On Monday, Denver Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway announced via Twitter that as many as 13 of the allowed 30 visits by potential draftees will visit Broncos headquarters this week.
While I certainly realize that the collective bargaining agreement and its ultimate settlement is at the forefront of media conversation these days, the draft still exists, talent still must be evaluated, and that moment will come when every NFL team makes its selections for 2011 and sets in motion roster adjustments and changes that hopefully will lead to great seasons.
So the draft is coming, and it really is right around the corner.
Much has been made of the Broncos’ brain trust taking a hard look at the quarterback position, but they are actually doing that at all positions, some just being more glamorous than others.
When it comes down to it, a team is going to draft players, and there is no way of knowing absolutely how that infusion of new talent will impact the existing roster here and elsewhere.
The last two weeks on the team website DenverBroncos.com has looked at the linebacker and running back positions. This week the offensive line is being profiled.
In Broncos history, like that of every team, there have been players who have not made it. But to build a team, you can never worry about what did not work out. You have to have a short memory that way, like a cornerback who must get burned now and then or a baseball closer who gives up the big homer.
You have to move on from whatever did not work out.
But the three positions listed above provide a clear illustration in Broncos history that players come from everywhere, that when the water begins to seek its own level, there is no stopping it. Here are six examples of guys who have been great players for the Broncos, and together they remind us all that great players are better known after they achieve greatness than before.
At running back, in 1967 the Broncos took three-time All-American Floyd Little from Syracuse. One of the greatest running backs in NFL history, Little was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
However, in 1995 the Broncos used the 196th pick in the draft, their second selection in the sixth round (not even their first sixth-round pick) to take running back Terrell Davis from Georgia. And nobody except serious draftniks and scouts even knew who he was.
But TD was the cornerstone of back-to-back world championships. Floyd Little was the sixth player taken overall, and Terrell Davis the 196th. So success can be selected anywhere. Don’t turn your nose up at a guy just because you do not know him.
At the linebacker position the Broncos in 1974 selected Randy Gradishar the pride of Ohio State. He had failed the physicals of both the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Colts, both teams feeling that a leftover injury from college made him a bad risk. So the Broncos took a flyer on Gradishar with the 14th pick overall, and his greatness still has him under consideration for veterans committee selection into the Hall of Fame.
Then, in 1983, with the very last selection made by Denver, the Broncos used their 310th overall selection to choose a nose tackle/defensive end from Minnesota named Karl Mecklenburg.
I remember vividly that the first time he came to Denver no member of the press even wanted to interview him and I used a favor with a veteran reporter to have him ask Meck a few questions, just so the NFL’s 310th choice would not feel left out.
Gradishar chosen at 14, Mecklenburg at 310. Talent comes from lots of places.
And in the offensive line, Ryan Clady was the 12th selection overall in 2008, and Clady is widely regarded as one of the best left tackles in the NFL. But back in 1979 the Broncos displayed both sides of how it works. The number one draft choice was a tackle from Nebraska named Kelvin Clark, the 22nd pick overall.
That same season, Denver signed a free agent tackle who had been cut by the Baltimore Colts named Dave Studdard. Just a guy. Already cut once.
Clark was pretty much a total bust for the Broncos after being the 22nd overall NFL choice, and Dave Studdard became a starter and a fixture who protected John Elway in two Super Bowls (XXI and XXII). Studdard started for Denver from 1979 through 1988 despite never being drafted at all.
So Clady and Studdard run the spectrum from 12th overall pick to a street free agent signed for virtually nothing.
Remember, players all come from somewhere.
This team has had an illustrious history, second most wins in the NFL since Pat Bowlen bought the team in 1984, two Super Bowl wins and six AFC titles (five under Mr. B.) And we have a hard working group of player personnel people doing everything they can to study every player.
Do not make the judgment based on how famous the player is before he gets taken.
Let the water seek its own level, and it might just fill up the pool.
Tags: NFL Draft
I agree TRB. BTW, I expect this court thing to drag on deep into the summer/early fall. I’ve made my peace with it.
HA casino, I wasn’t referring to you! sorry for the misunderstanding! I’ve just seen so much of this Newton hype and everyone talking of his promise and I’m sitting here wondering where it was for Tebow, don’t worry I know we wont take Cam!
TEBOW 11′
The judge is going to consider the matter, read the legal briefs filed by the parties, have the clerk do some research on the legal issues, and then eventually come to a conclusion.
“Under advisement” is a formal way of saying she’ll get back to them.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwn!
