties in the draft (i.e. Roy Williams, Sean Taylor). There also isn't much dropoff between the "1st round" safeties like Bing and Landry and the "2nd-3rd round" safeties like Pat Watkins, Anthony Smith, or Greg Blue. Because of this, I'd rather draft a centerfielder like Watkins or Smith later on, rather than dropping a first rounder on Landry, who is only a mildly better prospect, or Bing, who is more of a strong safety.

So who gets taken in the first round? At least one d-lineman, of course. Now that Shanahan has all those former 1st rounders on his d-line, and he sees how much difference actual talent makes, he will invest in more first round talent to make up for the potential losses of Pryce, Ekuban, Brown, and/or Warren.

[OhNoKoolAid]

First of all, the tight end to get is Vernon Davis of Maryland (if he declares). I feel Davis is a better fit for the Broncos offense; his athleticism means he can be utilized much like Shannon Sharpe was.

But I've always downplayed the need to draft a tight end in the first round. Productive tight ends are found all over the draft. Heath Miller, who was the lone first rounder, had 26 catches for 248 yards going into this week. Alex Smith, who was taken in the third round, had 22 catches for 220 yards going into this week. Bo Scaife, who was taken in the 6th round, had 22 catches for 162 yards. And Adam Bergen, who went undrafted, is working his way into the starting lineup, and had 4 catches for 35 yards last week.

And then there are my two favorite examples: Ben Coates was a fifth rounder; Shannon Sharpe was a 7th rounder.

So the point is, I feel like TE is a position that can wait until later on in the draft. Kubiak's scheme tends to get the best out of the TEs, so a first rounder just isn't necessary. I personally like Jeff King of Virginia Tech or David Thomas of Texas.

Outside of Jimmy Williams, who will probably opt to play corner, there really aren't any elite safeties in the draft (i.e. Roy Williams, Sean Taylor). There also isn't much dropoff between the "1st round" safeties like Bing and Landry and the "2nd-3rd round" safeties like Pat Watkins, Anthony Smith, or Greg Blue. Because of this, I'd rather draft a centerfielder like Watkins or Smith later on, rather than dropping a first rounder on Landry, who is only a mildly better prospect, or Bing, who is more of a strong safety.

So who gets taken in the first round? At least one d-lineman, of course. Now that Shanahan has all those former 1st rounders on his d-line, and he sees how much difference actual talent makes, he will invest in more first round talent to make up for the potential losses of Pryce, Ekuban, Brown, and/or Warren.

I agree with this completely. Tight end, safety, guard and running back have the least overall value and the highest opportunity cost in the first round. When you look at the available tight ends in this year's class the talent is about as deep as the position can be, even if Pope stays in school. I expect Davis to leave and he is the most explosive playmaker at the position. Lewis is a solid prospect, but his speed is overrated, he's rail thin, and may not be able to contribute in all packages right away as Davis could. Besides, Putzier was given the contract and has proven to be a viable option recently, and the team is still high on Duke. Tight end is a day two draft if taken at all. Safety has been discussed at length elsewhere.

Besides, those two positions aren't holding this team back one bit. If anything is, it is the speed rush without blitz that is hurting this team, and a pass rusher will likely be needed first and foremost. 3rd receiver and possible Lepsis replacement are the next areas I'd look, but definately end first, and I'd love to package picks for one of the big two ends.

[Jaws]

The Broncos are a Tightend and a Safety Away from being an Elite Team

I was thinking the same a few days ago, with safety being the biggest priority.

[ReleaseTheBeast7]

While I think that the Broncos need a TE, just as much as a WR, I think there's less value past the first three wide receivers then there is at TE this year. With the first three wide receivers, we have Santonio Holmes, Derek Hagan, and Chad Jackson. Santonio will go someplace between 12-17, I wouldn't mind nabbing him. Derek Hagan will go 20-25 and Chad Jackson should go anywhere from 30 to the first or second pick in the second round, depending on team needs. I like picking a WR with one of our first two picks, and a safety with the other (Michael Huff, Darnell Bing, Greg Blue, and since Benard Pollard just declared, he could be a possiblity also). I like the depth at the safety position this year, there's going to be alot of pro bowlers over the years that are going to come out of this draft.

