The hype and hoopla that is the NFL draft is now over. Soon we will find out who can play and who can’t.
Some impressions of the Broncos 2010 draft:
1 – I LOVE THE TIM TEBOW PICK. One could probably make the case that the Broncos overpaid the Ravens to get back into the first round to select Tebow. That doesn’t bother me.
The Broncos identified the guy they wanted and they fearlessly made the move to get him. I love it. They simply didn’t care what others thought about the move; they just went out and made it.
Of course, it is open to debate. If Tebow turns into the quarterback the Broncos think he will, the move is brilliant. If Tebow shows over time he can’t play in the NFL, the move was a bust.
I’m not going to bet against Tim Tebow. The guy is winner. The guy is a leader. The guy is coachable. The guy inspires people. Great move by the Broncos. Really great move by the Broncos.
2 – THE BRONCOS ADDRESSED NEEDS AT WIDE RECEIVER AND THE OFFENSIVE LINE. I realize this isn’t exactly breaking news but these were two big areas of need. Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker are both coming off of foot injuries but head coach Josh McDaniels says they are getting back close to 100%.
Many people are knocking the Thomas pick because he played in an option offense and by his own admission he only ran three routes in college. Fair enough. But to me, that doesn’t mean he can’t play in the NFL. He is big, fast and strong and while the questions are out there, I still like the pick.
I’ve heard many people say the Broncos should have taken Dez Bryant, whom the Cowboys a couple of spots after Thomas. I’m not so sure. Both were great in college. I give the edge to Thomas in character, which goes a long way with me.
I also think Decker could be a steal in the third round. He’s a big target who was the main guy at Minnesota before he got hurt this year.
Clearly the Broncos had to bring in some young talent along the offensive line. As is always the case, we’ll have to wait and see who can really play but I certainly like the center and guard situation now much more than I did going into the draft.
3 – I THOUGHT THE BRONCOS WOULD COME AWAY WITH MORE THAN ONE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN/LINEBACKER. I won’t say they should have drafted more guys at these positions because I’m really not qualified to say that. Coach McDaniels has said all along that they rank their board based on how they project guys to fit into the Broncos’ systems. They try to stick to their board and pick the best available player that is available when it is their turn to draft and they seemed to have done that here.
Let’s not forget that the Broncos signed three defensive linemen in free agency. While I think those guys will improve the front seven, I still have some questions there and wish they could have come away with more depth in those areas.
4 – TIME WILL TELL. I know, I keep saying this but it is true. We don’t know how good of a draft this is and probably won’t know for a little while. That’s just the way it is. Typically, guys don’t come right out of college and make a huge impact in the NFL in their first seasons.
I do think the Broncos drafted some players this year who will be really good pros. In general, I feel better about this year’s draft than last year’s. Maybe that is the result of this coaching staff having been in place for a full year and having the chance to get everything set the way they want it through the process of scouting and draft preparation.
I know many of you have been weighing in on the Broncos’ draft and I hope you continue to do so. I love reading your posts, even though I can’t respond to all of them.
Also, we had the chance to sit down with Tim Tebow during our draft coverage on 850 KOA and I’ll bring you that interview soon.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Tim Tebow
Great draft. With good picks and also controversial ones.
I’d like more info about undrafted CFAs that are on their way to Dove Valley. I just know 15 names, but nothing more.
Go Broncooos!
Im in complete agreement with you about this years draft than the last one!
Its my position that, well, for lack of better words or phrases- Its hard not to root for guys like that. And when its all said and done, Im still a Broncos Fan. I will root for them til death. What kind of fan would I be to root for the team to lose, just because I want this current coach gone (and I do. I have not been quiet about that)? But, lets see where this goes. If it turns into a superbowl great. If it turns into a couple of losing seasons, bad. Cash out and go to a new table! In a manner of speaking!
