Leading up to Thursday, April 28, when the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft will kick off, we will take a look at who some of the “experts” have the Broncos selecting with the No. 2 overall pick.
In the first batch of mock drafts, four players are mentioned at Denver’s position — Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara.
On CBSSports.com, Rob Rang sees Fairley swapping out his orange-and-blue national championship jersey for orange-and-blue Broncos duds. He calls the defensive lineman “the most talented player in this draft.” Chad Reuter puts Peterson at that spot.
On SI.com, Andrew Perloff has the Broncos taking Bowers.
He writes: “John Fox’s first pick as Carolina head coach was Julius Peppers. The 6-foot-4 Bowers led the nation with 15.5 sacks last season and could have a Peppers-like impact on a defense that ranked last in the NFL in sacks.”
ESPN.com’s Todd McShay forsees Fairley heading to Denver, while Mel Kiper predicts that Peterson will be the pick. (Note: Both McShay and Kiper’s mock drafts require ESPN Insider to access the full list)
Their respective explanations:
McShay: “Denver needs to overhaul its defensive front, and while new coach John Fox has not yet named a defensive coordinator, Fairley has the versatility to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 front. Fairley is quick, disruptive and plays with an edge, and he could not be blocked by one man during the college season.”
Kiper: “Denver CB Champ Bailey is a future Hall of Famer, but he’s a free agent entering his 13th NFL season and Peterson has the physical skills to be an immediate starter in the secondary and a force in the return game. Denver has enough needs where it could go several directions with this pick, but getting the best size-speed combo in the draft, a guy who can help immediately, is a smart play. Simply an electrifying talent.”
FoxSports.com’s Peter Schrager agrees with the Peterson pick, while AOL/Fanhouse writers Chris Burke and R.J. White go a different route with Amukamara.
White says pairing Amukamara with Bailey would “immediately give the Broncos the best corner tandem in the league.”
We’ll keep tabs on the mocks as they progress and the draft draws closer.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: 2011 NFL Draft, Denver Broncos
Mc D sent away alot of good players and traded for gargage and drafted wrong amost on every pick traded up when he did not need to. He gave picks away like candy on halloween
tnalen I think it was more of the organization bc Cowher should’ve had more rings. Probably part of the reason he hasn’t come back yet. He’s trying to slide into a great situation so he won’t be exposed.
Yep. what was Cowher’s Championship record 2-4 i think
The steelers seem to always draft really good every year
Steelers are trying to give this game away. Loosing Pouncey will hurt them in the Super Bowl if they can hang on.
Well, no talking to Mr T for two weeks!
Packers vs Steelers makes for a great game!
Steelers just made my day by beating the JETS. Man I hate the Jets, c0cky lil snots.
And of course we all knew Green Bay was gonna win but I knew it would be close. TRB out…
One more thing, shout out to my fave coach Mike Tomlin for another superbowl trip, young guy, no ego, smoothest coach by far. TRB out.
Yeah, Hanie made it close, haha.
That, we did not know….
Hanie, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, pretty cool performance.
TRB you and me both give a shot out to Mike T aka Coach Smooth! Anyone wanna put in on sum candy hearts to send to Jay Cutler? I mean Valentines day is around the corner!! Hahahaha
BTW, Like the article Bay, on the McJaygate. Thats how I always saw it which was what made me sour. Like I always said, both sides were babies but I was really irritated by what McDaniels did. Didn’t blame Cutler for his reaction, but I wasn’t a fan of him bailing either. But I can just visualize that convo between Jay and McD when they tried to patch things, with the McD “Brovado”. That guy had more ego and dear I say was a bigger baby that Cutler. That guy spoke about accountability so much and never held himself accountable. Another thing that disgusted me about McD, he talked the talk but didn’t walk it. Im dissapointed in Jay not going back out there even if it was a injury. Like it has been said Tebow would and even Orton would. Cutler has all the talent in the world but its amazing, when we first drafted him, didn’t come across as a grouch, thats all he has been for a while now tho. We all know I didn’t care that much for Cutler, It was the Marshall trade that got me up in Arms. I am one of the few people who don’t fault players when they don’t show loyalty especially when i know Organizations dont. Its just business for them, so i dont fault players for doing business right back. Its a tough spot for a player. Anyway, Would take Tebow over Cutler anyday but would take Cutler over Orton. Just me tho.