Mex…
That would be great but that would NEVER happen! I don’t know where you got that info from but that is wrong. That is them only moving up 3 spots!
I don’t think there will be a whole lot of trading for spots this year, especially in the top 10 picks. Think about it, all the teams are in the same boat as us meaning they have alot of holes to fill and with no free agency it’s going to be hard to trade away more than one pick so I am really not counting on a trade back because I believe other teams are not stupid enough to trade away picks.
Mikey..
With there not being an FA before the draft is why we should trade our pick! We have no other way of getting more picks and we need as many as we can get! The Cards would trade with us in my opinion due to how bad they need a QB. It would be the perfect trade for both teams in my opinon!
Klis is giving us some heads up on an important article for us Bronco fans coming up in the next issue of SI:
Some stories are fascinating no matter how many times they are retold. Others involve so many disturbing details that it’s difficult to go there again.
But for those who are willing to carry around another day or so of profound sadness, Sports Illustrated’s comprehensive look back at the people and events that led up to death of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams on Jan. 1, 2007 is difficult to resist.
The long-form narrative is authored by Thomas Lake, who has been favorably compared to Gary Smith and S.L. Price. The piece is well-reported, well-written.
Most of the details in the story came out during last year’s trial of Willie Clark, who was convicted of Williams’ murder and sentenced to life in prison. But there was fresh background information on Williams and Javon Walker. The sympathetic slant given to the complex Walker was stunning.
Ultimately, SI’s piece is a grim reminder that Brandon Marshall, a Broncos receiver who was not yet a ‘star’, and his cousin Blair Clark, were the likely targets of Willie Clark’s wrath. My guess is Marshall can be counted among those who wish the last story on Williams’ murder was written months ago.
The Sports Illustrated story will hit newsstands in the next day or so.
For all the draft freaks, here is good work from Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki on his value chart for the upcoming draft that will help you figuring out who we can likely get with our picks and who is a long reach.
http://bit.ly/ezVaU6
What I was trying to say is that even though the cards do need a QB, They hold the Fifth pick and will still be able to get a QB without giving up 2-3 more picks in which they could fill more holes, think about it. My point is that teams wont be willing to trade with us because the lack of free agency and with where we would like to be trading. Those teams have just as many holes as us. To be honest only teams I see that would want to trade with us are A. a team with a lot of picks, B. The Patriots, C. a team that doesn’t have alot of holes but needs one more impact player i.e. Packers or Steelers.
Anyone agree with that or am I just shooting at the stars here?
I think your way of thinking is valid. But it will all come down to one simple thing to me, is there a player in this draft that any of those teams behind us are willing to trade up for, and my answer is probably not since there are no superstars in this draft other than PP arguably and no one has ever picked a CB with a first or second pick before. It will be hard to find a willing trading partner is my guess, other than NE like you say because they have 14 picks, but with their limited needs they don’t need to move up to the #2 pick to get the job done.
Either I’m the only one thats on or the only one that believes that.
Rest easy mikey, Freak30 is trying to talk himself in believing we will trade down with someone so he has a shot at getting more of these players he wants which will be out of our reach unless we get extra high picks, like a late first for Paea by example.
Lol I am still surprised at how many people are willing to trade back into the first to get Paea when we could get Dareus or Fairley and have a top tier DT with no injury problems.
DAREUS ALL THE WAY!!!
And on that note see you guys in the morning.
mikey as bay says your thinking is valid and ive often thought of it myself. We may not consider some players of value but for all you know other teams do. For example, if you ask me, none of these QBs should go in the top 15 or the 1st round maybe even but they will because they are the best in tier position and needy teams will bite. Thats why im a fan that when you are that high, go for the best that also adresses a need, even if its not an immediate need. with that said, ALL ABOARD THE PP EXPRESS!!!
Bay, that article and those events will forever remind me of my boys least proudest moment. Im sure even tho unintentional, it must be hard to leave with yourself if you were the target instead of your friend. But at the same time if i remember the stories those guys were looking for trouble and throwing up gang signs in front of Williams because they thought he was from a rival gang or something ridiculously stupid like that. And I can’t imagine what it was like for Javon Walker to be holding his dying friend. Man was never the same after that. Too many lives were affected my one silly incident. I miss Darrent, and if he were still a Bronco I may not be talking about PP right now lol (he would be 28). I can’t imagine it, im still 22 turning 23 this year and the thought that he had only lived as long as i have pretty much (which is not long at all) and his life was cut short by mindless violence saddens me deeply every time i think about it. He will always be remembered by this broncos fan that is for sure.
