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View Full Version : NFL draft loaded with dirt-under-the-fingernails guys



Denver Native (Carol)
03-24-2010, 08:18 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_14742545

ORLANDO, FLA. — After spending a few days working the rooms at the NFL meetings, it's clear the April 22-24 draft is shaping up as a festival of bigness.

As a celebration of the large.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford may sit atop the draft board when the picks get made, but plenty of the slots that follow will be filled by dirt-under-the-fingernails guys.

"There are a lot of good defensive players in this draft," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "And there are a lot of good tackles, offensive tackles, that people may take high this year."

There you have it. The runners and the catchers will get plenty of ink, will be granted plenty of room in cyberspace, but this year's draft board is stocked with defensive tackles, linebackers, safeties and offensive tackles.

So much so that a month out from the draft, defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska and Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma continue to be the players tucked in behind Bradford.

That could change when Bradford throws Monday, his first full-scale session with NFL scouts since his shoulder surgery last season. If teams come away with questions about Bradford's health, Suh or McCoy could be the top pick of the league's 75th draft.

Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung, Tennessee safety Eric Berry, Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams, Texas safety Earl Thomas, Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain and Oklahoma offensive tackle Trent Williams have the potential to be a top-10 pick, so this could be a draft in which the offensive skill players get pushed down the board.

After Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, quarterbacks may wait a while to hear their names called. Running backs not named C.J. Spiller (Clemson) or Ryan Mathews (Fresno State) may have to get comfortable in their chairs until they find their NFL homes.

It could be a draft in which the Broncos, still hoping to beef up, find the players they need.