THEN in the second round, I say we get TE, unless Daryll Tapp is avalible, because the guy is a monster. But, if Tapp is off the board, then I say we shoot for a big, playmaking, redzone threat TE, someone like Leonard Pope.

Our top three needs to this point:
WR
S
DT

Although, even though DT is a top priority, I say we wait out until the later rounds, because I'm pretty sure that Kris Jenkins may be enterring the free agency, and... Um... Jenkins > Any rookie.

We'll see though.

[PsychoChicken]

While I think that the Broncos need a TE, just as much as a WR, I think there's less value past the first three wide receivers then there is at TE this year. With the first three wide receivers, we have Santonio Holmes, Derek Hagan, and Chad Jackson. Santonio will go someplace between 12-17, I wouldn't mind nabbing him. Derek Hagan will go 20-25 and Chad Jackson should go anywhere from 30 to the first or second pick in the second round, depending on team needs. I like picking a WR with one of our first two picks, and a safety with the other (Michael Huff, Darnell Bing, Greg Blue, and since Benard Pollard just declared, he could be a possiblity also). I like the depth at the safety position this year, there's going to be alot of pro bowlers over the years that are going to come out of this draft.

THEN in the second round, I say we get TE, unless Daryll Tapp is avalible, because the guy is a monster. But, if Tapp is off the board, then I say we shoot for a big, playmaking, redzone threat TE, someone like Leonard Pope.

Our top three needs to this point:
WR
S
DT

Although, even though DT is a top priority, I say we wait out until the later rounds, because I'm pretty sure that Kris Jenkins may be enterring the free agency, and... Um... Jenkins > Any rookie.

We'll see though.
First of all, the WR class is pretty balanced; there is little dropoff between the 1st rounders and the 2nd rounders. While WR is somewhat of a need, I'm firmly set on Martin Nance and Hank Baskett, who are bigger, taller possession receivers, which is what we need. Even Jason Avant would suffice, though he isn't as tall. There's no need to use a 1st round pick on the three guys you listed, when Nance, Baskett, and Avant will all be there later on, and are also very talented players.

Did you read my little thing on safeties earlier this thread? 2nd or 3rd round: Anthony Smith or Pat Watkins (amongst others). I like them a lot, don't you?

The way I see things, the smartest thing would be to take one of the many 1st round DEs and an OT in the first because these two positions have a significant dropoff in talent after the 1st round....and they also happen to be needs. Then a WR and a S would be the other first day picks; these positions will contain many solid players well into the third-fourth round.

I agree DT is quite the need, and Jenkins would be nice to have, but as MUG often reminds us, we're 27 million over the salary cap next year. If anything is done at the position in free agency, it will be the re-signing of Warren (why hasn't it happened yet?). I'm not quite sure where a DT or NT would fit into the draft plans; I guess it could be a position worth spending a first round pick on.

[Emancipator]

Interesting. We can look at that as our present TEs and Safeties need to step up or we need new TEs and Safeties.

Very interesting. How do we reach your intial point this year?

[ttejuco]

If we had the chance to get Michael Huff, i think it would be too big of a risk to not take him. I remember years ago we passed on someone named Ed Reed?

[DENVER BRONCO56]

i live in so cal. I watch every USC game and BING is great, but i think we have a Star in browner, he was a great cover CB, he has the size to play safety that would give us a good cover safety...and DUKE could easily be taht BIG play TE...he is 6'5 43inch vert....


but i think we need a WR replacment for rod(start grooming him) and a OT for lepsis(max gena gilles, huge and quick)

[Sevenis7]

i live in so cal. I watch every USC game and BING is great, but i think we have a Star in browner, he was a great cover CB, he has the size to play safety that would give us a good cover safety...and DUKE could easily be taht BIG play TE...he is 6'5 43inch vert....


but i think we need a WR replacment for rod(start grooming him) and a OT for lepsis(max gena gilles, huge and quick)

Agree 100% about Duke and Browner. Would love to see a "game breaker" WR selected, but is there one coming out in this draft? Most seem like possession, "move the chains"-sort of players. Depending on whom we re-sign and/or re-structures, D-line and O-line will be the priority. Supposedly this draft will be deep in linemen...