You know which RB i would LOVE to see elsewhere? REGGIE BUSH. I remember when he was coming out of thought he could be great but while not a starter like we expected he has been very effective for the saints. But I would like to see him running in like the Broncos/Texans zone blocking scheme. I believe saints run power and he is not a power back. Its funny that year, Texans with the zone blocking who had the first pick went Mario Williams and saints with the power blocking went reggie. Well at least he got a ring lol.
Even if a week late compared to us, haha, Legwold with the lowdown on Thomas’ injuries:
The former first-round draft pick from Georgia Tech is rehabbing in Atlanta from surgery that repaired a torn Achilles tendon. Thomas suffered the injury Feb. 9 during a workout. The Broncos originally said they hoped Thomas would be ready by the start of training camp. But that timetable was too optimistic, according to several people we talked to, including Dr. Phillip Kwong, a foot and ankle specialist at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles.
Kwong has worked with athletes from the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. He said Thomas likely wouldn’t be ready for “normal walking” for three months.
John Elway, the Broncos’ executive vice president of football operations, said last week that the team hoped to have Thomas back by “halfway through the season.”
Thomas’ recovery requires a lot of patience. Rushing back would increase the chance of Thomas reinjuring the leg. For six weeks after the surgery, a period that would have gone to the end of March, Thomas had the repaired area covered with a splint or cast. He couldn’t put any weight on the leg during that time.
Because the foot was slightly pointed down, to take the pressure off the Achilles tendon, Thomas is now at the point in his rehab where the foot is gradually moved, over time, back to 90 degrees and a little above.
It’s a slow process, but Thomas now will be allowed to gradually put more weight on the leg.
Four to six months after the surgery, he will be allowed more vigorous training designed to return strength and flexibility to the muscles in his leg.
Kwong said eight months, which would be mid-October, would be “doable” for an elite athlete. But he said it sometimes takes longer for an athlete who is dependent on fast-twitch, explosive movements like an NFL wide receiver.
That’s why Elway, after the Broncos originally hoped for a six-month recovery process, has said the team now hopes Thomas can play the second half of the 2011 season.
Things are not looking very spiffy for yet another first round pick, it sure sounds to me as if there is no way he can make a sizable contribution this year even in the second half. Just like I said last year after his multiple foot injuries that he wouldn’t be able to be a major contributor, same will apply this year. Since his lower legs area seem to give him so much trouble supporting his large frame and since he is expected to make those sharpe cuts being a WR, I say put him on IR right off the bat and free the roster spot for someon who can actually help us. Meaning year three is Thomas’ first shot to show us what he can do, and he was our first player picked in the first round in McD’s second year!!!! What a waste….
Talking about draft waste (by Klis):
The Broncos were supposed to have the No. 2 pick in the fourth round. Traded away for Laurence Maroney. Ugh.
The Broncos were supposed to have the No. 4 pick in the fifth round. Traded away for the right to select Jammie Kirlew (ugh) and Syd’Quan Thompson (not bad).
The Broncos were supposed to have the No. 3 pick in the sixth round. Traded away, along with Peyton Hillis (d’oh!), for Brady Quinn.
The Broncos were supposed to have the No. 2 pick in the seventh round. Traded away, along with Alphonso Smith (ugh) in a deal that brought Dan Gronkowski.
Oh, what could have been.
ONE!!! ONE good deal in all of that, Syd’Quan!
To which Xanders says:
“You can’t do anything about the past,” Broncos general manager Brian Xanders said. “We’re very focused on our draft board and our process right now and trying to get four starters with those first four picks.”
Yeah, you can’t, but you could of done something about it since you were there Brian, in charge of personnel was your title, right? Oh, that’s right, you had your hand tied behind your back by McD, maybe you should of just spoken up then! Or maybe you’re just not that adequate for the job, time will tell I guess, but the leash should be fairly short as far as I’m concerned. Like we talked about it yesterday, take some drafting inspiration from teams like the Packers, Steelers and Pats since they obviously have proven over the years that they indeed do know how to draft, just saying.
We are re-building long term and I hope you and the Triumvirate are fully aware of that, so don’t take short cuts to greatness taking chances, as we all know too well that doesn’t amount to diddly, so do it the right way, built it through the draft year after year with sound players for some sound foundations. Like pleeeeaaaase, no damaged goods this draft. As in no Bowers….
And no QB’s…………..
