broncobryce
04-11-2010, 11:51 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_14860818
Broncos whittle down draft list
By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
The Broncos have spent countless hours and thousands of frequent-flier miles assembling a list of players they might draft this month.
And they have checked that list twice. Well, far more than twice. They've been checking it for the past year.
Then they cut the list. A lot. Cut it almost more than anyone else in the league.
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels learned under New England's Bill Belichick, who uses a draft philosophy called "the short board."
While most teams list all potential picks on their draft board, with grades on everyone from potential first-round picks to rookie free agents, teams such as the Patriots, Broncos and Chiefs work from a much shorter list. Players who don't fit the team's framework, on or off the field, are removed from consideration before the draft starts.
The result is a far smaller pool of players from which to choose. Last April, the Broncos made 10 selections from a board that included fewer than 100 names. The draft included 256 players, and some teams had more than 300 names on their board.
"We want the players on our board that we want on our team — that's the goal," McDaniels said. "It's the process we go through to make the best decisions, both short- and long-term for our team."
"Our process is a process that works for us," Patriots director of player personnel Nick Cesario said.
It's a process Belichick has used to build a three-time Super Bowl champion. Some who have worked with Belichick said there were years when the Patriots had as few as 25 names on their draft board.
The trick, as Belichick said, is to "get the right players in the right spot."
In other words, threading the needle to fill needs and include players who might be available when you have a selection. Oftentimes, there aren't players the Patriots want in the spot they have available, so they make a trade. They made three trades on the first day of the 2009 draft, including
trading out of the first round in order to avoid "reaching" for a player far above their grading system.
In paring his draft board, Belichick assigns the spot he thinks that player should be taken.
Some in the league wondered if the Patriots had reached on guard Logan Mankins with a first-round pick in 2005. Many teams graded Mankins as a second- or early third-round pick. The Patriots, however, had Mankins worthy of their first-round pick, and he has blossomed into a two-time Pro Bowler.
With this year's draft spread over three days for the first time, Belichick said at the recent league meetings it will make maintaining a draft board even more important because only the first round of the draft will be completed April 22, so the second round April 23 will look like another first round.
"You take the names off, and then you kind of reset the board," Belichick said. "Based on who you've drafted, maybe that changes your draft strategy a little bit."
It's a highly disciplined approach. McDaniels tried to replicate it last spring in his first draft as Broncos coach, with mixed results.
Some personnel executives point to the Broncos' second-round choices last April as an example of possibly overreaching to get someone on your list. Denver traded a 2010 first-round pick to select cornerback Alphonso Smith in the second round. The Broncos then took tight end Richard Quinn, who had only 12 receptions in his college career, later in the round, even though Quinn was slotted far lower by most teams.
Smith played sparingly last season, and Quinn appeared mostly on special teams. Their production did not match their selections.
McDaniels, who was hired in January 2009, said the short time frame in getting ready for the draft last spring may have hampered him. He said things should go much more smoothly this time around, with a full year to prepare.
"We've had our criteria in place a lot longer this year," McDaniels said. "I think we're all well versed in what we want to do and how we want do it. We're more comfortable with the whole process."
Short story
Teams such as the Patriots, Broncos and Chiefs use a draft philosophy with far fewer players on their draft board.
In 2009, there were 256 players selected overall, and coach Josh McDaniels said the Broncos had fewer than 100 players on their draft board. This year, there are 255 picks in the draft. The Broncos have six picks — 11th, 45th, 80th, 114th, 183rd and 220th.
Broncos whittle down draft list
By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
The Broncos have spent countless hours and thousands of frequent-flier miles assembling a list of players they might draft this month.
And they have checked that list twice. Well, far more than twice. They've been checking it for the past year.
Then they cut the list. A lot. Cut it almost more than anyone else in the league.
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels learned under New England's Bill Belichick, who uses a draft philosophy called "the short board."
While most teams list all potential picks on their draft board, with grades on everyone from potential first-round picks to rookie free agents, teams such as the Patriots, Broncos and Chiefs work from a much shorter list. Players who don't fit the team's framework, on or off the field, are removed from consideration before the draft starts.
The result is a far smaller pool of players from which to choose. Last April, the Broncos made 10 selections from a board that included fewer than 100 names. The draft included 256 players, and some teams had more than 300 names on their board.
"We want the players on our board that we want on our team — that's the goal," McDaniels said. "It's the process we go through to make the best decisions, both short- and long-term for our team."
"Our process is a process that works for us," Patriots director of player personnel Nick Cesario said.
It's a process Belichick has used to build a three-time Super Bowl champion. Some who have worked with Belichick said there were years when the Patriots had as few as 25 names on their draft board.
The trick, as Belichick said, is to "get the right players in the right spot."
In other words, threading the needle to fill needs and include players who might be available when you have a selection. Oftentimes, there aren't players the Patriots want in the spot they have available, so they make a trade. They made three trades on the first day of the 2009 draft, including
trading out of the first round in order to avoid "reaching" for a player far above their grading system.
In paring his draft board, Belichick assigns the spot he thinks that player should be taken.
Some in the league wondered if the Patriots had reached on guard Logan Mankins with a first-round pick in 2005. Many teams graded Mankins as a second- or early third-round pick. The Patriots, however, had Mankins worthy of their first-round pick, and he has blossomed into a two-time Pro Bowler.
With this year's draft spread over three days for the first time, Belichick said at the recent league meetings it will make maintaining a draft board even more important because only the first round of the draft will be completed April 22, so the second round April 23 will look like another first round.
"You take the names off, and then you kind of reset the board," Belichick said. "Based on who you've drafted, maybe that changes your draft strategy a little bit."
It's a highly disciplined approach. McDaniels tried to replicate it last spring in his first draft as Broncos coach, with mixed results.
Some personnel executives point to the Broncos' second-round choices last April as an example of possibly overreaching to get someone on your list. Denver traded a 2010 first-round pick to select cornerback Alphonso Smith in the second round. The Broncos then took tight end Richard Quinn, who had only 12 receptions in his college career, later in the round, even though Quinn was slotted far lower by most teams.
Smith played sparingly last season, and Quinn appeared mostly on special teams. Their production did not match their selections.
McDaniels, who was hired in January 2009, said the short time frame in getting ready for the draft last spring may have hampered him. He said things should go much more smoothly this time around, with a full year to prepare.
"We've had our criteria in place a lot longer this year," McDaniels said. "I think we're all well versed in what we want to do and how we want do it. We're more comfortable with the whole process."
Short story
Teams such as the Patriots, Broncos and Chiefs use a draft philosophy with far fewer players on their draft board.
In 2009, there were 256 players selected overall, and coach Josh McDaniels said the Broncos had fewer than 100 players on their draft board. This year, there are 255 picks in the draft. The Broncos have six picks — 11th, 45th, 80th, 114th, 183rd and 220th.