Dream Draft

[SmokeBassett]

Travis Henry is the power back we've been looking for. He IS an everydown back. Mike Bell is a very capable backup who fits well in our scheme. Cecil Sapp can be a very good power back, similar to the way Droughns and Anderson were for us.

Ramsey is one of the best backups in the NFL. Dont forget, this guy is 1st round talent, drafted in the 1st by the Skins in 2002. He is talented, and no, most teams do not have 3 QB's suit up on Sunday, so there you go.

Im indifferent on the punter. I want Sauerbrun back, and Im really not a fan of Paul Ernster. That being said, drafting a punter any earlier than the 6th would be a waste.

As for the Bronco receivers, apparently you have forgotten Javon Walker, Brandon Stokley, David Kircus, Brandon Marshall, Dominik Hixon, and Quincy Morgan, on top of Rod Smith. Drafting a WR maybe late 1st day/early 2nd day for depth would be do-able though.

Defensive Tackle, Defensive end, and Safety are our biggest holes RIGHT NOW. We need to fill those as early as possible if we are going to be a Super Bowl contender this year.

I was just posting who I would draft were I in Shanny's position. But let's ponder what happens if the safety-dt-de people get their wish, which they very well may.

The Broncos, without a big short-yardage back and without a bigger offensive line, should stay about the same in short yardage situations, which means they will get 12 rushing TDs like they did last season. That's less than one rushing TD a game, and is tied for 18th in the league. It suggests a great inability to get the ball into the endzone in short yardage situations.

Last season, the Bronco offense ranked 21st in first downs per game, 21st in third downs made, 20th in third-down percentage, 15th in time of possession (admittedly, the eagles and colts ranked even lower in TOP). That suggests to me they got some problems up front. Yeah, they got a better tailback and a better tight end. But these stats tell the nitty-gritty -- can you run the ball when the other team knows you're going to run the ball? Can you run it when you have to run it? The answer is, no.

Will their passing game be better with the simple addition of Graham and Stokely? It better be, because they were 26th in the league in passing yardage per game. Admittedly, they ranked 26th in passing attempts per game, but they were 30th in pass completions per game, which means their completion percentage was below average. They were 16th in passing TDs, 24th in passing first downs, worse than the average in sacks per pass attempt and 16th in total points. Not promising for a wishful Super Bowl contender.

The defense did rank 18th in the league in sacks, and 12th in rushing defense and 21st in passing yards given up. My draft would have them taking a DE in the second round, so they would be improving their pass rush and D-line play. They have Ferguson and Brandon back from injuries and have added Bly to the starting secondary. They ranked in the top half of the league in interceptions, and 8th in the league in points allowed, despite season-ending injuries to their starting strong safety and his immediate backup. That suggests that safety is not an immediate need for the Broncos.

Yeah, safeties are sexier, but linemen are bigger.

And let's remember what happened last season:

Last game of the season - San Francisco, one of the lesser teams in the league. But Denver HAS to win. The Broncos get 3 -- 3! -- rushing first downs. Against the 49ers! They go 3-13 on third down. They get outscored 20-10 in the second half. They score 23 points on the 49ers in 65 minutes, when the 49ers gave up an AVERAGE of 26 points in 60 minutes to everyone else.

Next to last game of the season - Cincinnati, a mediocre team. Broncos must win. They do, by 1 point because the Bengals were unable to convert a point-after attempt. Broncos defense plays without Nick Ferguson. Domonique Foxworth, playing strong safety, leads the team in tackles with 12. Broncos get 6 rushing first downs, compared to the Bengals' 10. Jay Cutler is sacked 3 times. The mighty Bungals dominate the Broncos in all offensive categories.

13th game. San Diego. Broncos sure could use a win against a division rival. Opening drive stalls at Charger 45. Broncs have a chance to bury Chargers inside their own 10, but Ernster booms a 27-yard punt. Chargers take it to Broncs 45. Scifres drops it on the Bronco 8. It makes a difference. Broncs fumble, end up punting from their 4. Chargers get it at the Broncos' 40 and take it in for 7. Broncos get the ball at their 21, thanks to another no-name Bronco receiver named Brian Clark (Hey, at least he can return kicks). A penalty, a 1-yard rush and a fumble later, the Broncos punt from their own 14. Chargers get it near mid-field, take it into the endzone again. The rest of the game follows this pattern, with a few exceptions: Chargers get great field position because Denver offense cannot move the ball when it needs to or Ernster gets off a bad punt. Denver finishes 2 of 10 in third-down conversions. Both Bronco TDs come off passes, one TD drive resulting from a SD fumble on a kick return. Of 28 Bronco running plays, 11 go for 2 yards or less. Cutler is sacked 4 times. Despite a 47-yarder that is allowed to bounce into the endzone, Ernster averages 39.8 yards a punt.