And I don’t know about you guys, but this scares the bejesus out of me:
“We do have flexibility up and down this draft,” Xanders said. “Remember, we had that last year. We received phone calls and compiled picks and we have that flexibility again this year. That second pick is a valuable pick. And then in the second round we could trade back five or six spots and also pick up a fourth-rounder and possibly rebuild picks that way.”
What did all that flexibilty exactly buy us last year? Tebow of course but at what price? Like three draft picks I think and he may not even start in his second year, talk about a hefty price, and then the damaged goods we just talked about, both in the first!!! Then Beadles in the second!!! The man who can do it all anywhere on the line but none of it real good, then Decker who could actually turn out to be the cream of that crop, Walton who has a long way to go under center, troublemaker Cox and thanks for Syd’Quan bringing up the rear.
With all that being said, man I hope this flexible draft is not going to be anything like last year’s flexible draft, LOL.
If I was Xanders, I’d turn the phone off on draft day, someone might stick it to us all over again, based on reputation you know, hahahaha.
sndvl, it looks as if Elam is on your side about the no QB thing:
“I have always been a fan of Tebow’s. I think it’s just because of the kind of person he is, the kind of player he is, where he puts everything out there. I think his attitude is infectious and I think we need that right now with the Broncos.
There are not a lot of players like that anymore … guys who give you everything all of the time and show you how much they love the game. I wish him all the luck in the world.”
Ben Roethlisberger will marry a 26-year-old physician’s assistant whom he said he met during training camp in 2005 and has been friends with ever since, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a story in Thursday’s editions.
I wonder what princess looking chick this Shrek #2 version has been able to wooo, hahahahahaha!!!!! His money probably help him out quite a bit there….
And about picking Rudolph with the first of our 2nd round picks (by Legwold):
Rudolph could be available when the Broncos pick early in the second round. The 6-foot-6, 259-pounder is one of the biggest players at his position in this draft. That makes him more than functional at the line scrimmage for an offense like Denver’s, which plans to strengthen its running game.
Coach John Fox wants the Broncos to muscle up and run the ball whenever they want to and do it better than they have the last two seasons.
Denver has glaring holes at tight end. Tony Scheffler was traded before the 2010 season and Daniel Graham has been released.
Rudolph would be an elite prospect if there were no injury concerns about him. But there are some injury concerns. A separated shoulder kept Rudolph out of two games in the 2009 season. He missed seven games last year because of a torn hamstring, an injury that required surgery.
That does it for me, after everything I just said about damaged goods, no way I could overlook that and vehemently say no to Rudolph, plus Fox could care less about receiving TEs, a big attribute of Rudolph, and even so he is a good blocker for the running game with incredible size, I say no way Fox drafts a blocking TE that high, he rather get the running game going with FBs anyway.
Last night on NFL Network, they were trading Orton all over the NFL again! They couldn’t seem to decide whether he should go to Washington, the Bengals, Arizona or the Vickings. That has got to make him really happy! Oh yeah, Seattle, I forgot about them. If the lockout gets lifted, it could make for a madhouse on trading and FA, if they can ever figure out what rules they will be working under. They also traded Kolb and McNabb around a good bit so it will be interesting to see how all that works out, eventually!
I believe Polian has the correct approach to the draft:
With the draft slated to take place ahead of free agency, how will teams determine their needs if they don’t know whether they will be able to retain their own guys with expiring contracts?
Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said he’ll take a worst-case scenario approach.
I asked him, as an example, whether safety ranks as a Colts draft need considering Melvin Bullitt could be an unrestricted free agent if a new CBA is struck.
“I think you have to go into the draft and say, ‘Anybody who’s out there [as a possible unrestricted free agent] is not coming back,’” Polian said. “Now, that’s for draft purposes. Don’t misconstrue what I am saying. That’s for purposes of evaluating players in the draft.”
So, will someone clean up some grey area for me? If the judge comes back in 2 weeks and says that the lockout is unlawful or whatever does the whole thing just go away and we can have a season, or will there be a sea of appeals and many more long footballless months?
Appeal, either side, then it takes another two months to get anywhere.
The best way is the negociations table like the owners have always said, because as soon as they agree on something, there is a season, but the players don’t want to do that, they want to litigate in courts, and courts take forever to decide on anything and appeals galore and no season in sight, the players have what they asked for, they are in knee deep in the start of litigations.
That sucks! I feel like I’m having withdrawals from free agency..At least she says they should negotiate…but I’m Fairley certain that wont get us any further than we are now!
Tebow 11′
You obviously have Fairley on your mind, haha.
Haha at Roethlisberger…
Finally, somebody got that one, LOL.