Thread: 2016 Broncos Draft Picks Analysis

http://espn.go.com/blog/denver-bronc...for-every-pick

Round 1, Pick No. 26: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis | Highlights

My take: At 6-foot-6, 244 pounds, Lynch is exactly the type of big-framed quarterback Elway likes. It was one of the reasons the team selected 6-foot-7 Brock Osweiler in the second round of the 2012 draft.

Lynch is likely not ready to play as a rookie. But, the Broncos don’t need him to play and can give Lynch the expected time needed to acclimate himself into the league. Lynch didn’t play under center all that much in his career with Memphis and worked in a no-huddle attack that didn’t ask him to throw the ball down the field very often.

He’ll need to adjust to the Broncos’ scheme, but he has the mobility to eventually run the team’s play-action attack. The Broncos also believe Lynch has the kind of arm strength to power the ball down the field and he simply wasn't afforded the opportunity to do it all that much. Lynch's pro day workout was proof.

One for the future: One of the concerns scouts had with Lynch in pre-draft meetings was his demeanor. They aren't sure he has the assertiveness to be the potential face of the franchise. But the Broncos believe Lynch will have the time he needs to grow into the job. The Broncos like what Mark Sanchez can do in the offense and have said throughout the offseason they are prepared for him to be the starter. Much like Osweiler, who waited over three seasons to make his first regular-season start, the Broncos can groom Lynch in what coach Gary Kubiak has called "the right way."

Round 2, Pick No. 63:Adam Gotsis, DT, Georgia Tech | Highlights

My take: The 6-foot-4½-inch, 287-pound player moves like a much smaller man. He has played nose tackle at times in the Georgia Tech defense and will be a project for the Broncos. He’s worth a draft pick, but the Broncos rated him more highly than many of their peers. The Broncos will need a raw player to continue his lightning-quick development to play up to the value of the pick. The game video shows he’s a high-effort player, with some quickness off the ball and strength at the point of attack. Gotsis doesn’t always show a quick diagnosis of the play in front of him and projects to largely be a run-down specialist early in his career as he continues to learn the game. He is still recovering from an October knee injury.

Still on the mend: Gotsis suffered a torn ACL in his knee on the first play from scrimmage in Georgia Tech’s Oct. 31 loss to Virginia. Gotsis said Friday night he had progressed to do some running and agility drills in his recovery so he hopes to be full speed by the time the Broncos begin their regular season. Before the knee injury, some teams said they believed Gotsis could have third-round draft potential.

Still learning: Even after four seasons with Georgia Tech, including three as a starter, Gotsis has still played more Australian Rules Football -- eight years -- than he has football in the United States. But the Broncos are more than willing to put their trust in defensive line coach Bill Kollar to develop him. And Gotsis is potentially a high-reward prospect given the potential he has shown in one of the nation’s major football conferences. He finished his career with 12.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss.

More....

My analysis is that we landed some good and interesting prospects. Looks like our FB is a feisty fellow and our punter is a FG holder that can run and throw. RB Booker was a helluva catch (thought he'd be gone in 2-3. Overall, pretty stoked about this draft. Feels damn good believing our Broncos decision makers know what the hell they are doing.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Sixteen of John Elway's 22 Day 3 picks have made it onto the Broncos' regular-season roster. A majority of them became first-teamers at some point.

So the chances are excellent that there are some key future contributors among the players the Broncos will draft Saturday.

A quick look at how each of the newest Broncos will fit onto the roster:

RB DEVONTAE BOOKER
Utah
5-11 - 219
Round 4, No. 136 overall

Devontae Booker is a perfect fit for the Broncos' scheme.

He makes decisive cuts when the hole develops. He is adept as a receiver, having caught 80 passes for 624 yards and two touchdowns the last two years. He is prolific on the ground, racking up 2,773 yards. He has the tenacity to handle pass-protection responsibilities.

rest - http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-an...5-3ac8c5f06253

Originally Posted by artie_dale

My analysis is that we landed some good and interesting prospects. Looks like our FB is a feisty fellow and our punter is a FG holder that can run and throw. RB Booker was a helluva catch (thought he'd be gone in 2-3. Overall, pretty stoked about this draft. Feels damn good believing our Broncos decision makers know what the hell they are doing.

