PFW Rookie Rankings

[Flatinum]

Much better than the ESPN poll. Also showing some love for Clady (much deserved).

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie13.htm

[claymore]

The fact that we have 2 rookies on that list is amazing. Good find man.

[Dreadnought]

Much better than the ESPN poll. Also showing some love for Clady (much deserved).

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie13.htm

Agreed 100%; nice post of an article by a guy who is actually paying attention

[Dreadnought]

The fact that we have 2 rookies on that list is amazing. Good find man.

And on top of that we have Hillis and Woodyard breaking through now too. Its a good time to be a Bronco fan

[NightTrainLayne]

And on top of that we have Hillis and Woodyard breaking through now too. Its a good time to be a Bronco fan

Dread. .. it's ALWAYS a good time to be a Bronco fan.

[Dreadnought]

Dread. .. it's ALWAYS a good time to be a Bronco fan.

Well of course it is. Its just especially good now!

[claymore]

I place all blame for past drafts on sundquist. There is a reason no team picked him up.

[shank]

Consider that Clady is one of only three offensive tackles to have started every game this season and allowed less than one sack. Amazingly, Clady’s bookend on the right side, Ryan Harris, is one of the others, along with Titans OLT Michael Roos.
sweet.

[broncofaninfla]

Good stuff, thanks!

[honz]

sweet.

It seems like Clady is getting a lot more love than Harris is...probably just because 1st rounders garner more attention or scrutiny...but Ryan Harris has been beasting it up on the right side. Harris is probably a little better run blocker at this point, too. However, it seems like Clady has improved his run blocking over the course of the season. He seemed to struggle a bit in that area early in the season.

[NightTrainLayne]

It seems like Clady is getting a lot more love than Harris is...probably just because 1st rounders garner more attention or scrutiny...but Ryan Harris has been beasting it up on the right side. Harris is probably a little better run blocker at this point, too. However, it seems like Clady has improved his run blocking over the course of the season. He seemed to struggle a bit in that area early in the season.

Harris isn't a rookie either. . .although not really a true second-year player either.

[topscribe]

Harris isn't a rookie either. . .although not really a true second-year player either.

Officially a second-year player, but effectively a rookie.

And I most definitely would have him in the top ten, too.

-----

[Lonestar]

And on top of that we have Hillis and Woodyard breaking through now too. Its a good time to be a Bronco fan

Add Larsen to the list..

[Lonestar]

Harris isn't a rookie either. . .although not really a true second-year player either.

HE is indeed a rookie at RT and barely not a rookie as I do not believe he played at all last year..

WHO would have thought this OLINE would gel this fast..

[Lonestar]

I place all blame for past drafts on sundquist. There is a reason no team picked him up.

If you believe that TED was making picks it is time for therapy..

It was a lousy at best scouting group..

even worse assistants coaches grading the talent

and of course mikey making the finally decision....

Ted did very Little other than carry mikeys coffee for him.... while he may have had a lot of contact with other GM's, everyone but you, seem to realize that mikey has total control of this program..

[honz]

Harris isn't a rookie either. . .although not really a true second-year player either.

Yeah, I'm just saying he seemingly isn't getting as much recognition from Bronco fans. Not saying he should be a part of the rookie rankings.

[G_Money]

It can’t be the organization, Jr. Not if Sundquist’s firing suddenly turned us from idiots to geniuses at the drafting game. That’s why I wanted Sundquist fired, regardless of whether or not it was him personally that was the problem. If he wasn’t getting Mike the right advice, fire him. If he was giving Mike the right advice and Mike wasn’t listening, still fire him, because Mike’s not listening.

