This is the week in which wide receivers are being reviewed in advance of the 2010 National Football League draft.
In taking a look at the Denver Broncos’ 51-year history of the position, most of the team’s success at wide receiver has come from trades and free agency.
The prime examples are Lionel Taylor, the first 100-catch player in a single season in pro football — Taylor was signed by Denver as a free agent two weeks into the 1960 campaign and went on to catch 92 passes in 12 games that year; Rod Smith, the leading undrafted wide receiver ever statistically in terms of receptions, reception yardage and reception touchdowns — he was signed by Denver after a sterling career at Missouri Southern, but then being completely passed over by all teams in the draft; and Steve Watson, a Pro Bowl receiver and all-time fan favorite who was signed as a free agent out of Temple University.
Another all-time fan favorite and like Smith a starter for our back-to-back world championships, Ed McCaffrey signed with Denver as a free agent after San Francisco’s 1994 world championship season.
So the draft has not been where the best wide receivers in Bronco history have been acquired, but there have been some characters and interesting stories along the way.
I thought it would be a fun to look at a draft choice at the wide receiver position with which fans are mostly unfamiliar, but which had a monumental impact on the position and Broncos history.
This story also is a reminder that the draft is just one means by which teams improve themselves, and it is a fluid one at that.
A team drafts a player, and sometimes he goes on to greatness as a member of a championship organization. Other times, his contribution, that is, the contribution of that selection, is made by a trade that has great impact.
Such was the case with the 1971 draft.
To that point, Denver had never in franchise history had a winning season. John Ralston was the head coach and general manager and he had added positive thinking to the Bronco culture, but the team was still a loser.
In the second round of the 1971 draft, Denver selected wide receiver Dwight Harrison, who had played his college football for the Javalinas (great nickname!) of Texas A & I.
The Broncos followed up that second-round pick by taking someone from an even smaller school in round four, using a pick which Denver had acquired from Boston and selecting a defensive end named Lyle Alzado from Yankton College. Nobody had ever heard of this guy.
The only reason Denver had was that during the previous year’s summer vacation period, Denver defensive line coach Stan Jones and his wife were on a driving vacation in the Dakotas when their car had a minor breakdown. While it was being repaired Jones wandered over to a nearly college and asked to look at a little film of the football team. He did not see any players that interested him from that school, but he did notice that in a game played against tiny Yankton College there was a wild-eyed and crazy defensive end who caught his attention on film.
So in the fourth round in 1971 the Broncos took a flyer on Alzado. I knew Lyle Alzado every well, and he had a free spirited personality that was capable of really giving a fellow player the business in the locker room.
So now we move into 1972, year two in Denver for both Alzado and Harrison. Each is considered a long term player by this point.
For whatever reason, Lou Saban, back in Buffalo after his five year stint with the Broncos, was disenchanted with former Bills number one draft choice Haven Moses. Moses was one of the smoothest receivers in the NFL, but Saban was calling around to see if he could make a deal. One of the deals he was interested in making was Moses to Denver for Harrison, whom he planned to convert to cornerback, presuming a trade could be made.
But Ralston liked Harrison, and had no interest in making the trade. Amazingly, that would change quickly.
Sometimes locker room hijinks can take a nasty turn, and so it happened that byplay between Alzado and Harrison escalated into a nasty exchange of words, and eventually, to some genuine physical threats involving the two young prospects.
Ralston quickly determined that the best solution would be to send one of them packing, and he immediately went back to his office, called Saban and asked if he was still interested in Moses for Harrison.
Lou was, the trade was made, and that is how Haven Moses came to Denver where he became part of the legendary M & M connection with quarterback Craig Morton, leading Denver to the promised land of Super Bowl XII in 1977.
And, of course, Alzado was a teammate of Moses on that legendary first championship team.
Now, in all likelihood the two young prospects might have patched up their testosterone-fueled grievances soon enough, but the timing was such that instead Moses came to Denver and Harrison became a fine cornerback who went on to play eight seasons as a fine defender for the Bills.