Like I mentioned, I am cautiously optimistic. And I still feel we will go through growing pains before this current version of the offense hits its stride. It will be hard to replace the production of a certain wide out. And not to mention, we have a brutal schedule. But, I will keep the faith in my corner of BRONCOS COUNTRY for 2K10!!!!!!!!!!
p.s-I am a little concerned about the status of Champ after this year. And if Tebow does earn the starting QB spot, what does that mean for Clady? Love to hear your stance on that issue Mr.Rice (and of course anybody else with an opinion!!!)
to any1 questioning will tim tebow make it as a bronco…. hes use to a spread offense welcome to denver haha… he has a slight problem with throwing motion and footwork some wha adjusted before the draft but once again welcome to denver… not saying tom brady wasnt good going in to NE but when he got there he wast a hope to be starter but with time under a decent qb and time working in the right system with a great qb coach look where he is… heres a break down of whats a good system and good coach can do for u: Kyle orton in 33 games with chicago had 30 TDs and 27 ints, 913 attempts 505 completions for 5319 yards and believe it or not in 2008 he was sacked 2 less time then he was with us in 2009. with denver kyle orton threw for 21 tds 12 ints, 541 attempts 336 completions for a total of 3802 yards… Tim tebow will do great… and if he doesnt we have these stats to look forward to out of orton haha
cladys still a bi asset to the line there will be so many roll outs to his side and with a qb not use to being under center thats a good feeling to have is im most likely not getting hit from that side haha…. pluss im mean who is ryan harris to every 1 hes just as highly ranked as clady… what bothers me is every1 who was complaining we didnt adress a mlb in the draft when last year they complained bout woodyard and larsen not getting a chance to play either spot… well here u go maybe there finally gettin there chance to shine..
Mike I for one liked the draft very much,other than not taking enough DL for depth,this draft was deep with DL,and I wanted a ILB,but I liked the Tebow pick(who cares what the analysts say),and I liked the 2 WRs we got,and we did need those 3 Olinemen,with Walton being the 2nd rated Center in the draft,we definitely needed the BEEF up front,and the 2 DB’s we got in later rounds were good picks,especially Cox,he was a steal in the 5th round.Overall I rated it with a B.
What would you rate it???
I already posted on a previous blog but did not realize 2 new blogs were up.
I really think McD and Xanders did an excellent job. We addressed our Oline and wide reciever needs. Tebow will either go down as the best move of the draft or the worst. Only time will tell. Personally, I like the pick.
The only pick I wasn’t too excited about was Beadles at #45. If he ends up starting or producing this year, then I will be happy about the move. I just feel we could have gotten guys there that could make and immediate impact. I would have preffered a power back (preferably Gerhart) at 45 or at least in later rounds (Dwyer). But overall, I would give a B+ grade. If Tebow and Beadles do well, then I will raise the grade to an A+.
GO BRONCOS 2010…..
Sndvl
love the post. Stole my words. Every single one lol. Love the new guys and it hard to not be excited; still dont like the coach. Can’t put the beast thing past me. I agree with u, Even down to the ps. Cuz I also fear this might be champs last year with the Broncos. He is in the last year of his contract and I believe stuck around with the broncos cuz we were once going places in the 2005/2006 season when we almost made the super bowl. But now we are going through growing pains and time isnt on his side…..
As far as clady goes, he played RT in the pro bowl so i think he is very versatile which is good because i would want him blocking our QBs blind side, whether its a Right handed QB (Brady Quinn Prefrably) or a Left Handed QB (Tim Tebow).
Ps: Theres a new story of 19 new free agents, hopefully we get a gem out of there….Was hoping Danario Alexander would be one, but he is still rehabbing his knee till aroudn June and cant pass physicals. Best of luck to him. He plays liek the beast….
College free agents we picked look better than i thought.. nice picks there by McD.
Yeah looks like some impact players maybe,tough looking bunch of guys,Toney Baker RB 5’10 225,may give us some power,but has had knee injuries.
TRB Clady is a Beast,but I think Harris (when he’s healthy) is very capable of protecting a QB’s blindside.IMO…But like you say Clady is versatile and could do great at RT,that’s what makes him the best OT in the NFL.