But freezing him out of the draft room in 06 and going with an SEC player in the 1st paid big dividends. Goodman scouted the SEC. This year’s draft really solidified for me that if it wasn’t all Sundquist personally, it was definitely him and whatever guys he had in the org. You just don’t go from maybe one starter a draft, maybe none, maybe not even a BACKUP after 4 years, to starter after starter and quality player after quality player. Not in multiple drafts. Sometimes blind squirrels do find nuts, but not every draft. I’m even more angry now at Shanahan for flushing the 07 draftpicks. When you have a drafting stud you STOCKPILE picks – something we are doing this year. But with 4 picks from that draft, we currently have 2 quality starters, both in the trenches. It doesn’t look like a great draft for us by any means, but even a bad Goodman draft is at least the equal of the best of what we had before.

A quote from Goodman about one of his ’08 draft picks:


But by the same token you have to know what your needs are, so you want the best choice for your need, but you need to ask yourself, "Is there a value here that is too good to pass up?" That happens every round. I remember a guy that really got my attention was Spencer Larsen, our 6th round choice out of Arizona, just a great kid, a guy that has his head on right, such a good player who plays with all his might, gives all he has every play. He's a guy we look at and say "HE is going to make it at his position," so I'm really excited about him.

Goodman will put himself on the line about a player before that player ever sees the field in the pros. He knew Larsen would make the team and be a player, and wasn’t afraid to say so. Sundquist would justify bad picks and tell you how nobody could have made a better choice, even if it was blatantly obvious that yes, somebody else definitely could have, since your guy couldn’t even make it out of training camp.

Draft day in ’08 was something I actually looked forward to instead of dreaded. And after it was over I felt pretty good about it. It was a rare feeling in Broncoland, one I’d be HAPPY to get used to.

However angry I might have been about Shanny’s former drafting habits, they seem to have gone in the same direction as Sundquist – right out the door, with a boot in the ass.

Now all he has to do is find the same talent in his advisors on free-agents, because we still suck at that.

~G

[Lonestar]

It can’t be the organization, Jr. Not if Sundquist’s firing suddenly turned us from idiots to geniuses at the drafting game. That’s why I wanted Sundquist fired, regardless of whether or not it was him personally that was the problem. If he wasn’t getting Mike the right advice, fire him. If he was giving Mike the right advice and Mike wasn’t listening, still fire him, because Mike’s not listening.

But freezing him out of the draft room in 06 and going with an SEC player in the 1st paid big dividends. Goodman scouted the SEC. This year’s draft really solidified for me that if it wasn’t all Sundquist personally, it was definitely him and whatever guys he had in the org. You just don’t go from maybe one starter a draft, maybe none, maybe not even a BACKUP after 4 years, to starter after starter and quality player after quality player. Not in multiple drafts. Sometimes blind squirrels do find nuts, but not every draft. I’m even more angry now at Shanahan for flushing the 07 draftpicks. When you have a drafting stud you STOCKPILE picks – something we are doing this year. But with 4 picks from that draft, we currently have 2 quality starters, both in the trenches. It doesn’t look like a great draft for us by any means, but even a bad Goodman draft is at least the equal of the best of what we had before.

A quote from Goodman about one of his ’08 draft picks:



Goodman will put himself on the line about a player before that player ever sees the field in the pros. He knew Larsen would make the team and be a player, and wasn’t afraid to say so. Sundquist would justify bad picks and tell you how nobody could have made a better choice, even if it was blatantly obvious that yes, somebody else definitely could have, since your guy couldn’t even make it out of training camp.

Draft day in ’08 was something I actually looked forward to instead of dreaded. And after it was over I felt pretty good about it. It was a rare feeling in Broncoland, one I’d be HAPPY to get used to.

However angry I might have been about Shanny’s former drafting habits, they seem to have gone in the same direction as Sundquist – right out the door, with a boot in the ass.

Now all he has to do is find the same talent in his advisors on free-agents, because we still suck at that.

~G

Hey I have never like TED and certainly was not sticking up for him..

I've wanted a True professional GM since mikey came to town..

Go back to mania and pull up my posts over there.. While I liked the guy on a NON football POV.. HE sucked as a GM or mikey sucked because our DAFTS from 1999-2006 sucked donkey balls with the exception of 4 LB's and price on day one drafts during mikeys regime we have sucked and many of those years TED was not around..