So the trade benefitted both players, and it just shows that sometimes a couple of selections with which a fan is unfamiliar can ultimately benefit a team in a way that would have seemed unfathomable at the moment of the draft.
Tags: Ed McCaffrey, Haven Moses, Lionel Taylor, Rod Smith, Steve Watson
I think Denver is exploring all options with their pick…I doubt they will pick him, but if he was going to be the next elway or something I’m sure they don’t want to miss out. Denver won’t go after a QB in the first round I am almost positive, but who knows I have no inside knowledge of what the organization wants. I don’t like it, but it makes sense to me that we will be exploring any and all players that seem to have the talent to carry a team….but I feel very strongly that unless a QB comes out and knocks our coaching staff out of their shoes then we won’t go QB anytime early.
What I’m saying is the AP completely changed their article!
I think that Denver is viewing options for backups too…locker should be there into the 3rd and even 4th round i think, he might cost us less than…Quinn. haha
Good try, Quinn is only due $700,000 this season…
And if we are drafting for back-ups yet again, do not hold me responsible for any of my actions…
dang…just can’t get rid of him!
Without any FA, our top four picks have to all have a shot at starting for us to have any shot at respectability.
At least the top three in the first two rounds, anything else would be less than acceptable.
Good thing OC is too busy to read the blog today, that will save him another heart attack…
so in other words we have a ways to go to be respectable. I feel we have a good 2 years until we are respectable…so no surprise there
I am almost certain that with us looking at QB’s, it might be due to last year.
Everyone thought that Clausen was going to go in the first round, even more the top 10. He ended up dropping to the 3rd round. I think that if one of these guys fall like that like one of them then we might pick one up.
I still think though that we do not even need to consider drafting a QB with any of our picks!!
This year the draft is so defensive heavy, which is what we need, and we need to take advantage of that!
If Tebow doesn’t pan out, which I have just about no doubt that he wont, then we can try to get Luck or something next year. He is better than all the qb’s in the draft this year anyway!!
This is our rebuilding year and we need to start Tebow the whole season and give him a chance. I have no idea why our team has been the team that doesn’t give anyone a chance the last couple of years!!!
We already made a mistake in Hillis, don’t pay the same price with losing out on Tebows talents!!!
Anyway, about Gabbert’s pro day:
Gabbert couldn’t have done better had he borrowed Drew Brees‘ right arm.
He threw 50 passes, only one of which was uncatchable — a “go” route he overthrew to the left on his 36th attempt. He had one other pass, a deep post, that probably would have been intercepted in an NFL game. Other than those two passes, he showed remarkable accuracy at all points on the field. He also showed how athletic he is, good velocity on his passes, and an ability to get the ball out of his hand quickly.
His workout was outstanding — much better than Cam Newton’s at Auburn’s pro day on April 8. Newton had six passes that were uncatchable at his workout, although it was outdoors in windy conditions. I wrote after Newton’s workout that he should go No. 1 to the Panthers. I’m not so sure now.
The big question now would be how impressed were the Carolina contingent and Elway and Fox?
I think we could be respectable this year or offense put up alot of point last year only if the defense would have kept opposing teams from out scoring us we would have won alot more games. Thats where Fox and company come into play, to give our defense a better plan and let’s hope McCoy learned how to score from our previous head coach. All that in account we could easily be .500 or better.
Broncosfreak30, I concur with you about Tebow.
BTW, that was written by Gil Brandt.
Great job Baylin. Knew I could count on you!
I’m taken aback by this recent QB interest. Thought that was last on our needs list. I’m just gonna trust Elway, Fox and Xanders this time around (I didn’t have any in the last guy). Since they aren’t committed to EVER having the 2nd pick again, may as well make it count!
I have a feeling that the Panthers are going to draft a QB but who?
