Trading Up in the '14 Draft with '15 picks...

[58 broncomaniac]

I think people are over valuing our depth at WR. We have DT, Sanders, Welker, and Caldwell. What happens if DT blows out his knee? Does anyone feel comfortable with whats left? I sure dont. That is why I want a big WR early.

As to gems:
DT Bruce Gaston
CB Bennett Jackson
LB Prince Shembo
WR L'Damian Washington
RB Lorenzo Taliaferro
DT Jay Bromley

Those ate guys I like later in the draft.

Lol that is a huge appetite. Seriously though those are good later round developmental guys.

[FlowdaBroncoFan]

Good post. You did a very nice and thorough write up. I would add the center Martin in the second and Sankey in the third.

I too am a huge fan of Sankey. He would fit our system perfectly.

[Joshecalpoly]

I think people are over valuing our depth at WR. We have DT, Sanders, Welker, and Caldwell. What happens if DT blows out his knee? Does anyone feel comfortable with whats left? I sure dont. That is why I want a big WR early.

As to gems:
DT Bruce Gaston
CB Bennett Jackson
LB Prince Shembo
WR L'Damian Washington
RB Lorenzo Taliaferro
DT Jay Bromley

Those ate guys I like later in the draft.

I agree with that which is why I said it was a future need. Janis is a good tall WR with a lot of athleticism

Gaston was high on my list except in our system we use penetrating DT's who can get to the QB Gaston struggles in this aspect against better lineman so I took him off my list though as far UDFA DT's hes the best

Bennett Jackson is not that good of a tackler and its a problem and Ild prefer to have some someone who could be more versatile and play CB or FS if we need.

Love Prince Shempo as a thumper but he cant drop back to save his life

WR L'Damian Washington does not have the hips hes got good straight line speed good size but without that hes one dimensional and Ild prefer a better blocker at WR

I named the last 2 already

[Joshecalpoly]

Good post. You did a very nice and thorough write up. I would add the center Martin in the second and Sankey in the third.

Sankey is a good 2nd round pick solid player and if I were more of a fan of drafting RB's high ild be all over him. He has one of the best hands in the draft but chances are unless we fall back in the 2nd we wont see Sankey and Im not sure its enough of a need to justify that. Also he needs a bit more muscle for a guy drafted where he is

There is no denying Martin has elite body type and hes got a good push on him but I dont like his foot work. Normally ild be all over drafting a C in the 1st 3 rounds and I dislike ManRams inability to properly snap the ball and I question his leadership/IQ level for the position. However i am not 100% this is the year to really draft a C early on

[FrostySeamus]

How about Aaron Colvin or Walt Aikens in rounds 4-5 for CB?
Darrin Reaves or Damien Williams 6-FA Rodeick McDowell FA RB. Yes Williams has some off field issues but has some serious talent and may not even be drafted. I'm also not quite sure exactly what the situation was with him getting kicked off the team at OU. So it may be more serious than I am aware.

[Joshecalpoly]

How about Aaron Colvin or Walt Aikens in rounds 4-5 for CB?
Darrin Reaves or Damien Williams 6-FA Rodeick McDowell FA RB. Yes Williams has some off field issues but has some serious talent and may not even be drafted. I'm also not quite sure exactly what the situation was with him getting kicked off the team at OU. So it may be more serious than I am aware.

Aikens has good straight line speed and fairly good hips but Ive seen him beaten by inferior receivers on in routes and cuts which will happen a lot more at the next level.

Colvins injury concerns have really dropped him farther then 4th or 5th and the fact he hasnt shown hes healthy has gotten teams scared of him, he isnt the best at getting jump balls before the ACL tare and concussion and he wasnt the best with his hips in route running and got taken out of plays quite often I would consider him more but if a player has major injuries like he has it would help if they showed more at workouts then hes been able to.

[FrostySeamus]

Aikens has good straight line speed and fairly good hips but Ive seen him beaten by inferior receivers on in routes and cuts which will happen a lot more at the next level.

Colvins injury concerns have really dropped him farther then 4th or 5th and the fact he hasnt shown hes healthy has gotten teams scared of him, he isnt the best at getting jump balls before the ACL tare and concussion and he wasnt the best with his hips in route running and got taken out of plays quite often I would consider him more but if a player has major injuries like he has it would help if they showed more at workouts then hes been able to.

Valid concerns. My view of Aikens is he is raw. A good bit of his issue is recognition. Something that can be coached. He is a project player but given a year he could be very good. Colvin just tore his ACL like 2 months ago so he goes to IR this year. But he has all year plus next offseason to rehab and get bigger and stronger to deal with NFL receivers. I think that's where a good deal of his problems stem from. At least what I have seen.