Good grief the punter is big enough and probably fast enough to play tight end.

That new DT must wear a XXXXL helmet. What was his cranium measurements at the combine? It must have been a record

My thoughts:

1. Paxton Lynch A+++, even with trading up and losing a third, this was a pick that seemed clearly out of reach for a defending Super Bowl champion. Great awareness by Elway realizing he needed to trade up and not let the Cowboys or Browns get him first.

2. Adam Gotsis B- . This was a bit of a reach but he is an intriguing physical specimen. Reminds me of Richard Kiel in the original "The Longest Yard" ("I told you I broke his fvcking neck!!") only with an Aussie accent. Looks very stiff and unnatural but makes plays. He could be a terror at the next level but I would have rather they waited another round. I think he would have still been there.

3. Justin Simmons B. His wasn't one of the top names in this year's safety class but the instant responses were that we will be really impressed. We needed to add one so, IMO, this was a good pick.

4. Devontae Booker A. Good all-around back that is already altitude-acclimated. He adds to the stable of Anderson and Hillman to give Kubiak another weapon at an injury-prone position.

5. Connor McGovern A. Excellent value at this point in the draft. He is a versatile lineman who can fit all over the line. Maybe this means Schofield can be cut.

6a. Andy Janovich D. From here, I think Elway took off for the links. Kubiak is one of the few coaches who still wants a fullback. They're almost dinosaurs in the NFL.

6b. Will Parks D. Training camp fodder.

7. Riley Dixon D. You don't draft punters anymore. You just sign them after the draft.

Overall, despite the weak selections at the the end, the first five picks make this draft an A. When you get right down to it, this draft class will be forever judged on how successful Paxton Lynch is.

Denver has a fantastic roster. I think this draft is full of talent to bolster the roster, and I expect three or four to start in time. I'd be surprised if anyone starts this year outside of special teams and Janovich sparingly at fullback.

I'm not a huge fan of the whole fullback thing, but Janovich is a very good player and will fill in for Bruton on special teams immediately. I expect Simmons to also impact special teams immediately.

I have no problem with using a FB. We had our greatest success when using one and Carolina Panthers ranked 2nd in rushing last year using Tolbert. Hopefully Janovich works out well in that regard.

Originally Posted by Northman

I have no problem with using a FB. We had our greatest success when using one and Carolina Panthers ranked 2nd in rushing last year using Tolbert. Hopefully Janovich works out well in that regard.

Yep! I'm sure Elway remembers his FB named Griffith. There were many times last year a FB was needed, if anything, to chip away pressure on the QB. Anderson will appreciate Janovich as Davis did Griffith. These coaches and Elway know what they're doing.

Draft thoughts: As always, this is how I feel about the pick. Grading drafts on how well they matched your personal draft board is sort of silly to me, because nobody's draft board is "right" but here's how I felt when hearing they were drafted, and after having a chance to think about it.

1. Paxton Lynch: A-. I like the pick, the price wasn't outrageous, and if he was The Guy for Elway and Kubiak then that's okay with me. Kubes is going to have to stay strong, though. I don't want to break the QBOTF by starting him too soon just because Sanchez falters early. Lynch is going to need some time to be good, which means we may flush our SB hopes for this year in the process. He's not a graduate student like Russell Wilson. We knew that was probable anyway, though - even with Oz, but definitely without him. Now is not the time to be butt-hurt about it. The tools are there for Lynch, now the teaching has to begin. I still think he could be the best QB out of the draft class, and while I don't know if that's enough to make him a SB-winning QB I'm fine with taking the shot. The Dolphins have been looking for a decade and a half without success. Let's not wander in that wasteland too.