Not sure if it is Goodman but if it is great AS LONG AS mikey is listening to him and not slobbering all over some morons like Nash, foster, ashely or delta..

SO lets hope that Goodman can bring off two more drafts like 2006 & 2008 as 2007 has not lived up to promise..

I still have to wonder if Ted was just justify mikeys choices as his mouth piece or where he really thought it was true..

I do not believe for a minute that mikey allowed Ted to make any personnel decisions and Ted was the head flunky for floating trial balloons with other GM's..

[Requiem / The Dagda]

A lot of the scouting staff that exists, including the Goodman's were here while Sundquist was as well. I'm a firm believer Sundquist was a huge reason Denver's drafts went so poorly.

[Lonestar]

A lot of the scouting staff that exists, including the Goodman's were here while Sundquist was as well. I'm a firm believer Sundquist was a huge reason Denver's drafts went so poorly.

so lets be straight about this ..

Ted was in charge of the drafts?

[Hawgdriver]

Because name recognition is as important as actual performance in Pro Bowl voting, Clady may very well be left off the AFC’s roster. That would be a shame.

If that happens I say we Boycott Hawaii. And Macadamia nuts. Volcanoes are cool.

If he's not on the roster, I think I'll make beautiful romance with a llama.

If the Pro Bowl is name-recognition, we need to start a marketing firm for Clady. You know, get the word out national and all. Maybe we could put his face on bars of soap? Wait, no one uses soap in bar form. Do they? Maybe we could franchise escort services across the nation? Clady's Ladies?

[Requiem / The Dagda]

Ted was in charge of the drafts?

Ted was always a big draft guy. Used to head to Indianapolis on a yearly basis for the Broncos while he was a GM. Interesting thing, the past two years he was with Denver he never went. Not there to get the scoop, not there really doing anything. It has also been stated that he was the guy managing the trades. He pulled some great ones off, but he also pulled some real bloopers (Jimmy Kennedy) while he was here too.

Mike self-admittedly said himself he relies on what his scouts tell him because as a coach doesn't have the time and commitment they can make to evaluating players. (Reinforced more so with the Fisher/Cutler Connection.)

[Broncospsycho77]

Something about Shanahan that I thought was always pretty ballsy is that he isn't afraid to get headcases out of his locker room (Mr. Portis, Mr. Lelie, Mr. Walker). He only works with professionals and that same tenacity and work ethic that these guys show off the field are reflected by the workhorse effort on the field (those no-name RBs, for one). Sure, it would be nice to have a Portis at times, but I'd rather have the Hillis type who plays with a constant chip on his shoulder, who always has something to prove.

Regardless of whose fault the poor talent evaluators were in the past, they're doing a fantastic job in the past couple of years. Now let's see if these last couple of years' picks first work out with the same success 3 years later, then decide if the staff has improved.

[Lonestar]

Ted was always a big draft guy. Used to head to Indianapolis on a yearly basis for the Broncos while he was a GM. Interesting thing, the past two years he was with Denver he never went. Not there to get the scoop, not there really doing anything. It has also been stated that he was the guy managing the trades. He pulled some great ones off, but he also pulled some real bloopers (Jimmy Kennedy) while he was here too.

Mike self-admittedly said himself he relies on what his scouts tell him because as a coach doesn't have the time and commitment they can make to evaluating players. (Reinforced more so with the Fisher/Cutler Connection.)


While he may have been in on the trades he did not approve them as everyone knows that mickey is in charge..

It has always been my contention he was mickey point guy, hey ted Chat with the colts about so-so see what they want for him..

If it was to much then Ted could always come back and say Mikey would not pay that much..

He had the ear of alot of the other GM's mostly because mikey did not have the time to chit chat at GM meetings..

But he did nothing without mikeys signature bet your ass on that one..

[JKcatch724]

I place all blame for past drafts on sundquist. There is a reason no team picked him up.

