2008 Draft Class -- Denver Broncos

said barrett would make a good bronco I guess we will find out wont we.

Round 1 – Pick 12 (#12) – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State: Grade A
Notes: Ellis or Dorsey would have been an A+, Stewart or Mendenhall would have been A- and Williams would have been the only other A.
Round 2 – Pick 11 (#42) – Eddie Royal, KR/WR, Virginia Tech: Grade B
Notes: If you want a kick returner that should develope into a solid slot man or vertical threat, why not take DeSean or Dexter Jackson. Laws, Sims and Harrison should have been considered here, as well as Dan Connor just on value. I don’t mind the kid, but it wouldn’t have been my target at this point.
Round 4 – Pick 9 (#108) – Kory Lichtensteiger, C, Bowling Green: Grade B-
Notes: I wanted Justice, but this kid should be just as good. My only disappointment is that Justice ended up lasting until the end of the 6th round, so he was a far better value. Dre Moore and Quentin Demps would have been alternate choices.
Round 4 – Pick 20 (#119) – Jack Williams, CB, Kent State: Grade D
Notes: This is where it got ugly. I’m sure this kid will do some good things for us, but we left Steltz and Bryant on the table. At this point, ignoring DT was getting absurd.
Round 5 – Pick 4 (#139) – Ryan Torain, RB, Arizona State: Grade D
Notes: I get that he might be a good fit, but plenty of other guys could have been had later or even as CFA. I just don’t get the need.
Round 5 – Pick 13 (#148) – Carlton Powell, DT, Virginia Tech: Grade B-
Notes: Finally! Had we been smart about addressing DT, we could have targeted Goff, Brooks, Hayes and Mehlhaff here, not to mention the other pick in this round.
Round 6 – Pick 17 (#183) – Spencer Larsen, LB, Arizona: Grade D
Notes: I just don’t think this guy is any good. Washington here would have been fine and it would free up the earlier pick wasted on Torain.
Round 7 – Pick 13 (#220) – Josh Barrett, S, Arizona State: Grade B
Notes: I really like this kids tools. If Lynch can take him under his wing, he could learn to get the most out of them. Nice value this late.
Round 7 – Pick 20 (#227) – Peyton Hillis, FB, Arkansas: Grade C-
Notes: FB? Really??? Apparently he’s more of an H-back, so he’ll help disguise our intentions even further with big sets. Not a terrible last pick.

Overall, I’m disappointed. I’ll “re-do” the draft soon, just to upset myself even further. Awesome.

I thought the emphasis was on stopping the run. I really wanted two run stuffers, the Horrorfest in Houston should never be repeated. Really, letting Ron Dayne run wild?! No Broncos fan should ever have to see that again, in any manner from any opponent.

It’s seems weird that 2 of the most intriguing players picked are the 7th rounders, but both were excellent value picks. I know they’re out of vogue, but I really like getting a FB. Not only will this guy help Clady out in pass protection until he gets the hang of the pro game, but I was always a huge HoGriff fan and I like the idea of putting a road grader in front of Henry or whoever carries the rock. Also, giving Barrett a year to learn from the best will only help him and the Broncos.

It sounds like Powell is pretty much a run-stuffer only, which is OK. I am stunned that he is the only DT they picked, stunned. I thought they’d do something similar to what Jax did and sell the farm to grab a couple of the higher rated DT’s. This confuses me. They must be sold on Robertson and that he’ll continue to be able to play without knees.