Best 08 WR?

[Drill-N-Fill]

We definatly have to draft a WR. So I wanted to look at the top 5 WR's to come out.

1) Devin Thomas from State. This guy has the least amount of questions coming out. Runs well, good routes. Biggest question is was he just a one year wonder?

2) Limas Sweed: Can do it all. Great redzone guy. Excellent size. Not fast, but can get the job done. Biggest problem is his wrist. Season ending injury last year and tore a ligament. Darrius Watts still haunts me.

3) Malcolm Kelley: Great size. Best hands in the draft. But can't create separation with college CB's, whats he going to do in the NFL?

4) James Hardy: Excellent size, good speed. But played at Indiana. Not so sure about the competition he played against.

5) DeSean Jackson: speed speed and more speed. Short body frame (5'9 178lbs). Excellent return guy. I personally don't like him at all. He will have tough time beating the press.

Thoughts....

[UnderArmour]

If we take one, it'll be Earl Bennett from Vanderbilt.

[Gridironchamp]

Malcom Kelly is the only WR with superstar potentiol out of this draft IMO.
Some of the lower ranked WRs could also end up higher than these guys... I.E. Jordy Nelson or Will Franklin.

[underrated29]

devin thomas- and thats why he was once a 2nd rdr and will now go at 11 to the bills.

But i think nelson, might be a guy besides bennet that we look at in the 3/4th rds.

If we dont take stewart/mend then i have a feeling that it will be chris johnson as our #2 pick instead of wr.


That guy that boss found- luke something, we should def take him in the 4th if there. Hands down. So far-he sounds just like a marshall!

[Scarface]

Devin Thomas is the best, imo. But he's not worth the 12th pick and will be long gone by the time we pick in RD2. I like Doucet, Bennett, and Eddie Royal later on in the draft.

[Bronco9798]

It's a no-brainer a WR will be picked, I just don't see it happening early in the draft. Wait till the later rounds and grab another Marshall. It's a simple process...:-)

[aberdien]

It's a no-brainer a WR will be picked, I just don't see it happening early in the draft. Wait till the later rounds and grab another Marshall. It's a simple process...:-)

Or maybe grab someone faster than Marshall.

[lex]

There is not one "wow" guy. There are several worth taking in the 2-4th rounds though and like others have been saying, it wouldnt be shocking if some of the ones taken in the 3rd or 4th are better than those taken earlier.

[broncohead]

I don't think that D. Thomas is the best in the draft. A one year wonder. That has to raise some red flags. Why wasn't he productive the last year or two?

[shank]

if i had to pick the best my vote would go to malcolm kelly.

if i had to pick which one i want the most, taking into account draft position, i think i'd have to vote jordy nelson, as much as it confuses dream.

[WARHORSE]

Of the WRs, I like Sweed, then Jackson. I would not draft either at 12, but would think of them as bargains in the second.


Limas Sweed
WR (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/position?id=1) | (6'4", 212, 4.45) | TEXAS (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/school?id=2432)

Grade: 92

Strengths: Possesses rare size for a wide receiver. He's tall, well built and extremely fluid for his size. Instinctive route runner; finding soft spots in zone comes very naturally to him. He does an excellent job of finding the ball over his shoulder and adjusting to the deep ball. Displays soft hands and very good concentration. Knows how to use his body to shield defenders and uses his upper body subtly to gain separation from defenders when the ball is in the air (see: TD vs. Oklahoma in 2006). Very difficult to defend one-on-one inside the red zone. Displays good leaping ability, long arms and big, strong hands to challenge for the jump ball. Supremely confident in his ability. Shows good body control along the sideline. He has good quickness and change-of-direction skills for his size. He will consistently make the first defender miss after the catch and he also shows the ability to make sharp cuts in the open field after the catch. Very competitive and hard working player.

Weaknesses: Still has room to improve in terms of consistency as a route runner. Not as sudden in-and-out of breaks as you would like to see from an elite receiver. He's fluid with very good top-end speed for his size but he lacks ideal initial burst. Durability specifically his wrist is now a significant concern. .

Overall: Sweed was redshirted in 2003. In his next three seasons at Texas (2004-'06), he appeared in 37 games (33 consecutive starts) and hauled in a combined 105 receptions for 1,609 yards (15.3 average) and 17 touchdowns. As a senior, he started in the Longhorns' first six games but was hindered by a wrist injury that had bothered him since spring workouts. He had 19 receptions for 306 yards (16.1 average) and three touchdowns in 2007 before undergoing season-ending surgery. He participated in practice early during Senior Bowl week only to re-aggravate the injury. Sweed suffered the wrist injury during summer camp and attempted to play through the pain. He simply wasn't the same player during those six games in 2007, which is why the majority of our evaluation is based off his junior tape in 2006. When healthy, Sweed has everything NFL teams look for in a No. 1 receiver, including tremendous athleticism for his size and very soft hands. Lingering concerns regarding his wrist injury as a senior could scare some teams in the top-15 away. Still, Sweed is the most talented all-around receiver in the 2008 class when he's at full strength, which is why we anticipate him being selected later in the first round.

[SmilinAssasSin27]

I LOVE Darius Reynaud of West Virginia on day 2 to eventually replace Stokley, but I;m not sure if he's a #2. I wouldn't cry if we took Jordy and Reynaud in the 4th and 5th.


Funny...I remember you all bashing someone for even mentioning WR at #1 2 months ago..