He writes scouting reports for Florio at PFT :lol:

They suck.

[gobroncsnv]

Who was officially our GM in the first few years that Shanny was head coach here? We had some pretty good drafts and FA acquisitions then....

TD, Mobley, Pryce, Hayward, Berry, Neil Smith, Traylor, Romo, Mac, Zim, Stink, Griffs, Alfred... not too bad, by ANY measure.

That aside, if we could flip last year's draft over to the other side of the ball this next year, WOW! We need a Clady-type and Royal-type pick on the D-side now. Unbelievable how cool our 08 draft is STILL turning out to be. Makes you wonder how much better it would have been if they struck gold with our DT rook who's on IR. Obviously, the jury is still out on him.

[MOtorboat]

The only reason people think this is a good list is because the Broncos players are near the top...

[topscribe]

The only reason people think this is a good list is because the Broncos players are near the top...

Well, this is, after all, a Denver Broncos message board.

Nonetheless, it might help that Clady, as a rookie is already considered among
the best tackles in football, and it is not only in Denver where he is considered so.

It also might help that Royal, as a rookie, already has 63 receptions that
include multiple TDs of up to 93 yards.

I believe it is a good list, therefore, because they each deserve to be on it.
I am also inclined to think many here agree.

-----

[gobroncsnv]

Nonetheless, it might help that Clady, as a rookie is already considered among
the best tackles in football, and it is not only in Denver where he is considered so.-----

Hogwash!!! There's only 12 other people around the league who agree with this! That would be the 12 DE's whose names Clady has blotted out of the stat sheet in our 12 games so far this year... :cool:

[LRtagger]

Add Larsen to the list..

And Josh Bell.

[Flatinum]

This weeks rankings.

Clady holding steady, not far behind is Eddie.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie14.htm

[Greatspirits]

The future looks bright guys! If we can have another good draft next spring, this team will be great for years!!

[gobroncsnv]

The future looks bright guys! If we can have another good draft next spring, this team will be great for years!!

Good draft for D, that is... wish we could get a dline that could hold a candle to our oline.

[Lonestar]

Good draft for D, that is... wish we could get a dline that could hold a candle to our oline.


If your talking DL being good we can't get any in the draft can we? take a few years for them to develop..

Since we all know that rookies can't start and be great don't we? :confused:

[Flatinum]

Clady now sits where he should be!

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie15.htm

[Lonestar]

Clady now sits where he should be!

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie15.htm


FWIW here is a cut and paste

Peterson's Kansas City legacy lies with his final draft class' success

By Matt Sohn
Dec. 16, 2008

A rookie, or even a class of rookies, won’t save a coach’s job, or that of a general manager who’s presided over mediocrity. With few exceptions, rookies in the NFL simply aren’t able to make that big a difference on the field. In the NFL, physical maturity reigns supreme. As a rule, the biggest, strongest and fastest come out on top, and only the most precocious specimens rank among the NFL’s elite in their early 20s.


Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers

Although it took until Monday for Chiefs president Carl Peterson to be canned — excuse me, “resign” — the reality is that he sealed his job’s fate last offseason when he traded Jared Allen to the Vikings in return for a bounty of draft picks. With the possible exception of Tony Gonzalez, Allen was the best player the Chiefs had. The league’s best pass rusher, he was a necessary ingredient to any hope of the team being competitive this season. Without him, Kansas City has stumbled to a record of 2-12 record behind a roster rife with youthful inexperience.
But while the players Kansas City drafted last April — some the result of the Allen trade — couldn’t save Peterson’s job, they may, in fact, save his legacy. From top to bottom, this class has the look of one that could serve as the foundation for the franchise’s future success. From OLT Branden Albert in the first round, to RB Jamaal Charles in the third, to CB Brandon Carr in the sixth, the class is stocked with raw talent who’ve shown glimpses of greatness. Sure, Glenn Dorsey’s been a disappointment, but thus far his shortcomings have been mitigated by the success of his fellow freshmen.

