The countdown has begun — we’re just about four hours away from the start of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers are essentially on the clock, which means Denver’s pick is a little more than four hours and 10 minutes away.
We’ll update this blog as we can throughout the day, though with the Broncos picking so early, there might not be quite as many updates early on in the draft. Essentially we hope this becomes a gathering place to discuss today’s happenings, so feel free to leave as many comments as you’d like below.
We also have a draft page set up for all of our content throughout the weekend, and here’s a predraft coverage page with everything we provided leading up to the event.
5:55 p.m. MDT: Five minutes until the Panthers are on the clock…we’ll have something on the front of the site as soon as we can after the Broncos pick, which will be somewhere between 6:10 and 6:20 p.m. We’ll try to be more active in the blog as the first round rolls on. In the meantime you can watch the team’s draft war room live. Keep in mind there’s no audio — we can’t give away all our secrets — but you can get a look at John Elway, John Fox, Brian Xanders and the personnel staff at work.
6:01 p.m. MDT: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is fielding a call on his cell phone, and the Carolina Panthers will soon be on the clock. We’ll see if that means the BCS Championship Game winner will be wearing Carolina Blue next year. Now Newton is shaking hands, and it looks like he’ll be the number one pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.
6:06 p.m. MDT: Roger Goodell is stepping up to the podium, and he has opened the draft to the Carolina Panthers. Now Goodell is making it official. He has announced Newton as the number one overall selection, which means the Broncos are now on the clock.
6:13 p.m. MDT: Von Miller is fielding a phone call and appears to be getting emotional. He could be the newest Denver Bronco. The executives in the Broncos’ draft war room are high-fiving and celebrating. General Manager Brian Xanders is shaking hands with Owner/CEO Pat Bowlen, and Miller is wiping away tears. Goodell has just announced that the Broncos have selected Von Miller with the second pick of the NFL Draft.
6:27 p.m. MDT: John Elway just spoke to the team’s official draft party downtown at Jackson’s.
“Von is the first step of bringing back the old Orange Crush defense that you’re all used to seeing,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and hopefully we can do as well with the rest of the picks as we’ve done with our first one.”
You can read more about Miller here. Check out some of the newest Bronco’s highlights here.
6:34 p.m. MDT: Just to catch you up on the last few picks, after the Broncos took Miller, Buffalo went with Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Darius, Cincinnati went with Georgia receiver A.J. Green, Arizona took LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson and Cleveland has just traded with Atlanta, and the Falcons have selected Alabama receiver Julio Jones at No. 6 overall. Just to recap — every single player taken in the draft so far, with the exception of Miller, played their college ball in the SEC.
7:07 p.m. MDT: John Fox has just released a statement on selecting Miller: “We are thrilled to add Von Miller to the Denver Broncos. He’s a big playmaker and a leader who is explosive on the defensive side of the ball. It’s crucial in this league to be able to rush the passer, and Von adds that dimension to our defense. He’s also able to drop back into pass coverage. There’s no doubt that his versatility is going to make us a better football team.
“He’s great on and off the field, and I couldn’t be happier with our first pick in the draft.”
8:53 p.m. MDT: Head Coach John Fox is going to speak at the podium at the conclusion of the first round, and Broncos TV will stream it live. I think we’re shutting down the blog for today — tomorrow should be far more active from the Broncos’ standpoint, with three picks on day two. Be sure to check out the draft page for all of DenverBroncos.com’s coverage.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: 2011 NFL Draft
Back to Bronco football:
“MILLER IS A SLEDGEHAMMER.”
Man, I love that!
Sorry Miller time, move over, it’s sledgehammer time!
This is like a boxing match, 2nd round coming up! LOL.
Amen to both of those comments bay it’s a new day in Denver and time to turn the page on the old and focus on the new, specifically our new SLEDGEHAMMER!!! Cant wait to turn him loose on Rivers.
Anyway, I’m hyped about who we will pick with our first second rounder, with a lot of good D linemen sneaking into the second round. God I love me some Denver Broncos!
Very happy to have Miller!! Wanted Peterson but Miller is Fine in my book. Did not wont to waste that #2 on a DT when some nasty ones would be waiting in the 2nd round. Time to pick up Austin at 36 and if available Paea at 46. Then RB in the 3rd maybe?
P.S. By old i’m sure you all know I meant the Peterson v. Dareus debate, I never ever ever never ever want to argue who we get with the No.2 pick I never want to have to pick that high again.
did not want*
BTW Royalty, you are a long ways from having lost the contest, you get the next three right, no one will match that I’m pretty sure of that.
Yeah I like Austin too … Paea Is an immovable object, plus QB killer Bowers is still on the board what a dilemma but a good one to have lol. It just said in the DP that the Broncos are going to go with the best talent not the immediate need.
Ok, I have time, so I’m gonna update everyone on the contest so far.
Like I said earlier, 6 bloggers correctly picked Von Miller:
lonewolf7
atwaters da man
marshisboss
Danso
19bk90
imready
But while everyone of those guys picked Miller with the #2 pick, atwaters da man had him at the #4 slot, so for now that leaves five guys in a tie for first due to the tie breaker rule, but we have a loooong ways to go guys. All this means is they won the first battlle but have yet to win the war.
Well, Martez is most likely out of the mix, maybe I can get one with Leshore and at the last minute I switched from Quinton Carter to Tyler Sash so who knows which way this will go. If I can get one right I’ll be happier lol
If I had gone with my second choice….
#2 – Von Miller [LB]
#36 – Stephen Paea [DT]
#46 – Mikel Leshore [RB]
#67 – Allen Bailey [DT]
I might be sitting pretty right about now.