Looking forward to the superbowl, proves to be a great one. Hopefully thats us up there within the next 3 years. Heck Maybe even next year, crazier things have happened lol. Hope the Packers take it. Steelers have too many superbowls recently and im still salty about AFC championship game from 2005 lol. TRB out….
Big Ben just gets it done. A lot can be said about him, of course, but he flat out is clutch.
Wow, this years superbowl is going to be good.
Sorry Champ. Next year!
There it is…Titletown vs. Steeltown.. First ever matchup.
Im with you SNDVL…I think Tebow Can be like Big Ben except with better character and better scrambling skills. When I see Tebow I see the same threat as big ben, don’t let him get out of that pocket or its a completed pass. I think he can be better than Ben. But thats just me. I like the on field Discipline Tomlin has instilled over there. Those guys are always ready and never phased by a close game. I am really looking forward to this superbowl, only thing its missing a a legitimate Special Teams threat but other than that should be good. TRB out…
TRB, I’m going through the Chicago Tribune and the main complaints I see that are totally non aguable about Cutler is his attitude on the sidelines after he got hurt. Here are a couple examples:
BEARZZZ on January 23, 2011 6:22 PM
Cutler has no heart. None. Zero. Zip. Nada. He couldn’t even get his butt off the heated bench and support his team when they needed all the support they could get.
The only good thing to come out of this is I won’t have to suffer through endless stories and camera shots of Odumbo at the Super Bowl.
A Den Of Bears on January 23, 2011 8:42 PM
VaJayJay Quitler
Poster Girl for everything that is wrong with pro athletics
Overpaid
No heart, no passion, no desire to do EVERYTHING, ANYTHING to help your team win a championship.
Hurt ? …OK, then get off your ass and rally your teammates, help your backup with advice and encouragement, do SOMETHING besides sitting there on your heated bench looking like you would rather be anywhere else when the game is far from over.
Just killing time. No big deal, right ?
QUITTER !
And they gotta a point, but we only know to well about his demeanor, it’s about as poor as anyone in the league, and the guy is supposed to be your team leader, good luck with that…
Sorry for the repost of the arse word, never even noticed it….
I’m sure they had a talk with him… bet Urlacher ripped him good!
I believe you may be right sndvl, the Jets losing today makes it seem as if indeed Champ may not be needed as an alternate for the Pro Bowl.
I hear you rbf1, but that would be the whole point of being a pro QB, not to have to be told how to be a leader?
Steelers vs Packers,should be a great SB!
Glad Rex Ryan got shut the F up!
Did you see Rex throwing his headphones down at the end of the game while yelling the F bomb?
What’s the early point spread… Steelers favored right?
Cutler: “We gave it a go that first series, but I couldn’t really plant and throw, so they kind of pulled me,” said Cutler, who’s scheduled for an MRI on Monday”.
Think it was more like he “kinda” pulled himself.
AHAH, Bay,,,,I saw Rex threw that headphone….PRICELESS!!! lmao
Three shouts for the Jets’ overhype making them look like a bunch of idiots who play best off the field (again)! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
I LOVED the Rex Ryan headset slam too…made my days lol
I hear ya Bay. His demeanor is poor. Always has been. Looks like he is sucking on lemons. He just has a don’t give a crap attitude about him, like he is always in pain, sad or always wakes up on the wrong side of the bench. I seriously think he needs a psych checkup, its not normal. And I might be mistaking but in his early years with us i dont think he was as bad as he is now.
Another thing is, I don’t think people woulda minded as much if he was cheering on his team from the sideline…but thats not his demeanor so i wasnt expecting that. he is not much of a leader. Another thing is that people felt if his leg hurt so much, how could he stand on th sideline. I think the worst was that he was just standing there with a sour look on his face…for all we know The coach MIGHT have pulled him, not him pulling himself which would explain the sour look. Lets be real..Cutler wasnt looking good, and lovie smith is thinking about his job, anything is possible. If theres one thing Jay does, is he plays, happy or sad, even when he is throwing a million INTs he stays in there, even when he is getting sacked a million times he stays in there. Its hard to question the toughness of a guy who was sacked 52 times and never once blamed his oline or bad mouthed em. He just played. He always just plays. Doesnt look like he is enjoying it but he just plays. So I wouldnt be shocked if he really was hurt and the coach pulled him. Just my stance tho. just stuff to think about so we dont jump to conclusions.
Yeah Bay that was priceless,LOL.
I did have a little respect for Cutler,now I have NONE!
How could he give up?only one word describes him…. gutless!!!
Tebow played in a high school game with a freaking broken leg!!!!!