[Joshecalpoly]

Valid concerns. My view of Aikens is he is raw. A good bit of his issue is recognition. Something that can be coached. He is a project player but given a year he could be very good. Colvin just tore his ACL like 2 months ago so he goes to IR this year. But he has all year plus next offseason to rehab and get bigger and stronger to deal with NFL receivers. I think that's where a good deal of his problems stem from. At least what I have seen.

Its actually been 3 months but yes he has a long ways to go I was just saying I like to avoid players who havent had a chance or shown the ability to recover

You also mentioned
Darrin Reaves is a small RB with marginal speed cutting ability or power and his hand are average at best and the same can be said for McDowell who has better hands but lacks really anything that makes him a standout.

Ild prefer a back whose better at changing directions then Damien Williams too. RB's do better at the next level avoiding hits rather then running through them like they do in college

[FrostySeamus]

Its actually been 3 months but yes he has a long ways to go I was just saying I like to avoid players who havent had a chance or shown the ability to recover

You also mentioned
Darrin Reaves is a small RB with marginal speed cutting ability or power and his hand are average at best and the same can be said for McDowell who has better hands but lacks really anything that makes him a standout.

Ild prefer a back whose better at changing directions then Damien Williams too. RB's do better at the next level avoiding hits rather then running through them like they do in college

Alright I hear that. I don't really watch a ton of college football live so most of what I know I find game film (not highlights) on guys and check it that way. All three of the backs have minimal that I can find online so I don't have a lot to go on. I see some flashes and as late round guys it's about finding potential anyway. None of them are game breakers but if one of them came in as a FA and made the team I wouldn't be upset.

[Joshecalpoly]

Alright I hear that. I don't really watch a ton of college football live so most of what I know I find game film (not highlights) on guys and check it that way. All three of the backs have minimal that I can find online so I don't have a lot to go on. I see some flashes and as late round guys it's about finding potential anyway. None of them are game breakers but if one of them came in as a FA and made the team I wouldn't be upset.

Fluellen lacks any game changing speed but because he has everything else he can be a very good surprising back to have, but his straight-line speed will knock him off the map. Yet he still has better burst then the guys you mentioned. If it was at the expense of getting better talent then ild be upset otherwise ild be fine with it.

Sometimes teams will draft players earlier then expected because they like what they see for all I know he will be gone in the 7th and if thats the case ild hope weld go after the next BPA

[cdumler7]

I think people are over valuing our depth at WR. We have DT, Sanders, Welker, and Caldwell. What happens if DT blows out his knee? Does anyone feel comfortable with whats left? I sure dont. That is why I want a big WR early.

As to gems:
DT Bruce Gaston
CB Bennett Jackson
LB Prince Shembo
WR L'Damian Washington
RB Lorenzo Taliaferro
DT Jay Bromley

Those ate guys I like later in the draft.

Can't that be said about most positions though with an all star? If Talib goes down we are in a world of hurt at Corner. If Ball goes down we are in a bit of trouble for running back. If Peyton goes down pretty much our season is done. Can't draft with the idea that a certain player is going to go down. Now having said that there are some mid-round receivers that are definitely worth looking at that have some good height. I personally am a big fan of Kevin Norwood and Devin Street in the later rounds. Another name hardly ever mentioned that I really like is Jeremy Butler...The guy is 6'3" with 4.5 speed, good hands, and able to take it for a touchdown every time he touches the ball.

[Joshecalpoly]

Can't that be said about most positions though with an all star? If Talib goes down we are in a world of hurt at Corner. If Ball goes down we are in a bit of trouble for running back. If Peyton goes down pretty much our season is done. Can't draft with the idea that a certain player is going to go down. Now having said that there are some mid-round receivers that are definitely worth looking at that have some good height. I personally am a big fan of Kevin Norwood and Devin Street in the later rounds. Another name hardly ever mentioned that I really like is Jeremy Butler...The guy is 6'3" with 4.5 speed, good hands, and able to take it for a touchdown every time he touches the ball.

Norwood and Street are among my next level WR's along with Cody Hoffman and other receivers that arent necessarily as big. Despite Norwoods size hes not one to come up with a lot of jump balls and does have some problem with crossing routes. Hes got less concerns with hand size then Janis though. Street really doesnt have a lot of issues just isnt a stand out hes got, though both he and Norwood could use more bulk because they both get ran off routes and struggle in press coverage.

As for Jeremy Butler hes got way to short of arms and lacks legs to make up for it with little ability to run routes at a high level or be a vertical threat. Hes just got limited range hence why hes ranked so low and wont be drafted and may not even make it through UDFA

[cdumler7]

Norwood and Street are among my next level WR's along with Cody Hoffman and other receivers that arent necessarily as big. Despite Norwoods size hes not one to come up with a lot of jump balls and does have some problem with crossing routes. Hes got less concerns with hand size then Janis though. Street really doesnt have a lot of issues just isnt a stand out hes got, though both he and Norwood could use more bulk because they both get ran off routes and struggle in press coverage.