2. Adam Gotsis: B. I like the player (and had him in my mock), but his injury and rawness made me think he was a 3rd or 4th round guy. Kollar wanted him, though, and PFF thought he was having "a monster season" before his injury. Kollar can make him into a great replacement for Malik if he can stay healthy and doesn't mind being bear-wrestled into shape. He's a beast in the weight room too (a theme of this draft) and should be able to be a rotational guy this year. Value-wise it seems we overpaid a bit, but since I think the guy's a player I don't care as much about having to be both right and smarter than other teams by letting him fall and risking losing him entirely. We moved up for Lynch because we had to (the Cowboys and others wanted him) and I assume we took Gotsis here for similar reasons. He's ours, and he should be around a while. Good job.

3. Justin Simmons: B+. I like Justin because he can do basically everything. Play center field as a rover, support against the run, tackle in the open field, play aggressively and with energy, cover RBs and TEs (and even wideouts in a pinch), blitz, play defense... I like him better than I liked Bruton when he came out. I thought Bruton was simply a special teams ace (he was) who then worked his way into the safety rotation late in his rookie contract. Simmons should get on the field as a rotational safety THIS year while also doing all the things Bruton did. He's both an athlete and a football player, and I think he'll be a good one for us.

4. Devontae Booker: A. You know how Simmons can do everything we want a FS to do? Booker is the same at RB. He can do EVERYTHING Kubes wants a running back to do, and carried the Utes around on his back the last two years. He's a better back than CJ Anderson for what we do, IMO, but he needs to stay healthy and prove he can do it with the Big Boys. Anderson had to grow into it too, so we'll see how long it takes Booker to adjust. But his only weakness really is lack of a 5th gear, which guys like Terrell Davis and Arian Foster did all right without. I expect Booker to get a significant amount of carries this year. I don't know whether the Broncos will have a repeat of the Tatum Bell / Mike Anderson 50/50 split in yards, but I think that's Kubiak's plan to keep everyone healthy and keep Sanchez from trying to do too much. Works for me.

5. Connor McGovern: B. A guard who can also play emergency tackle and who is both freakishly strong as well as a good mover? Yeah, I'll take it. It feels like Elway has started to learn that he can't just take guys who will ONLY survive in a ZBS system and make a great line out of them. The guys have to be able to anchor as well as move, and with Max Garcia last year and the McGovernator this year he's getting to that mold. Gives us flexibility and the hope that Schofield will never see the field in a Broncos uni again. I thought there was at least one better OG on the board at the time (if not more) but McGovern's positional flex may have given him the edge, and I can't complain about the package. Just have to polish the rough edges off.

6a. Andy Janovich: B. Kubiak got his man. Because Tampa Bay took a FB in the next round, we also picked our man where we HAD to pick him if he's the one we really wanted. Elway was nice enough to move down to do it and shift a pick to next year's draft in the process, so I still consider it smart drafting if we got the player we wanted. Janovich is an incredibly accomplished wrestler (as is McGovern, actually), which will help offset his lack of pure bulk at fullback. He was not asked to run or catch much at Nebraska, but when he did it he was terrific. His own coach said he figured out too late that Janovich should have gotten more burn. Since Kubiak offenses struggle without proper FB play, I'm fine with getting one who isn't a converted RB to do the dirty work. Let's see if it helps the inside running attack.

6b. Will Parks: B. I was actually surprised Parks was here still. He's another hybrid CB/S but he's not afraid to play the run game either. He was used in run support a lot in college but is lean, tall and has good enough cover skills to make up for a lack of pure speed in the middle of the field - just don't leave him on an island. He is an incredibly smart and hard-working player. I don't expect him to be more than a special teamer this year, but I don't mind the pick. We have a lot of great vets and coaches for him to refine technique with, and you can't have too many smart and aggressive DBs in this league.

7. Riley Dixon: D. I don't get it. There are 40 UDFA punters a year, and the vast majority of teams get their punters without drafting them. Drafting a dome punter seems similarly silly, but if Elway wanted to use a pick to light a fire under Colquitt, then fine. We used a 7th (in trade) on McManus and that worked out in the end. Maybe Dixon is the greatest thing since sliced bread and I'll never be happier to use a 7th rounder in my whole life. Anything's possible.