San Diego, the Bronco's primary division rival, has the 7th-best rush defense in the league.

Nope, I'm sorry, but I stand by my assertion that the Broncos' most immediate need is along the offensive line. They must get better to compete against their division rivals. They also can't afford a punting game such as they had last season. Yes, they do need to get better along the defensive line, which is why I have them drafting a good all-around DE in the second round. No immediate need at safety unless Ferguson and Brandon both get injured again this season.

Remember who the Broncos had on their offensive line when they won the Super Bowl? Zimmerman, Schlereth, Bryan et al. were pro-bowlers and future hall of famers.

[pipes]

Travis Henry is the power back we've been looking for. He IS an everydown back. Mike Bell is a very capable backup who fits well in our scheme. Cecil Sapp can be a very good power back, similar to the way Droughns and Anderson were for us.

Ramsey is one of the best backups in the NFL. Dont forget, this guy is 1st round talent, drafted in the 1st by the Skins in 2002. He is talented, and no, most teams do not have 3 QB's suit up on Sunday, so there you go.

Im indifferent on the punter. I want Sauerbrun back, and Im really not a fan of Paul Ernster. That being said, drafting a punter any earlier than the 6th would be a waste.

As for the Bronco receivers, apparently you have forgotten Javon Walker, Brandon Stokley, David Kircus, Brandon Marshall, Dominik Hixon, and Quincy Morgan, on top of Rod Smith. Drafting a WR maybe late 1st day/early 2nd day for depth would be do-able though.



Defensive Tackle, Defensive end, and Safety are our biggest holes RIGHT NOW. We need to fill those as early as possible if we are going to be a Super Bowl contender this year.

Hallelujah!!!

I agree 110%

'cept that I do think that most teams DO dress three quarterbacks and Shanny is one of the only ones that does not.

[TheFuture6]

First of all, you do need a bull runner. With those tiny linemen you need all the help you can get on third and one. There were plenty of instances where the Broncos could not get the job done in short yardage. Might help to have another big blocker out there.

As for the backup quarterback, Patrick Ramsey did not look that good when he was playing for Washington. We need a backup QB who can *win* a few games for us. And a lot of teams carry three QBs instead of five tight ends.

As for punter, Ernster made a lot of short punts. Maybe he can get better, but maybe he won't. Sepulveda is a consistent, high-quality punter. Sauerbrun may just be looking for a better deal in New England.

As for the Bronco WRs, no I did not forget Smith, Walker, McCaffrey, Willie Green, Anthony Miller, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Jackson, Ricky Nattiel, Rick Upchurch, Steve Watson, Haven Moses, Riley Odoms, Lionel Taylor, et al. However, I was obviously referring to recent history. You apparently have forgotten Darius Watts, Travis McGriff, Marcus Nash, Ashley Lelie, Charlie Adams, the guy from SMU and the tight end from Duke, and a slew of other recent projects. Had a little trouble catching the ball, didn't they? Yes, it's all coming back now, isn't it?

Travis Henry is the power back we've been looking for. He IS an everydown back. Mike Bell is a very capable backup who fits well in our scheme. Cecil Sapp can be a very good power back, similar to the way Droughns and Anderson were for us.

Ramsey is one of the best backups in the NFL. Dont forget, this guy is 1st round talent, drafted in the 1st by the Skins in 2002. He is talented, and no, most teams do not have 3 QB's suit up on Sunday, so there you go.

Im indifferent on the punter. I want Sauerbrun back, and Im really not a fan of Paul Ernster. That being said, drafting a punter any earlier than the 6th would be a waste.

As for the Bronco receivers, apparently you have forgotten Javon Walker, Brandon Stokley, David Kircus, Brandon Marshall, Dominik Hixon, and Quincy Morgan, on top of Rod Smith. Drafting a WR maybe late 1st day/early 2nd day for depth would be do-able though.



Defensive Tackle, Defensive end, and Safety are our biggest holes RIGHT NOW. We need to fill those as early as possible if we are going to be a Super Bowl contender this year.

[Hoserman117]

First of all, you do need a bull runner. With those tiny linemen you need all the help you can get on third and one. There were plenty of instances where the Broncos could not get the job done in short yardage. Might help to have another big blocker out there.

