It was supposed to be a quiet morning at Dove Valley, with the Broncos not expected to go on the clock until the sixth round.
But at 10:19 a.m., the facility burst into motion with the news that the Broncos had moved into the No. 121 slot, placing them back into the fourth round and allowing them to take defensive tackle Marcus Thomas from the University of Florida.
The pick — which originally belonged to the Broncos but was sent to Atlanta and then on to Minnesota — gives the Broncos three defensive linemen in their four picks — which will be all the Broncos have unless they trade back into the last three rounds. Denver dealt its sixth- and seventh-round selections this year and a third-rounder next year to the Vikings in exchange for the No. 121 selection.
UPDATE — 11:44 A.M. MDT:
With the Broncos’ draft over unless they trade back into the later rounds, Head Coach Mike Shanahan offered some thoughts about the pick of Marcus Thomas, whom he referred to as a “natural leader.”
“We research people,” Shanahan said. “I’ve got a good gut feeling about Marcus.
“We just couldn’t pass it up … I was trying to get that pick from the latter part of the third round to the fourth round.”
Shanahan was later asked about the picks the Broncos surrendered to select Thomas, and was specifically queried about whether the three selections — including a 2008 third-round pick — was a “steep price” to pay.
“Not if you have him ranked as a first-round pick, it’s certainly not a steep price to pay. If he’s not with our program, it’s a steep price.
“I really think if he would have played this year he would have been drafted early in the first round, maybe in the second. But all that doesn’t matter right now.”
UPDATE — 12:15 P.M. MDT:
Jarvis Moss on Marcus Thomas: “Hands down, he was the best player on our national-championship football team this past year.”
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I for one like the pick although Thomas does bring some character issues in his wake. I am aggravated that we gave up next year’s 3rd rounder, this year’s 6th rounder, and this year’s 7th rounder for a 4th round pick though. At most we should given them a 4th rounder along with those 6th and 7th round picks.
I’m confused, I didn’t think we were that short on D-Line and I thought we already picked a Maurice Clarrett. I wish we would have learned from that experience. So much for the other Defensive help we so much needed. “Some character issues” is an understatement from what NFL Network is saying he still had some problems his senior year, kicked off campus, not allowed to work out at Florida’s pro day….pretty costly pick!
I was watchin that too. They are the experts, however these “experts” also are poor judges of the intangibles and how determined a guy is. I believe Thomas will change cause he knows that if he doesn’t he won’t be playing in the NFL. Also, I’ve seen that John Wendling is dropping in the draft and still hasn’t been picked. Any chance we could make a trade and get him in the 5th Andrew? Because what I’ve seen, he is definitely worth it and a year behind Lynch and Ferguson could produce a beast for us to utilize at the safety position.
I guess I shouldn’t be so quick to judge but how many times do they say that I’m changed so they can get paid….I was thinking maybe the same thing about Wendling. We’ll see, but I think our day is over and we just don’t have the cap room.
For what it’s worth, in every year I’ve been here, Shanahan hasn’t come out to address the media until after the day’s picks are done, and he answered questions at just after 11:30 p.m. MDT. So that would indicate to me that the team won’t be trading back into the draft. And now that they’ve already traded a third-rounder for next year (although they have an extra fourth-round selection coming), I would be very surprised if they used another pick next year to move back into this year’s draft.
That being said, I still like Wendling … good player, physical freak, class act.
“Some character issues”….is really nothin..To me this is the best pick of the four…he never got arrested for nothin..all he did was smoke wht heshouldn/t have…just like moss did….but other than that…watch and see how much of a wreckin force he’ll become….he could start right now for us..unlike moss…and crowder…i still think moss is a bust..like shanny’s other first round picks…like…midlebrooks…o’neal… foster..lelie…mediocre at best…i wished we would have took reggie Nelson….but i guess i’ll see..but Marcus was a our best pick..
As a Gator fan Marcus was incredible last year. He almost single handedly shut down LSU (home of the #1 pick JaMarcus Russell) when the Gators played them in October. Character issues? He was on the leadership committee, happened to make a couple of mistakes(marijuana) in a year where coach Urban Meyer was making a great deal out of disciplining players equally regardless of talent. He was so impressive that local sports radio was questioning whether FL’s defense would recover last season after losing him. I think the Broncos landed themselves a first round talent with a fourth round pick.
But how do you get kicked off campus and not allowed to participate in pro day at your own college for only smoking something? I hope you are all correct in guessing and I liked what I saw in the film they were showing, that’s a lot for only smoking something he shouldn’t have and a lot of people don’t get hooked because they don’t get caught. Sorry for being extremely critical.
I agree with Red2000. I am also a Gator fan as well as a Bronco fan. (Born in Denver, grew up in Florida! Gotta love the orange and blue!) Watching Thomas was watching one helluva player. He’s incredible and his off-field problems will not come back to haunt Denver, I don’t believe. Urban Meyer was big into penalizing negative behavior, esp. those he considered to be leaders. His style is very strict, and I think to make sure those that break the rules learn the lesson that bad consequences come from bad behavior. His strictness is to ensure those players learn their lessons. Thank God for coaches like him who have some tenacity. Under a coach with lessor standards, Marcus Thomas would not have been penalized so heavily, imho. I agree that Thomas is more like a 1st round pick and would’ve been so if not for the problems he had.
Jarvis Moss will come into his own, I bet. Of course, I would not have minded seeing Reggie Nelson in orange and blue (DARK BLUE!) again too! Ah well…….can’t have em all I suppose. Moss has a lot of fight and tenacity in him…..his size will be a definite advantage.
Hey, ESPN.com is reporting that with a 6th Round pick we selected Rufus Alexander from Oklahoma? Anyone?
Rufus Alexander went to Minnesota…….
So Coach Shanahan said in his press conference after Day 1 that the reason they moved up to #17 was to solidify the fact that they’d get Moss because the two other guys they had on their board were gone. One of them was Justin Harrel who went to Green Bay at #16, who was the other?
I bet the other player they were targeting was either Adam Carriker or Jamaal Anderson if they were to fall that far, which they didn’t so one of them could also be a possibility. But I’m not an expert so I don’t know, but as I’ve already said I like how our draft played out. Except for the fact of ending up with only 4 players instead of 7 or 8. Also that John Wendling or Sabby Piscitelli wasn’t one of those players.
Anderson was the other guy.
I had a feeling that Cincy might take a run at Moss, so moving up was the right thing to do. Thomas is an intriguing prospect. I think getting him as far away from the sunshine state as possible will work in his favor, especially with two other Florida teammates there with him….
I think Gerrard Warren, another former Gator, will do alot to help Thomas adjust to the NFL…
TSG
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