Whoever takes over Peterson’s post of the last 20 years certainly has a major rebuilding effort ahead. But should he round out a roster that can re-establish the Chiefs as a legitimate contender, names that constituted the 2008 draft class are likely to be among the club’s cornerstones. If so, the Chiefs’ faithful will have one man to thank, Carl Peterson.

1. Broncos OT Ryan Clady (first round, 12th overall)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Although it seems like we’ve been writing the same thing for last couple of months, this time it rings particularly true: Clady was at his absolute best Sunday against the Panthers. And seeing as how consistently superb he’s been throughout the season, that’s a mouthful. Julius Peppers — possibly the most freakishly talented edge presence the NFL has seen since Lawrence Taylor — might as well have been watching the game from the sideline. Clady manhandled the free agent-to-be, even though his performance was largely muffled by his teammates’ ineptitude.

2. Falcons QB Matt Ryan (1-3)
Week 15 stats: 15-of-23 for 206 yards, two interceptions
Season stats: 242-of-389 for 3,146 yards, 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions
Last week’s ranking: 1
With Monte Kiffin officially announcing his decision to join his son’s staff at Tennessee, Ryan won’t have to worry about facing the Bucs’ legendary defensive coordinator again. Good news for him. In his two games against Kiffin, Ryan’s tossed four interceptions, fumbled three times, and didn’t throw a touchdown.

3. Titans RB Chris Johnson (1-24)
Week 15 stats: 13 carries for 65 yards; two receptions for two yards
Season stats: 235 carries for 1,159 yards and eight touchdowns; 41 receptions for 259 yards and one touchdown
Last week’s ranking: 3
First play from scrimmage in the Titans’ loss to the Texans, Johnson rumbles for 16 yards. Third play, he scampers for 11. After that, not so good.

4. Ravens QB Joe Flacco (1-18)
Week 15 stats: 11-of-28 for 115 yards, two interceptions
Season stats: 212-of-352 for 2,410 yards, 13 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Last week’s ranking: 4
Like Matt Ryan, Flacco threw up a dud against one of the game’s defining defensive coordinators on Sunday. Unlike Monte Kiffin, however, Dick LeBeau doesn’t appear to be heading out of Pittsburgh any time soon.

5. Texans RB Steve Slaton (3-89)
Week 15 stats: 24 carries for 100 yards; three receptions for 15 yards
Season stats: 230 carries for 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns; 40 receptions for 305 yards and one touchdown
Last week’s ranking: 8
Slaton upstaged the more touted Chris Johnson in the battle of the rookie rockets. One hundred yards against Tennessee isn’t too shabby out of a player supposedly too small to be a No. 1 back.

6. Patriots ILB Jerod Mayo (1-10)
Week 15 stats: 11 tackles
Season stats: 114 tackles
Last week’s ranking: 7
With the offense scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions, the Pats’ defense didn’t need to do much. Nevertheless, Mayo tracked down the Raiders’ ballcarriers all day through the waterlogged field.

7. Bears RB Matt Forté (2-44)
Week 15 stats: 11 carries for 34 yards; five receptions for 29 yards
Season stats: 280 carries for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns; 58 receptions for 424 yards and four touchdowns
Last week’s ranking: 5
Early on, under Soldier Field’s Thursday-night lights, Forté suffered an ankle injury. He came back but looked to be bothered by the injury in limited opportunities.

8. Seahawks TE John Carlson (2-38)
Week 15 stats: five receptions for 76 yards
Season stats: 51 receptions for 601 yards and four touchdowns
Last week’s ranking: 9
On and off the field, Carlson is everything that Jeremy Stevens wasn’t. For that, Seahawks fans and citizens of Seattle are thankful.

9. Broncos WR Eddie Royal (2-42)
Week 15 stats: six receptions for 48 yards
Season stats: 75 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns
Last week’s ranking: 6
Royal didn’t play like he needed to for the Broncos to pull off the upset against the surging Panthers.

10. Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers (2-35)
Week 15 stats: 10 tackles
Season stats: 58 tackles; two interceptions; one forced fumble
Last week’s ranking: On the verge
Usually, it’s not a good sign when a cornerback records double-digit tackles. The Chiefs, though, will take anything they can get.

On the verge (listed alphabetically)

Dolphins WR Davone Bess (undrafted)
Saints DT Sedrick Ellis (1-7)
Panthers S Charles Godfrey (3-67)
Eagles WR DeSean Jackson (2-49)
Jets TE Dustin Keller (1-30)
Falcons MLB Curtis Lofton (2-37)
Panthers OT Jeff Otah (1-19)
Giants S Kenny Phillips (1-31)
Cardinals CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (1-16)
Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart (1-

[broncofaninfla]

Clady now sits where he should be!

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie15.htm


Great post and write up, thanks

[Flatinum]

They list the top 10 disappointments as well.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie16.htm

[topscribe]

They list the top 10 disappointments as well.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Rookie+of+the+Year+Meter/2008/rookie16.htm

Did you notice all the defensive linemen on that list? That, along with Moss'
and Crowder's struggles, makes me slightly paranoid of selecting a DL on the
first day of the draft . . .

-----

[Flatinum]

Did you notice all the defensive linemen on that list? That, along with Moss'
and Crowder's struggles, makes me slightly paranoid of selecting a DL on the
first day of the draft . . .

-----

That's why trading or overpaying for an established, solid FA DL makes more sense to me. I don't mean washed up, over the hill players either.

You're not hearing Bills or Browns fans complaining about Stroud or Rogers.

[CoachChaz]

Even more interesting is the fact that MANY people here were really hoping for Denver to draft...Balmer, Dorsey, Jackson, Groves and Laws

[Lonestar]

Even more interesting is the fact that MANY people here were really hoping for Denver to draft...Balmer, Dorsey, Jackson, Groves and Laws

granted they would have been wasted with slowick and company trying to scheme and coach them. At least they would have been around next year when we have a new coaching cabal on defense.. with a year of NFL experience behind them..

I'd still like to have Dorsey on the team of course not at a top choice like he was and of course we would have never gotten him anyway.. But he is gonna be a force down the road.. would be nice to have next to Thomas.. I'm guessing there would be many worse DL if that were the case..

[Ziggy]

Even more interesting is the fact that MANY people here were really hoping for Denver to draft...Balmer, Dorsey, Jackson, Groves and Laws

True. We got the diamond in Clady. The D lineman may develop in a few years, but Clady was a huge factor in turning this offense around this season. I hope we can fill the safety and MLB spots through high draft picks and pick up some help on the DLine with FA and mid to late round picks.

[G_Money]

Even more interesting is the fact that MANY people here were really hoping for Denver to draft...Balmer, Dorsey, Jackson, Groves and Laws

And this is why I keep saying there's no way I go DL in the first round. None.

There are guys I will accept that we took in the first (BJ Raji, for instance) but if the choice was in my hands I wouldn't do it. There should be a flat-out guaranteed PLAYER at either MLB or Safety that we can lock down for the next 8-10 years and can make a significant impact his first year.

No sense passing on that for a coin-flip on whether 2 years from now a DL choice will finally start to pan out.

~G

[CoachChaz]

I still think the best thing about Clady is that by drafting him, I beat HD in our draft bet.

[bengaaaaals1688]

Well, this is, after all, a Denver Broncos message board.

Nonetheless, it might help that Clady, as a rookie is already considered among
the best tackles in football, and it is not only in Denver where he is considered so.

It also might help that Royal, as a rookie, already has 63 receptions that
include multiple TDs of up to 93 yards.

I believe it is a good list, therefore, because they each deserve to be on it.
I am also inclined to think many here agree.

-----

Marcus McNeil ring a bell??