As for the backup quarterback, Patrick Ramsey did not look that good when he was playing for Washington. We need a backup QB who can *win* a few games for us. And a lot of teams carry three QBs instead of five tight ends.

As for punter, Ernster made a lot of short punts. Maybe he can get better, but maybe he won't. Sepulveda is a consistent, high-quality punter. Sauerbrun may just be looking for a better deal in New England.

As for the Bronco WRs, no I did not forget Smith, Walker, McCaffrey, Willie Green, Anthony Miller, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Jackson, Ricky Nattiel, Rick Upchurch, Steve Watson, Haven Moses, Riley Odoms, Lionel Taylor, et al. However, I was obviously referring to recent history. You apparently have forgotten Darius Watts, Travis McGriff, Marcus Nash, Ashley Lelie, Charlie Adams, the guy from SMU and the tight end from Duke, and a slew of other recent projects. Had a little trouble catching the ball, didn't they? Yes, it's all coming back now, isn't it?

Ashley Lelie? He made some of the best catches i've seen by a WR. He just complained alot. Wesley Duke never had trouble catching the ball. Charlie Adams wasn't bad at catching, he just wasn't that great overall. Marcus Nash was just the biggest bust i've seen in the history of the world.Sure Darius Watts did suck pretty bad, but alot of those listed were low round draft picks, or were actualy good.

[HidEmu]

I'll throw in my dream draft here, assuming the Broncos keep the positions they have now:

1. Jonathan Blalock, G/T, Texas
I just don't see any way around it. The Broncos need instant help on the offensive line and don't need instant help anywhere else. Remember how they couldn't score any points in the first half of the season? The starting defense was certainly not the problem. In the second half of the season, the offense improved but that was generally against lesser defenses. The only elite lineman available at #21 is Blalock. Every other lineman available at that point is a developmental prospect and not going to provide instant help.

2. DE - Tim Crowder, Quentin Moses, Best Defensive End Available
DT is another possibility, but the weakness of the Broncos 4-3 was pass rush and protecting the end of the line.

3a. RB - Laron McLain, Alabama
The Broncos need a big-bull runner for short yardage situations. McLain weighs 260 pounds.

3b. Aaron Rouse, Safety
Having taken care of their immediate needs, the Broncos can draft pretty much who they want/BPA at this point. It'd be nice to draft a safety as a future replacement for Lynch, Ferguson, Brandon and company, but will there be any great safeties available at this point? I doubt it. Tanard Jackson, Aaron Rouse, maybe.

4. Chris Leak, QB, Florida
He's an accurate passer, mobile and a winner. He's also not highly regarded by the draftniks, kind of like Elvis Dumervil. He could be a steal as a backup QB in the fourth round.

5. Daniel Sepulveda, punter, Baylor

6. Joel Filani, WR, Texas Tech, or Mike Walker, WR, UCF or Renato Foster, T, Louisville
Filani and Walker have demonstrated in their college careers that they can do one thing many Bronco receivers have not been able to do in the NFL -- catch the ball!

we NEED some "instant" help on the defensive line, we always draft great olineman in the later rounds. unless an undenialbe prospect at OL falls to us in the first i doubt our 1st pick will be on OL, we need a great saftey or a great DT.

[JoRo]

Actually with Lepsis up there in age I would not mind in the least taking Staley he has the potential to be one of the better LT's and fits our offense to a T. I don't care if we could get a decent tackle at the end of the draft, if we can get a possible superstar at 21 that is well worth it

[Spyder]

To each his own..

But I'm pretty sure we don't have a 4th or 5th. :\

[GoBroncos84]

We have not had a bruising fullback since griffith, so I would love McClain. Just not that early. I think he is in the 5-7 round range. I also think there is better value at 21 than Blalock, and if thats our guy we should move down and get extra picks. Also, we do not have any 4th or 5th round selections.

[Shawshank24]

First of all, you do need a bull runner. With those tiny linemen you need all the help you can get on third and one. There were plenty of instances where the Broncos could not get the job done in short yardage. Might help to have another big blocker out there.

As for the backup quarterback, Patrick Ramsey did not look that good when he was playing for Washington. We need a backup QB who can *win* a few games for us. And a lot of teams carry three QBs instead of five tight ends.

As for punter, Ernster made a lot of short punts. Maybe he can get better, but maybe he won't. Sepulveda is a consistent, high-quality punter. Sauerbrun may just be looking for a better deal in New England.

