NFL Draft Capsule: Denver Broncos

Denver finished a disappointing 7-9 last year, but all was not lost over the course of the season. The Broncos found out that Jay Cutler is, and will be, their quarterback of the future, and he has a great #1 wide receiver in Brandon Marshall, assuming he can avoid McDonald’s bags off the field. Offensively, the team should continue to develop at the skill positions, but they do need to add depth to the offensive line and maybe at wideout. The biggest issue for the Broncos last season was their run defense. They have attempted to fix their defensive front in the past, but they have to get the job done this offseason—particularly through the draft.

Offense

Last offseason, the Broncos picked up Travis Henry and Daniel Graham, moves I thought were under-publicized. However, Henry was injured for much of the year and battling through suspension issues, and Graham never lived up to my expectations. Henry and Graham should figure to be major parts of the offense this season, and there is plenty of depth behind those two at the running back and tight end positions respectively.

This unit goes as Jay Cutler goes, and he is the real deal. He should continue to improve, especially with the vaunted Denver running game. He has two effective tight ends in Graham and Tony Scheffler and a stud wideout in Brandon Marshall. Brandon Stokley is a solid number three wide receiver, but Denver needs to find somebody to play opposite of Marshall. They went out and signed Keary Colbert, but they definitely should look to add one more wide receiver in the draft.

The biggest question on offense is along the line. Denver’s line has been one of the best for most of my life, but none of these guys make fans forget the lines from the Super Bowl teams of the late nineties. They just signed Casey Wiegmann to compete for the starting center job, and at guard they are probably okay. They could probably use a little more depth there, but the outside is where they are weakest. As of now, they only have three tackles on the roster, and one of those is Ryan Harris, a rookie last year out of Notre Dame. They could be projecting Harris as their starting left tackle this year, but they still need to add another tackle or two to the roster.

Defense

It’s no secret that the Broncos have spent much of this offseason focusing on their defense, especially the front seven. They have one of the best cornerback tandems in the League with Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. John Lynch can still get it done at FS, but Denver brought in Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree to compete with Hamza Abdullah at SS, who filled in for Nick Ferguson last season. Ferguson is now gone, leaving Abdullah as the starter.

As for the front seven, in 2005, the Broncos decided to build their defensive line from Cleveland Browns castoffs. Since then, they’ve been trying to find answers up front. John Engelberger and Ebenezer Ekuban are serviceable veterans, and it looks like they struck gold with the Elvis Dumervil draft pick. However, Engelberger and Ekuban are more suited for backup roles, and Denver is incredibly thin in the middle of the line.

Gone is the linebacking corps of Al Wilson, D.J. Williams, and Ian Gold, leaving Williams paired with Nate Webster and recently added Boss Bailey. That trio won’t instill fear in opposing offenses, but it is more than adequate. They’re fairly deep with Jamie Winborn and Niko Koutouvides, and Brandon Archer was a promising prospect out of Kansas State at this time last year.

Special Teams

Without question, the biggest surprise of the Broncos’ offseason was the loss of Jason Elam. Elam should’ve retired a Bronco, but he’s with the Falcons now. He has been one of, if not, the best kicker in the League over his career. His departure leaves a huge void for the Broncos to fill, which must be addressed sometime between now and training camp. Drafting a kicker is not usually the solution, although the Packers did land Mason Crosby last year. They probably need to add a punter, too.

Draft

The Broncos pick 12th in round one. ESPN’s Todd McShay has them selecting OT Jeff Otah (6’6”, 340 lbs, Pittsburgh). Mel Kiper, Jr., also of ESPN, has them selecting LB Keith Rivers (6’3”, 235 lbs, USC). In his mock draft, Kiper has Otah and fellow tackles Ryan Clady (6’6”, 316 lbs, Boise State) and Chris Williams (6’6”, 315 lbs, Vanderbilt) falling past Denver’s pick. Clady grades out just a bit higher than the other two, and, if he’s available, shouldn’t make it past the Broncos’ pick. He is ideal for the Broncos, as his agility and athleticism make him perfect for their zone blocking scheme.

The Broncos do not have a third round pick in the 2008 draft, so they have to make the most out of their first two picks. I rank their most pressing needs as OT, DT, and WR for day one. If they get Clady or Williams in the first round then they obviously don’t look tackle in round two. Their run defense was flat awful last year, so I would look for them to go DT if they can. Someone like Pat Sims (6’2”, 310 lbs, Auburn) could be available, and he would be a great pick. WR is not as pressing of a need as DT, but if Sims is gone, the Broncos should look at the WRs. James Hardy (6’6”, 220 lbs, Indiana) and Early Doucet (6’0”, 212 lbs, LSU) are wideouts who could be available. I like Doucet just a little better than Hardy, so he would be my second option in round two if I were picking for the Broncos.

In the later rounds, Denver needs to address depth along the defensive front and maybe at the cornerback position. The Broncos absolutely need to find a tackle, defensive tackle, and wide receiver in this draft. Mike Shanahan should be looking for immediate impact players, as one more season ending without a playoff berth could put him on the hot seat.

Tomorrow: Green Bay Packers