Alright guys…
Got to go to class then going home and will talk to y’all later on tonight!
Peace out my Bronco Bro’s!
But with a qb?
The Panthers have a new sherriff in town and Jimmy Clausen stinks. They need a high calibur QB.
The exodus has started in earnest:
Dallas Cowboys receiver Troy Bergeron and Cleveland Browns receiver Rod Windsor are going back to the Arena Football League during the NFL lockout.
Unable to work out at their NFL team’s facilities, Bergeron this week signed with the AFL’s Cleveland Gladiators and Windsor joined the Arizona Rattlers. Both are former AFL rookie of the year award winners.
I wonder what Elway and company could honestly hate about Tebow to have them looking at QB’s they must have faith in our defense also if they don’t feel that we need to draft one in the 1st round.
I don’t buy into any of it!!! I think it’s just all pre-draft posturing!!! Seriously, if they go QB with any pick I’ll be VERY DISAPPOINTED, but then again what’s new there – The Broncos have been letting me down since they fired Coach Shanahan!!!
To me the let down coincides with the departure of Elway, Shanny was never the same after that.
I noticed something with Orton that is kind of interesting. His passing average is 182 yds/TD. Aaron Rodgers is 140/TD, Payton Manning averages 142/TD, Josh Freeman averages 150/TD and Tom Brady averages 108/TD. Orton seems to throw for a ton of yardage but doesn’t seem to score as much on average as other QBs. Wonder why that is! BTW, his career average is almost exactly 180/TD.
henryac, because Orton has some of the worse stats in the league in third down, inside the twenties and in the fourth quarters, meaning in the clutch he does not perform, hope that helps.
He brings to mind one Brian Griese of whom I spoke earlier…
I believe after Elway, Shanny won two playoff games in ten years.
Or one every 5 years, LOL.
to baylinorcrush: Thanks. Don’t get Bronco games down here and was wondering what was going on. From the outside, looks like a lot of yards between the twenties but not much endzone production.
1 playoff game baylin.
And it was Champs 99 yard pick that sealed it for us!!!!
Thanks sndvl, I just got carried away… LOL
just saw a video of marcel dareus on nfl.com and what a great kid he is. for now i’m giving the edge to dareus over peterson.
john elway if you read my post, please draft either one of these guys, both are the safest picks in the draft.
One does what we need, stop the run, the other one doesn’t, give the job to Dareus!
You guys know that a projected top 10 DE named Aldon Smith was at the Mizzou pro day too right? Just cuz they were there doesnt mean that they were there to scout Gabbert
Yay casino that makes me feel better! haha….Honestly though, who on this blog site (and I know all of us know football better than any other fans in the league) Think Tebow can’t be an effective NFL QB?? After seeing his 3 games last year in a “broken offense” (IMO) he showed me everything I needed to see! The guy can ball!
;o mex bronco… paisano!! lol almost same name…
Marcell Dareus.. if he is gone then Peterson.. it’s between them:D
casino, the DP is reporting this about Fox today and the DP has more insight into the Broncos than anyone not directly associated with the organization:
Broncos coach John Fox may have had his mind on Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, but his heart was with the Wofford basketball team at the Pepsi Center.
So devoted is Fox to Wofford that after flying to Columbia to watch Missouri’s Pro Day on Thursday, he flew back in time to watch the Terriers play Brigham Young in an NCAA second- round tournament game Thursday night.
And if Fox wasn’t there to see Gabbert as you imply, what was he doing at the private workout of Locker? Just saying.
We will have to see if they schedule a workout for him then. I’m just saying that we shouldn’t be caught being a prisoner of the moment when there is a bigger picture that you can see. Also, while I love the DP as much as you do, they have to write things to generate interest. What would be more interesting then making people think we are looking at gabbert? Just saying also
Actually the AP is who first reported it. But heck, if you guys think there is nothing to it and that Tebow is the man long term I’m all for it, just don’t quite see it that way anymore is all.