Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Broncos have all kinds of options in NFL draft

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    31,747

    Default Broncos have all kinds of options in NFL draft

    Broncos have all kinds of options in NFL draft
    By Mike Klis
    The Denver Post
    POSTED: 04/17/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT


    Josh McDaniels was so candid, so remarkably revealing with his evaluation of players and possible strategies during his draft preview news conference Friday, he all but invited the media back to the Broncos' war room.

    Not that the inquisitors gathered any clue about whom the Broncos will take with the No. 11 pick Thursday night during the first round of the NFL draft.

    In fact, one of two plans the Broncos have with their 11th selection is to trade down, with hopes of picking up an extra pick in a later round.

    The other plan would be to stay at No. 11.

    "There's going to be a plan for both," McDaniels said. "There's no question about that."

    McDaniels said he has not received one call from teams ahead of the Broncos wanting to swap places on the draft board, but he has gotten many from teams behind them.

    "I think the odds would be in favor of us moving backward probably because the most opportunity lies there," McDaniels said.

    Compare McDaniels' forthrightness to his predecessor Mike Shanahan, who was so tight-lipped about the draft, he barely acknowledged the Broncos would participate.

    After the trade Wednesday of Brandon Marshall, the Broncos are not expected to take Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, another talented receiver with character flags, with their No. 11 pick. But if Bryant slides well into the second round, as DeSean Jackson did two years ago? The Broncos will have the No. 43 and No. 45 picks in hand.

    "I'll tell you this: He's on our board," McDaniels said. "I know there are other teams that may have taken him off their board, but he's not one of the players who is off our board."

    If the Broncos trade back, but not too far back, from No. 11, they could consider taking Florida center Maurkice Pouncey.

    "Obviously, I think there's a need and a desire for us to add competition at the center position," McDaniels said.

    However, a center hasn't been selected as high as No. 11 in 42 years, so Pouncey is not likely to be the choice if the Broncos stand pat. A center could then be taken in the second round.

    If the Broncos stay at No. 11, a sleeper possibility could be Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. McDaniels loves versatility in his running backs, and Spiller has home run speed and the athleticism to catch and return.

    Of the 30 players the Broncos brought in, three were running backs, with Stanford's Toby Gerhart and Tennessee's Montario Hardesty joining Spiller.

    McDaniels delivered robust testimonials about Missouri outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, Alabama inside backer Rolando McClain, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams.

    Weatherspoon was the player who most wowed McDaniels through his visit.

    "Name it, and he was impressive," McDaniels said. "His knowledge of his system, his ability to retain our system, his interaction with our coaches."

    Perhaps, a complement to NFL sack champion Elvis Dumervil on the other edge of the Broncos' 3-4 defense? Robert Ayers might want to keep hitting that weight room.

    When the Broncos' boss was done gushing about Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winner was all but sent to McDaniels' hometown of Canton, Ohio, to pose for a bronze bust.

    "The only thing you can say about the tape that isn't flattering, or very impressive is that he dips the ball a hair," McDaniels said in reference to Tebow's well-dissected throwing release. "He has already fixed that."

    McDaniels added offensive guard and linebacker are needs he hopes to address through the draft, but he's satisfied with his depth at offensive tackle. The Broncos also appear set in the secondary and defensive front three, although depth at any position is under consideration in the later rounds.

    In last season's draft, the first controlled by McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders, the Broncos packaged picks to move up and down the draft board, although they held with the No. 12 and 18 picks in the first round and took Knowshon Moreno and Ayers.

    Next week, the Broncos could very well trade down from No. 11 and package their Nos. 43 and 45 picks and move up.

    "It will be interesting to see what happens and how flexible other people want to be, moving up or down," McDaniels said. "We're one of the teams that obviously has some flexibility to move up (from the second round) if we choose."

    Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com

  2. #2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jrwiz View Post
    .

    Weatherspoon was the player who most wowed McDaniels through his visit.

    "Name it, and he was impressive," McDaniels said. "His knowledge of his system, his ability to retain our system, his interaction with our coaches."

    Perhaps, a complement to NFL sack champion Elvis Dumervil on the other edge of the Broncos' 3-4 defense? Robert Ayers might want to keep hitting that weight room.
    No way that the Broncos would draft Spoon to play OLB. He'll take Andre's spot.

  3. The Following User High Fived Ziggy For This Post:


Go
Shop AFC Champions and Super Bowl gear at the official online Pro Shop of the Denver Broncos!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
status.broncosforums.com - BroncosForums status updates
Partner with the USA Today Sports Media Group