Looks like McD is pretty satisfied with Haggan at ILB,seeing he only brought 1 in from CFA.Cassius Vaughn.looks pretty versatile,DB 5’11 195lbs,played RB,WR,QB,and DB in H.S.might be a good Athlete.
Demaryius Thomas as #6 Fantasy Rookie in Michael Fabiano’s top 10.. above Dez Bryant
that’s nice, the only think i do not like is Ryan Mathews being the #1.. LOL
lol i dont like Ryan Matthews being the numebr one, but to be fair to Dez, he will ofcourse be behind Thomas, cuz its almost as good as known that Thomas will start. Dez will start behind Miles Austin more than liekly. for all we know, even maybe behind roy williams but i doubt it…
I’d like to see our defense step up to San Diego’s offense.. wouldn’t like to see Ryan running all over the field against us..
Never knew how big Mario Hagan was…He will be a beast as a middle LB…last year he was very vocal and forced alot of fumbles. I look forward to him playing the inside even tho I woulda liked McClain. AFC west on paper might be much even this year…And if we used to split in the past when Raiders and chiefs were struggling…Imagine now…..
All i can say is Champ, Goodman, Nate Jones, Alphonso smith. With Dawk and Hill in safety and McBath comign in every now and then. Perish Cox in the return game and maybe even nickel….Our defensive backfield looks pretty impressive…its stoppping the run thats the problem…
I doubt Wink is a better defensive mind that Nolan but we can only hope lol…
Hope new Dlineman step up and some rookies too..
I thought I was having a flashback, that guy in the pick above looks kind of like Cutler, except for the number, wow, unlucky fan, LOL.
sndvl…1nOnlyTRB…I certainly respect the great fans you are, to root for the team even though you’re not a fan of the coach. I still say you have to give Coach a chance. It is far too early to failry evaluate what kind of job he has done.
Big D 44…With Clady’s recent injury, maybe it’s a good thing that the Brocnos took Beadles. He played a lot of tackle at Utah and has projected to be a guard in the NFL. Coach McDaniels mentioned Beadles’ versatility as one of the guy’s strengths.
BeastFromEast92…it is so tough to rate a draft right away, let alone a year later. I think it takes at least a couple of years.
But one , as you mentioned, the Broncos addressed positions of needs.
Two, they drafted some of the higher ranked players at their positions. Thomas was one of the top WRs and Walton was one of the top centers. That doesn’t guarantee they’ll be good players but they showed enough in college to garner attention.
Three, they have created some depth. They have multiple options at quarterback. All of a sudden, the o-line situation seems better. They’ll have some youth at CB and the return game should also get a shot in the arm. All of these are positives.
The biggest unknown, as you are aware, is how many of the draft picks will be able to contribute right away. Coach McDaniels thinks Thomas and Tebow will be able to get on the field in some way, shape or form. And he thought Cox or Thompson should be able to provide an immediate upgrade in returns.
Given all of that, I think you’re on the right track with a grade of a B. On the surface, it seems to be good. Time will tell how good (or how average) it truly is.
1nOnlyTRB…I also like the mix of veterans and young guys in the secondary. Champ and Goodman are still more than solid, Hill and Dawkins, I believe, also have enough left in the tank.
I hope to see Alphonso Smith take some steps forward this year. I wouldn’t say he was a disappointment, but he was a high second round pick and I hope now that he has been through a full season, he’ll be able to contribute that much more.
I wouldn’t yet agree with you about Don Martindale. There’s no doubt he lacks Coach Nolan’s experience as a defensive coordinator. But he seems to have the trust of the guys in the locker room and that can go a long, long way. He also seems to bring passion to the spot. I’m not saying that Coach Nolan lacked in any of these areas but clearly there were some issues. I’m going to give Coach Martindale a chance to show what he has before coming to any opinions.
Thanks to all for posting,
Mike
I think Tebow could be a real good quarterback in three to four years, John Elway played in his first Superbowl in year four and think Tebow can do the same thing.