As for the Bronco WRs, no I did not forget Smith, Walker, McCaffrey, Willie Green, Anthony Miller, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Jackson, Ricky Nattiel, Rick Upchurch, Steve Watson, Haven Moses, Riley Odoms, Lionel Taylor, et al. However, I was obviously referring to recent history. You apparently have forgotten Darius Watts, Travis McGriff, Marcus Nash, Ashley Lelie, Charlie Adams, the guy from SMU and the tight end from Duke, and a slew of other recent projects. Had a little trouble catching the ball, didn't they? Yes, it's all coming back now, isn't it?

travis henry runs with a lot of power, mike bell looked good in short yardage, and shanny has said that cecil will get a chance at rb this year (i have seen cecil carry guys for extra yards in college), so i don't think that's a real big need.

i think patrick ramsey is a better quarterback than his time in washington makes him look like. he was in a bad scheme without a lot of talent around him. he's a very capable #2, and we haven't carrried 3 quarterbacks for a while now...

you might be right about sepulveda, but his name is too hard to pronouce so i don't want him. jk. i don't want to give up on ernster yet. that article said that we offered sauerbrun an incentive deal, and that will be easy for NE to match, so you're right that he probably won't be back.

we do need an infusion of young talent at wr, but as you can see that just hasn't worked for us lately (nash, lelie, watts...) so i don't think it's worth spending high draft picks on when we have extremely pressing needs on defense.
a te is a young qbs best friend, and we now have 2 that are very capable. add in javon and marshall (budding star) along with either rod or stokley... i don't think it's a NOW need, but def a SOON need. just the thought of taking a wr high in the draft gives me the shivers and flashbacks...

like i've said before. DE, DT, and S with the 1st 3 picks. and an OL with any of the others. If that happens, i will be extatic.
:2cents:

[SmokeBassett]

First of all, we don't need a bull runner. Just stick Cecil Capp or any other fullback in the backfield when we need it. That would be a wasted 3rd round pick.

QB? We just signed Patrick Ramsey as backup and don't need to carry a 3rd QB.

Punter? We have Ernster and Sauerbrun is looking to rejoin the team.

I dont mind the Mike Walker pick, if he will be there. But what was with that dumb comment about Bronco WR's not being able to catch? Ever heard of Lionel Taylor? Haven Moses? Rick Upchurch? Or is that too distant for you? Do you remember good ol Ed? Still too far back? Maybe you can remember Rod Smith?

First of all, you do need a bull runner. With those tiny linemen you need all the help you can get on third and one. There were plenty of instances where the Broncos could not get the job done in short yardage. Might help to have another big blocker out there.

As for the backup quarterback, Patrick Ramsey did not look that good when he was playing for Washington. We need a backup QB who can *win* a few games for us. And a lot of teams carry three QBs instead of five tight ends.

As for punter, Ernster made a lot of short punts. Maybe he can get better, but maybe he won't. Sepulveda is a consistent, high-quality punter. Sauerbrun may just be looking for a better deal in New England.

As for the Bronco WRs, no I did not forget Smith, Walker, McCaffrey, Willie Green, Anthony Miller, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Jackson, Ricky Nattiel, Rick Upchurch, Steve Watson, Haven Moses, Riley Odoms, Lionel Taylor, et al. However, I was obviously referring to recent history. You apparently have forgotten Darius Watts, Travis McGriff, Marcus Nash, Ashley Lelie, Charlie Adams, the guy from SMU and the tight end from Duke, and a slew of other recent projects. Had a little trouble catching the ball, didn't they? Yes, it's all coming back now, isn't it?

[Shawshank24]

Pears wasn't drafted either!

oh, right... my bad.

haha, even more evidence to support my viewpoint, hoorah!

[stnzed]

Pears wasn't drafted either!

[24spellsD]

i like this one way better...............http://www.drafttek.com/firstround.html

[Shawshank24]

seeing as how lepsis was undrafted and erik pears was a 7th round pick (and played pretty dang well considering) i don't think our system requires us to draft a LT that high.

sure, for most clubs, LT is worth spending a 1st round pick on, but denver has a good history (maybe it's because of the scheme we run) of picking up very good lineman in the later rounds.

with stronger needs on defense, i'd really prefer not to take OL with any of our 1st 3 picks. spend those on a DE, S, and DT in whatever order works best. that's me though...

[SmokeBassett]

my perfect draft, well the first three rounds of it anyway would be

1. joe staley

2. brandom merriweather

3a. quentin moses or lamar woodley

3b. marcus thomas

That wouldn't be bad at all, although Staley supposedly has some rough edges.