EDITOR’S NOTE — 850 KOA’s Mike Rice checks in with his thoughts on the quarterback and defensive back prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft.
The NFL Draft is upon us.
Thank goodness.
By now, all the talk and speculation are wearing a bit thin. Despite that, I will take a final look at a couple of positions and offer some thoughts about what the Broncos might do or should do.
In case you have not seen them, please be sure to check out the great draft previews that my colleagues here are DenverBroncos.com have put together. They recently looked at quarterbacks and defensive backs.
QUARTERBACK
We know right now, Peyton is Da Mann. But it is not too early for the Broncos to begin thinking about who their next great quarterback might be. Undoubtedly, they are looking. And they need to be.
After Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill, do the Broncos have enough interest in someone like Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma St.), Brock Osweiler (Arizona St.), Nick Foles (Arizona) or guys of similar ilk?
John Elway has consistently said that he likes bigger quarterbacks who are also athletic. We also know that he wants a guy who can win games throwing the ball from the pocket. So those are some of the big picture criteria the Broncos are looking for in whomever they might draft at this position.
It is an interesting situation that raises several questions.
One, do the Broncos really like any of the guys behind Luck, RG3 and Tannehill enough and believe he could be the quarterback of the future?
Two, if they do like one of the other guys, how high are they willing to take pick him? I would think it would have to be in the second or possibly third round.
BOTTOM LINE: If the Broncos draft a quarterback, it is strictly for the future. My hunch is that the Broncos want to take a quarterback and see if he can develop behind Manning. I believe they will do that.
DEFENSIVE BACK
The Broncos have already shuffled some things in the defensive backfield by signing free agent Tracy Porter and releasing Andre Goodman.
We know that the cornerbacks on the roster right now include Champ Bailey, Tracy Porter, Chris Harris, Ramzee Robinson, Syd’Quan Thompson, Cassius Vaughn and Tony Carter.
For the most part, I see the Broncos being set at this position. Getting Vaughn and Thompson back from injuries will be huge. They are both young and talented. One figures they will be contributors. Chris Harris emerged nicely last season as a college free agent.
Safety is more interesting. Brian Dawkins is retiring. They will miss his contributions, both on the field and in the locker room. The Broncos signed free agent Mike Adams. Great move there. They also have David Bruton, Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore. Those are the only safeties on the roster. They will need to bring in another one or two. It is a physical position and a demanding position.
One guy to keep in mind is Mark Barron from Alabama. His name pops up in various locations in mock drafts and could be taken as high as the middle part of the first round. Some people think he will go sometime in the 20s.
If the Broncos stay put at 25, he might be there.
BOTTOM LINE: I expect the Broncos to draft a safety but I am guessing it will happen in the middle or later rounds.
OVRALL DRAFT THOUGHTS
I cannot get away from the distinct possibility that the Broncos will trade out of the first round. The more I have thought about this, the more I hope it happens unless one thing transpires.
There are a lot of really good players on the board in those rounds and the Broncos could fill multiple needs by doing this.
What do you want to see the Broncos do this weekend?
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Enjoy the draft!
Best,
Mike
Tags: Mike Rice
And Jared Crick is a much better fit with better alue
Oh theres VBD . Ta’amu is off the board.
sure
Never mind LAX VBD is still here.
K
Give him a five minutes to make a new pick if he doesnt then you can have it.
CRICK!!! Dang it…forgot about him too.
The 49ers select DE Jared Crick Nebraska
Poor Mans Justin Smith what better way to improve than learning from the real Justin Smith
LAX make the pick.
Mike your on with your last pick.
Ill be making the Giants pick.
Mohammed Sanu?
Mike and the Patriots on the clock. Wouldnt surprise me if Sanu WR or Boykin CB are the pick.
Pats Select:
Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana
No More Edelman at CB!
DAMN ME lol I should have picked Sanu for 9ers.. this is all mikes fault forgetting Crick
Oooh I figure it would have been Brandon Boykin.
LAX….Please put your comment in the form of a question.
With the Final pick of the Bloggers community mock draft the New York Giants select:
Bobby Wagner LB Utah State.
I like both but Johnson is WOW Athletic and Bill B will keep his attitude in check!
GREAT TIME EVERYONE!!!
Damn Me? Why did I not select Sanu for the 49ers? I believe this is Mikes fault?
3 hours 46 minutes to complete.
This was a great time. I enjoyed it. Dulled down some when BFE LBF and all them left. Will be interesting to see what they think of it tomorrow.
LAX – Thank you for your question. A lot of things go into why you were wrong…it’s really a fluid situation.
All in all was a surprise mock no doubt. A lot of surprised. But a good mock done by multiple people.
AB The Drafts are always a surprise so it was a good mock
I thought it would be too easy to do what all the experts tell us to do….for the most part, everyone just picked what they thought was best and not what they thought the team would really do….. and that made it really cool for me.
The Pack should redraft their selection and take crick
If we did it again….same people, it would be completely different.
I think we picked as we saw fit for the teams what would help them most!
Once again, guys, good job! I enjoyed all your work and the fun. Thanks!
LAX…LOL….I would if I could.
I tried to pick who would help the team the most IMO and who i would take if i were the GM of course I missed out on a lot of my guys lol
Have a great night everyone….can’t wait for the real thing tomorrow night!
Go Broncos!
Thanks for setting this up AB!
AB I think we are shaking up the last few picks haha
Goodnight Mike had a great time.
If mike is ok we can move Crick to the Pack and Sanu to the Niners.
Night guys Cant wait to do this next year bigger and better I hope… We can do it on facebook or something will be easier
I think he wanted to lol and its better for both teams IMO
LAX on Facebook it would be easier.
Ok i will make the switch.
Yeah plus we could Message each other and do trades and such
Someone should create a “Broncos Blog” Page on FB!!!
Private Group???
LAX and AB…switch those pick if you want!
Good Idea Mike