[TheChampion]

i definately agree with OhNo that the position we sorely need is a pash rusher.

i am undecided on whether we should move up and try to nab either Kiwi or Mario Williams, to me it all depends on how Edwards, Hali, and Dumervil do at the combine. if they have satisfactory workouts i am certainly all for waiting and nabbing one of them with our pick in the teens.

if they do poorly i wouldn't be against packaging some picks and moving up to a top 10 spot.

safety is also a place that could be addressed in round 1 of the draft, however in my opinion there aren't any real game breakers at the position in the draft. there aren't any Ed Reeds, Sean Taylors, or Roy Williams, thus i think there are other positions that could use some tweaking.

our wide receiving corpse isn't the flashiest but it gets the job done. with no bigtime playmakers in the draft at this position i think it can wait until later in the draft to pick up a guy. i haven't seen Greg Jennings but from what i hear he is somewhat similar to Jerome Mathis of last year. he could be a guy to look at in the 4th or 5th round.

this draft is loaded with future stars at the offensive line position, and i think that a Marcus McNeill or a Eric Winston or a Joe Thomas or a Jonathan Scott. one of them will be available with our second first round pick and i think they are just too good to pass up.

[Perry1977]

Personally, I have a feeling that Gerrard Warren will be a Bronco for a while. I see him as the answer at DT. To me, we need a speed rushing DE more than anything. With Pryce and Warren continually demanding double-teams...SOMEBODY should be getting a lot more sacks than they are getting. Instead we have to rely on continual blitzing to produce pressure. When blizting becomes your only weapon in the pass rush, it becomes a bit of a gimmick.

Courtney Brown hasn't impressed me all year until last game, where he had a great game against the run. But he just doesn't have the burst to get off and around the edge.

But it all depends on who stays and who goes. We can't predict the future, but maybe the Broncos have a better idea. Who knows? Maybe the Browns will stick around as a unit for another year.

I do believe that we need a TE. If all three of those guys are available with our second first rounder, we need to pull the trigger on the best one. I think it will be either Lewis or Davis. Pope is big...but I have watched him some and I think maybe that's all he is. It's so hard to tell who is going to succeed in the NFL.

I think that the lack of a TE who can a) block and b) get open are a big part of our 3rd down woes. I also believe that that is the "wildcard" that keeps good offenses clicking. Look at what Gates did for the Chargers. Look what Tony G did all those years for KC...look what Sharpe did here.

Putzier is not that great of a tight end. Sure, Duke has all kinds of "upside," but are we going to bank on it? A big-time tight end would open up the deep passing game that has been missing, as well as help the running game stay consistent.

As far as safeties go, I have said it before and will continue to say it, we are better off now than we have been for years. Ferg is awesome, he's been a playmaker all year and is twice the safety Kennedy was. Sure, Lynch is getting old, but he's going to be good for at least 1 more year. I think next year is the year we draft a big, bad safety. Just look at the Raven's D. Where is Ed Reed? Being average behind a sub-par D-Line, that's where.

Also, I think the WRs are doing much better than last year. They are not dropping nearly as many balls; but they aren't getting the chances they did last year, either. See Tight End. Adams is a solid #3, Lelie is very talented, and I think is better now than any WR we could draft.

I am not opposed to drafting a WR, but please, please don't blow a 1st-rounder on one...especially in a weak WR draft like this. Just look at the Lions situation now. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to be the Lions right now, and all they have done is drafted high-ranking WR's over the past 3 years.

I think Sinorice Moss is extremely underrated and if we can get him with our third rounder, I say do it.

In my opinion, our priorities (and generic draft order, unless somebody who shouldn't be available is) are as follows:

1) Speed rushing DE.
2) Tight End
3) O-line Depth
4) Wide Receiver
5) Running Back (because we always do!)