It sounds like it’s pretty much unanimous on here, everyone wanted Steelers vs. Packers. I’m glad because that’s what I wanted too. I hate that these two franchises have more rings than the Broncos, but I’m glad they are the two teams that get to go this year because they embody everything that is good about the NFL.
If it was Crybaby Cutler vs. Rude Rex Ryan in the Super Bowl I might have literally gotten sick to my stomach.
Glad to see these two teams meet on the big stage for the first time.
I thought Urlacher’s postgame comments were funny. He made a point of defending Cutler’s toughness, but it sounded to me more like he wanted to rip Cutler to shreds but he knew it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Feel bad for warriors like Urlacher and Briggs who have to deal with a soft QB wearing their colors. I really don’t want to pile on Jay, but he’ll always be more of a Jeff George than a Joe Montana if you know what I mean.
If Fox decides to go to a 4-3 Denver should draft Nick Fairley and then move Elvis Dumervil back to DE. With those two players on the front line it sould give the D a much needed force.
Please respond and tell me what you think?
We need to draft all Defense. We only have 6 picks so draft all D.
dwillwilliams27,
You are thinking right in line with most of us on these blogs. We definitely need to go D heavy this offseason, in free agency and in the draft. Most of us on here have Fairley on the top of our wish lists. The pressure he could potentially create inside would take a ton of pressure off Dumervil on the outside, not to mention the wonders it would do for our secondary. Fairley may go #1 to Carolina and if he does it’s crucial that we get a guy like Bowers or someone else who can make an impact on the D right away. No more drafting skill position players in the first round. That just won’t cut it anymore.
Dumervile was a beast at D End he is small but is quick. I am a Big 3-4 guy and think we should stay, but our LB are not that good. Ayers is ok but not the 18th pick worthy
Either way is we stay at pick 2 we are getting a stud.
Yeah and Ayers would probably do better in a 4-3 too. He was a great 4-3 DE in college. I think he would make a much bigger impact if we made the switch.
Vegas line as of this morning for SB:
Pittsburgh50.98%
Green Bay49.02%
That’s not a line, it sounds like game time temperature, LOL.
So I just saw that dick lebeaus contract is up at the end of the season. What do you guys think about him. He in my opinion would be a great option for D coordinator that is if we wait until after the superbowl.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/features/rumors?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl%2ffeatures%2frumors.
The line is now hovering at Green bay favorite by 2.5 points.
just in case you guys were wandering where I got the info. I just saw it on the rumors page. I haven’t subscribed but I thought it was interesting. If we wait for the greenbay packers guy in two weeks why not wait for Dick Lebeau also and see what he is going to do and bring to the table. Just an opinion.
Trevor Pryce about Fox:
“I think they are heading in a direction that will make that town very, very pleased. They hired the correct man for that job. That’s the best decision they could have made,” Pryce said. “You guys watch what happens.”
timmah, the HUGE difference between the two is we have a shot at bringing Mr T in because he is a D line coach now so he would get a big title and pay increase, as for Lebeau he is the Steelers DC already and not only that, he is coaching the best D players on the planet, the best D in the league and is on the most decorated and highly decorated team in the league.
Other than that, it’s perfect situation for him to come in and turn around one of the very worse D in the league, LOL. Will never happen, and I never say never…
Looks like McD might have actually got 2 things right when he was with us. He signed Tebow and got rid of Cutler. The old saying be careful what you wish for comes to mind. Mcd actually might have brought are franchise forward by accident lol.
What Baylin said.
LeBeau is like a NO shot for all those reasons. He would be great but i doubt that happens. Plus doesnt he run the 3-4 or something? I dunno. But man that dude is accient lol probably only bested than Al Davis. For all we know he may retire lol. And lets not forget Tomlin has alot of say in that Defense as well so its not just lebeau.
It`ll be interseting to hear about cutler getting a MRI and find out what really is wrong with his knee. That was really wierd last night. So I wonder. What really happened.
One of the titles of the articles at the DP this morning:
“Former Ram Hanie injects life into offense”
And I would of added and Cutler sucks the life right out of you.
Woody having fun about the SB line up:
Green Bay vs. Pitts Burgh. Meatpackers vs. Steelworkers. Chipped hamheads vs. Cheeseheads. Rolling Rock vs. Leinenkugel. Terrible Towel vs. long underwear. Brats vs. pirogies. Rodgers vs. Roethlisberger. Clay Matthews’ flowing hair vs. Troy Polamalu’s fluid hair.