As for Jeremy Butler hes got way to short of arms and lacks legs to make up for it with little ability to run routes at a high level or be a vertical threat. Hes just got limited range hence why hes ranked so low and wont be drafted and may not even make it through UDFA

Some team will give him a chance. His height and speed alone will at least get him a try out with some team. He isn't a huge vertical threat but he is known for his miss tackle ability in the open field so the big thing is just getting the ball in Butler's hands and letting him do the rest. Kind of actually fits exactly what the Broncos like to do. He has been contacted by quite a few teams from what I have read so he at least has some interest. There have been a handful of teams that have even set up private work outs so again I think if he isn't drafted he will at least get to a training camp.

[SmokeBassett]

We don't need a MLB. We have Steven Johnson, whose college resume as a MLB is as good as anybody we could draft.

We don't need a RB. We have two good ones in Montee Ball and CJ Anderson, and a decent one in Ronnie Hillman. What we need is better and more running plays.

What we need is a solid cover corner. We have only Talib and Harris. Webster was clearly a long way from holding his own as a starter, and Carter has proven over the years to be substandard. Bolden occasionally showed flashes, but was extremely inconsistent. The only CBs in the draft who have looked capable of starting come September are Dennard and Verrett, with Fuller, Roby and Gaines just a little behind. Therefore, we need to use our 1st pick on a CB.

We're also weak at safety. Moore, an excellent last-line-of-defense tackler, improved in pass coverage last season but still wasn't good enough to defeat and dissuade long-passers. Ward is known as a big hitter, which is this year's fad, but our weakness at safety had nothing to do with tackling. It had to do with coverage and speed. A player like Marqueston Huff, a good tackler with coverage ability and low 4.4 speed would be a prudent pick in the 3rd round. He could compete at safety and be a backup CB

We aren't really weak anywhere else. We could afford to avail ourselves of a fast coverage linebacker like Telvin Smith or Kevin Pierre-Louis. We could afford a 3-down defensive end with pass-rush talent like Marcus Smith. We could afford another guard like Richardson, Jackson, Groy or Danser. We could afford a franchise center like Stork or Ikard or Holmes. We could afford a #5 receiver like Washington, Grant, Janis, Lora or Tramaine Thompson, who is also a good kick returner.

[Joshecalpoly]

We don't need a MLB. We have Steven Johnson, whose college resume as a MLB is as good as anybody we could draft.

We don't need a RB. We have two good ones in Montee Ball and CJ Anderson, and a decent one in Ronnie Hillman. What we need is better and more running plays.

What we need is a solid cover corner. We have only Talib and Harris. Webster was clearly a long way from holding his own as a starter, and Carter has proven over the years to be substandard. Bolden occasionally showed flashes, but was extremely inconsistent. The only CBs in the draft who have looked capable of starting come September are Dennard and Verrett, with Fuller, Roby and Gaines just a little behind. Therefore, we need to use our 1st pick on a CB.

We're also weak at safety. Moore, an excellent last-line-of-defense tackler, improved in pass coverage last season but still wasn't good enough to defeat and dissuade long-passers. Ward is known as a big hitter, which is this year's fad, but our weakness at safety had nothing to do with tackling. It had to do with coverage and speed. A player like Marqueston Huff, a good tackler with coverage ability and low 4.4 speed would be a prudent pick in the 3rd round. He could compete at safety and be a backup CB

We aren't really weak anywhere else. We could afford to avail ourselves of a fast coverage linebacker like Telvin Smith or Kevin Pierre-Louis. We could afford a 3-down defensive end with pass-rush talent like Marcus Smith. We could afford another guard like Richardson, Jackson, Groy or Danser. We could afford a franchise center like Stork or Ikard or Holmes. We could afford a #5 receiver like Washington, Grant, Janis, Lora or Tramaine Thompson, who is also a good kick returner.

I have KPL high on my list he could be usfeul to us Johnson has been on the team for 2 years now and had 1 play worth mentioning on special teams.

As for huff hes not a hard hitter by any means and isnt a good tackler at the safety position he has a tendency to try and run around blockers which takes him out of angle to make plays and thus allows big plays on the field, hes got tight hips that make him useless against quicker receivers. More times then not he will refuse to tackle when he sees a teammate he thinks is in position and let them do the dirty work which causes havoc. As the last line of defense he will allow more big plays then prevent them from what ive seen. Ild much rather get McGill SJB or Dontae Johnson and move them full time to FS if thats whats needed