[CoachChaz]

I'd have no problem taking Thomas at #12 if he was there and nothing else was. He was buried on the depth chart prior to this season, but I think his skills are enough to nicely complement Marshall.

[aberdien]

William Franklin.

[BOSSHOGG30]

Luke Dillon! Jordy Nelson! or Earl Bennett!

[Lonestar]

Jordy Nelson works for me and having said that.

I have stated many times I think drafting a WR is a beyond stupid Idea for mikey..

[SmilinAssasSin27]

yeah...cuz our current WR options are FANTASTIC!

[Drill-N-Fill]

I'll take a pass on Jordy Nelson. Infact, I don't see much in this year's class compared to others.

[Requiem / The Dagda]

James Hardy, easily.

[WARHORSE]

There are most assuredly some good WRs in this class. Im thinkin that most of em will probably come past the second round though imo.:salute:

[broncogirl7]

Liked to see James Hardy in the first round and maybe Jordy Nelson in the fifth round.

[Lonestar]

Liked to see James Hardy in the first round and maybe Jordy Nelson in the fifth round.

Jordy will not last past the 2nd or mid 3rd IMO..

[broncogirl7]

Jordy will not last past the 2nd or mid 3rd IMO..

You are probably right. I was catching up on some articles and that is the consensus right now. How many more weeks do we have to wait?

[Lonestar]

You are probably right. I was catching up on some articles and that is the consensus right now. How many more weeks do we have to wait?
apr 26th

[Requiem / The Dagda]

Scouts Inc. has 16 wide receivers with grades between 99-70 (which means first through third round) but I don't know if sixteen receivers go in the top 100 picks.

You got the top tier guys: Sweed (Injured) Kelly, Jackson, Hardy, Manningham and Thomas

Then you get the second tier guys: Doucet, Caldwell, Bennett, Hawkins, Royal, and Avery -- with several of them having impact return skills.

Then comes the third level: Burton, Bowman, Douglas, Nelson, Simpson, etc.

You could make cases for Dorien Bryant, Dexter Jackson, D.J. Hall and some others based on return skills to get up there as well.

All and all, I think this is a very solid receiver class due to the juniors that came in and some seniors who have strutted their stuff. I don't consider Jordy Nelson a second rounder -- and honestly a borderline third compared to the talent on board at other positions; and especially wide receiver.

All and all, it'll come down to what teams want. There seems to be a fancy for wide receivers who also have good return skills; which is why I see some of the guys like Hawkins, Avery, etc. going ahead of Nelson.

At any case, Jordy Nelson is a pretty big mistake at #42 for the Broncos; considering that's our only second rounder; given that almost every draft prospect site (Scouts Inc. just a major one) has at least ten receivers rated higher than him; and that there is much better value at other positions as well at #42.

With so many receivers rated highly, and the likelihood (based on draft trends) that there will be some that fall -- I don't think we need to go receiver that early; but I wouldn't be opposed to it. If it's not a top two tier guy (which IMHO, Nelson isn't) it's not worth going after that early.

If I had to prioritize who the Broncos would probably like -- I'm looking for guys who are good or at least willing blockers who have more upside than a slot receiver early on.

Malcolm Kelly fits the bill, as does Limas Sweed -- but I won't touch him because of his injury. He is talented, but never lived up to that talent because of an ongoing wrist problem this past year.

James Hardy is by far my favorite receiver in the draft and would be a fantastic option for the team. He'd be a great red zone target and is a nice WCO receiver. I'd love for him to fall to #42, but he probably won't. Devin Thomas would be the next guy, who blocks well and is pretty explosive. He really turned it on this year -- and it sort of has me worried because this was his year, but he has some nice upside and is also a solid WCO receiver. Another solid fit would be Doucet, but he has some durability issues. After that, Bennett would be a guy I think we'd be looking at because of what he can do in our offense and how well he fits it.

James Hardy, Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas would be my top guys for the Broncos fit-wise, followed by Sweed (if he only wasn't injured) along with Doucet and Bennett.

As much as I like Jackson and Manningham; they avoid blocking and that's obviously something they'd have to do here. I think we're in the market for a legitimate #2 option rather than a slot -- (Bennett might be the exception) so that's why I mention those six. I left out Caldwell just because I hate Florida receivers.

After that, you have a bunch of specialists and slot types (Hawkins, Avery, Royal, Douglas) and then guys like Nelson and Hall - who have legitimate starting potential -- but don't stand out (IMHO) above the aforementioned.

All and all; the big six I named (Hardy, Kelly, Thomas, Sweed, Bennett and Doucet) are worthy of top 42 consideration. Obviously; I like the potential of Jackson and Manningham; but not necessarily the best fits. I still really like DJ Hall, despite is attitude and think he can be a Reggie Brown type receiver in the NFL.

Get one of those top six, and find a way to get a returner somewhere else. Just naming all those guys, it's hard for me to find where Jordy Nelson fits into the top two or three rounds; unless teams feel that he has more to offer than those returners as far as long-term potential goes.

[shank]

all the sudden mayock's list looks like this:

devin thomas
early doucet
deshaun jackson
limas sweed
malcolm kelly


how does this happen? throw manningham in there and it's almost the exact opposite top 5 (inverted) as it was at the beginning of the offseason! it's ridicuous. hell, if it holds true, give me james hardy in the 2nd!!!

(fyi, jackson and sweed may have been reversed, typed this from memory).