Not so sure Martez is automatically off our board now like I originally thought. What if we get a big DT at #36 and Martez is still there at #46, we may have gotten ourselves an OLB but we certainly still need an ILB as we are just pitiful across the line at LB as I stated last night. Keep your head up, nothing is to be taken for granted in this madness that is the draft!
Agreed Bay, i can see us taking a ILB if Martez is there or even Matthews in the 3rd.
John Elway mentioned at the Combine this year that he would look at players from a different perspective. JE would see himself lined up at QB and envsion who he would not want to face, when lookng at Defensive players.
He must have seen visions of the late LB from Kansas City, Derrick Thomas when he saw Von Miller. Derrick Thomas was a great LB for KC.
Always gave Elway fits.
My other choice was Miller, Paea, Leshoure and Jarrett, and it was too close for me to choose so I flipped a coin, Dareus was head and head it was, so I went with my original choice Dareus, Wilson, Leshoure and Jarrett, so I still feel good about how I analized everything. Stupid coin! LOL.
Sledghammer like “The Mighty Thor”… there you go bay !!
Thats true this has been fun bay thanks for the contest man seriously very cool of you
lol
Yeah rbf1, that’s pretty much the consensus among the Denver sports writers. So who was he scared of next? LOL, so we know our next pick…
The next thing he was scared of was being stuck on the Colts.
Unfortunately we can’t draft an entire team, LOL.
And about Von Miller the sledgehammer, I’m all for making the awesome “Sledgehammer” song by Peter Gabriel our new team song.
Did you just pull a coin out of your pocket or, like my brother, he has one of those morgan dollar coins it’s his ‘lucky coin’
It was a quarter out of my wallet, should of used my commemorative oficial game coin of SB 32, our first SB win, talk about a lucky coin. I guess I’ll remember that for next time, haha.
Same coin as the one used on the field, one of 7,500 minted, I have # 1238.
bay – who was that DT from the Oakland Raiders, Elway was always eluding… Howie Long… lol!
The movie star, he was pretty good though, not just looks he actually had the game to go with it.
So the top 5 defensive tackles are gone.
Next in line:
Marvin Austin
Stephen Paea
Jurrell Casey
Jarvis Jenkins
Kenrick Ellis
Austin is a top 5 talent thought. His suspension made him fall.
though*
Hard to believe bad Bowers fell so bad…. high risk.
Paea didn’t run at Combine or Pro day due to knee injury.
Mel Kyper’s best left over are in order:
Bowers
Paea
Ayers
Aaron Williams
Dalton
Moore
Leshoure
With Doom Ayers and now Miller, no need for Bowers.
Paea would be the easy choice if there.
Ayers, no need either, same as Bowers.
A. Williams, CB, could be an outside chance there.
No need for Dalton at all.
Moore could be the pick if Paea is gone.
That will leave Leshoure for the #46.
good morning fellow broncos bros. cant wait for the draft today. also to glax i like how u answer to my posts after i had said goodnight. and like an hour later. u ramble too much and dont make any sense. with that much nonsense going on u sure ur not a raider fan. but enough of that with him. so whats the verdict today. paea or austin. will they both make it to us at 36. also rudolph is still available.
No Rudolph for me, very, very serious hamstring injury, torn to the bone from what I heard.
From bleacherreport:
Every now and again, an athlete sustains an injury that makes even the crustiest old-timer wince in pain. When Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph’s hamstring injury was described as a hamstring that tore completely from the bone and will require surgery, the mere thought of that type of injury causes grown men to wince.
But let’s go Martez Wilson so I get my second pick right, haha.
I second that!!
I hope LeShoure is there at #46… he would be a great pick.
I concur.
Jerrell Powe, NT, Ole Miss
Height: 6-2. Weight: 329.
This could be another prospect for later rounds
I was trying to find an article I had when we first got Fox it was about how we were, with no doubt, gonna take Bowers because it stated that he reminded Fox of Peppers, couldn’t find it obviously, but its crazy to think how far he fell.
I think a dark horse for us could be Ben Ijalana, OT, I almost put him on my mock at #46, if we don’t take Leshoure, let’s go for Ben.
I think that the recent experience of drafting someone hurt like Thomas last year is reverbarating strongly at Dove Valley right now, I don’t see them taking a chance on damaged goods once again, that’s why I don’t see Rudolph in the equasion.
And definitely not Bowers.
LeShoure
Height: 6-0
Weight: 232
Wonder if he reminds anyone of TD….(just a little).
I`m thinking at 36 DT and at 46 either MLB, S or RB. A MLB wouldn`t surprise me at all.
Some cool facts about the first round:
Six colleges produced multiple first round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft: Alabama, Auburn, Missouri, Wisconsin, Colorado and Baylor. The Alabama Crimson Tide sent four players to the NFL (defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, Bills; wide receiver, Julio Jones, Falcons; tackle James Carpenter, Seahawks; and running back Mark Ingram, Saints). The other five colleges sent two each.
The last time two players from Baylor were drafted in the first round was in 1957.
In the first round NFL teams drafted six defensive ends, six offensive tackles, five defensive tackles, four quarterbacks, three wide receivers, three defensive backs, two linebackers, two guards and one running back.
The value of running backs continues to diminish. When the New Orleans Saints drafted running back Mark Ingram with the 28th choice, it was the latest that the first running back was selected since 1963 when no running backs were taken in either of the first two rounds.
Mark Ingram, 28th pick, and Cameron Heyward joined their fathers as first round draft choices. Mark Ingram, Sr., a wide receiver at Michigan State was taken by the New York Giants, also with the 28th pick, in the 1987 NFL Draft. Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, a running back at Pittsburgh, was chosen by the New Orleans Saints with the 24th pick in 1988.
No players from former football powerhouses Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Texas, and Miami (FL) were drafted in the first round.
We`re set at DE, so no Bowers for me.
Good to see BFE on early this morning.