UDFAs: Holy crap we got a lot of these. Conventional wisdom says UDFAs are better suited to go to bad teams, because there just aren't that many slots available on good teams - and the agents of good ones try to make that happen. But the Broncos always trying to keep a UDFA on the active roster every year and stocking their practice squad with guys they aren't afraid to promote later seems to have gotten us an absolute raft-full of dudes wanting a shot. Logging time in camp with the Super Bowl champs probably doesn't hurt either.

Guys that interest me:

Long snapper - Nathan Theus comes from a football family and has that long-snapping skill I'm always happy to have in camp. He might stick around.

DT - David Moala and Kyle Peko are both hard-working interior guys with good leadership skills and who play bigger than their size. Either guy could be a nice backup, and I would bet money one makes the PS.

TE - I like Coble, the TE from Iowa, because Iowa teaches all their TEs how to be well-rounded and able to block. Anthony Norris is a nice second-look guy too, but Coble could be cloned from Owen Daniels. He'll probably get a decent look.

Kick returner - Kalif Raymond is a smart guy (he went to Holy Cross after all) but he ran a 4.34 on his pro day and is obviously here to get a look at KR/PR. Good luck kid!

Security blanket - Mose Frazier, Lynch's best receiver at Memphis, was drafted by the Broncos. He'll give Lynch some familiarity in the rookie camps and getting his reps in, which should help ease the transition. It might help Mose too as he tries to hang on to a PS berth.

Overall draft: A-. It weirds me out to be so satisfied by a Broncos draft. Usually there are a couple of guys in the middle rounds I'm very down on, but not today. We could have taken Booker in the second and I'd have been okay with it. In the 4th he's a steal. We got two safeties and I like both of them. The OG isn't the usual "can't fold paper in half but gee whiz he moves well" ZBS type. And we got a QBOTF that looks at first blush like he might actually live up to that moniker if we give him the proper incubation time.

What's not to like? I hate agreeing with nearly everything Elway did because it makes me think he probably made a mistake somewhere but seriously: I think we could get multiple starters out of this draft THIS year and a couple more in time. That's a helluva draft if it works out that way. It's harder to get starters for a good team, and we're definitely that. But Elway addressed our needs in a big way, with quality draft picks that fit exactly what we do.

Synergy is a nice thing when it happens. Can't wait to see em get some reps. Happy draft weekend everybody!

Jerry Jones thoughts on lynch pick: loses sleep at night over losing lynch.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowbo...n-paxton-lynch

I don't see a problem with using. 7th round pick on a punter late in the 7th round. Nothing is lost on it. What did Denver give up to get McManus on in trade?

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

I don't see a with using a 7th round pick on a punter late in the 7th round. Nothing is lost on it. What did Denver give up to get McManus on in trade?

Also 7th. It's just not usually done, because all the punters are still out there to choose from. My issue with it was that it's usually hard to get the best UDFAs to come to a great club, because there aren't a lot of roster spots up for grabs. They are more likely to choose a worse club so they can get a foothold in the league, so 7th rounders on good teams are better used to snag those potential UDFAs you don't want to let choose between their options.

Elway apparently felt the guy he didn't want to let field offers was the punter. So be it.

Originally Posted by G_Money

Also 7th. It's just not usually done, because all the punters are still out there to choose from. My issue with it was that it's usually hard to get the best UDFAs to come to a great club, because there aren't a lot of roster spots up for grabs. They are more likely to choose a worse club so they can get a foothold in the league, so 7th rounders on good teams are better used to snag those potential UDFAs you don't want to let choose between their options.

Elway apparently felt the guy he didn't want to let field offers was the punter. So be it.

I hear ya, but a punter who can flip field position, nail the coffin corner, and force fair catches is a boon for any defense.

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

I hear ya, but a punter who can flip field position, nail the coffin corner, and force fair catches is a boon for any defense.

Well, he played for Syracuse so he got a lot of practice.