2010 NFL Draft Overview

by swg777 on Oct 28, 2009 4:34 PM MDT Comment 29 comments

Please forgive me for doing this so early. There are two reasons I am writing on the draft in October. First, we are in the middle of a bye week and I am bored out of my mind. Second, I am home sick with the swine flu (oink oink). Here are some general observations of this upcoming 2010 draft.

1. I don't believe Jake Locker is coming out this year. I watch PAC 10 games every weekend and I believe his passing game needs refinement. Given what has happened to Sam Bradford (injury), I could be wrong.

2. I believe Gerald McCoy is the best player in this draft, even better than Suh and Berry. However, for some reason he is lacking the sex appeal necessary to be the top pick.

3. Tim Tebow will be a first round pick. If Pat White can be a 2nd rounder, then Tim can be a first rounder. I believe Tim's placement in the draft will be heavily dependent on the combine and private workouts.

4. I still believe Sam Bradford is the best QB in this draft. I believe he has the best combination of arm strength, intangibles, intelligence, leadership, and pocket presence.

5. The theme of this draft will be an overwhelming need for offense even though the major talent is on the defensive side of the ball. This will manifest itself with teams reaching for offensive players. This theme is similar to 2009 where I believe seven out of the first ten players taken were offensive. It seems like at least half of the NFL is hurting at QB and/or OT. Tell me which one of the following teams will certainly not look for a QB in the upcoming draft: Titans, Bucs, Rams, Browns, Redskins, Raiders, Dolphins, Niners, Bills, Panthers and Jaguars. The list of teams who need help at OL is even bigger.

6. I am really high on DT Brian Price from UCLA. However, given the plethora of DT's in this draft, I don't know if he can or will come out.

7. After Coach McD's last draft, we know never to declare with certainty who the Broncos are going to pick. We do know that he likes football players first, workout warriors second. He repeated the mantra that he wants players who are "tough, smart, competitive and who have a strong character." He also used the phrase "best player available at a position of need."

Without further, here is my mock, followed by my Broncos-specific mock. Feel free and criticize constructively.

1. Titans - Sam Bradford QB. Jimmy Clausen is tempting here but I would be nervous about him not having any really big wins under his belt. Bradford seems like a winner to me.

2. Bucs - Ndamukong Suh DT. Tempted to go with Berry or Gerald McCoy but I'm believe the Bucs would look at Suh as Warren Sapp part 2 and that would be hard to resist.

3. Rams - Jimmy Clausen QB. Seems like a good fit for this team.

4. Chiefs - Russell Okung OT. The chiefs, as they did last year by taking Tyson Jackson over other more talented players, go with need (offensive line) over best player available (Berry among others).

5. Browns - Eric Berry S. It will be very hard for the Browns to pass on Colt McCoy but taking Eric Berry, possibly the best player in the draft, is too hard to resist.

6. Lions - Gerald McCoy DT. The Lions hit the jackpot and take my favorite player in this draft.

7. Redskins - Colt McCoy QB. People are down on this guy but when you look at the whole body of his career, not just the last few games, he is a winner and a good QB. For 1/100 of the evidence that the Skins need a QB, refer to the recent Monday night game against the Eagles. Another 1/100 of the evidence is their pursuit of Cutler in the offseason.

8. Raiders - Taylor Mays S. Can you imagine Tebow being a Raider? Talk about a bad fit. Mays runs a fast 40, just like Heyward-Bey, but unlike him, is a great football player.

9. Seahawks - Trent Williams OT. Their line is old and has looked horrible this year. Williams might be a reach, but reaching is not without precedent.

10. Dolphins - Dez Bryant WR. Outside of the Raiders 2009 draft, Ted Ginn was one of the worst picks in recent memory. The Dolphins need some help in their secondary but they also need some playmakers at WR.

11. Niners - Carlos Dunlap DE. From what I have read, off the charts talent but questionable work ethic. Will likely not be available here. If anyone can motivate him, coach Singletary can.

12. Bills - Bryan Bulaga OT. Maybe a reach, maybe not, I don't know. The Bills need help on their bookends and with the impact QB's off the board, they go with the next need, offensive line.

13. Niners - C.J. Spiller RB. Talented running back who will make everyone on the offense better.

14. Chargers - Terrence Cody DT. The Chargers NT, Williams, is getting long in the tooth and is injured. Cody fills a need.

15. Jaguars - Tim Tebow QB. Hometown boy, greatest college football player ever, awesome person, amazing leader, but can he throw?

16. Broncos - Rolando McClain LB. The first LB off the board. This is great value here. To get the first LB off the board at #16 is a steal. I wanted Joe Haden or possibly Brandon Spikes, but I believe McClain is the best player available.

17. Ravens - Joe Haden CB. Short of Ed Reed, they are pretty thin in the secondary.

18. Texans - Brandon Spikes LB. Forms a nasty tandem with Brian Cushing.

19. Cowboys - Charles Brown OT. Flozell Adams has been thoroughly disgusting this year.

20. Eagles - Jermaine Gresham TE. Best player available and just so happens to fit a need for the Eagles.

21. Jets - Anthony McCoy TE. A beast of a tight end and a USC guy as well. Can do it all, especially help Sanchez with his development.

22. Cardinals - Arthur Jones DT. With no offensive linemen worth a pick here, the Cardinals go with their next need.

23. Packers - Brandon Lafell WR. The Packers drafted DT and LB in last year's draft and it is now time to take the best WR available.

24. Patriots - Sergio Kindle LB. The Patriots just brought back Junior Seau from the dead. Nuff said.

25. Falcons - Marvin Austin DT. Best player available.

26. Giants - Patrick Robinson CB. Very good player who probably won't last this long.

27. Bengals - Arrelious Benn WR. A curious thing, Ocho Cinco having a great season in a year that happens to be a contract year? What a great guy. If Ocho Cinco leaves, you can bank on the Bengals getting a WR.

28. Steelers - Damien Williams WR. The Steelers are actually passing quite well this year. However, they don't really need help on the defensive side, do they?

29. Vikings - Greg Hardy DE. Another stud that probably won't last this long. This mock draft thing is difficult!

30. Colts - Ricky Sapp LB. The Colts need a little bit more defensive talent.

31. Saints - Sean Witherspoon LB. Again, their offense is fine. I imagine they will take the best defensive player available.

32. Seahawks - Jahvid Best RB. This would be a pretty steep, and unlikely, fall for Best. I am not as high on him as everyone else. The Seahawks would love for him to fall in their lap. I would love for the Seahawks to inherit this pick from the Broncos!

Broncos Mock Draft.

1st. Rolando McClain LB

2nd. Darrell Stuckey S - A great person, a great player. Read about him if you can.

3rd. Kristofer O'Dowd C - A USC guy. Would be surprised if he fell this far.

4th. Tobe Gearhart RB - Stanford guy. Tough, Smart, Competitive. Watch him play. Would provide depth for Knowshon and Correll.

I won't venture to guess on anything after the fourth for now. Take care and let me know what you think. Thanks.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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I think it’s more likely that we’d take O’Dowd in the 2nd round and Stuckey in the 3rd. I could definitely live with this draft, though.

"Horton is win." -Horvil Tiki 4/13/2009
Jedi McD is my hero.

by jack_ on Oct 28, 2009 5:11 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think we need any DB help considering we’ve got 8 solid DBs evenly divided between CB and S…

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by Drizzt396 on Oct 28, 2009 5:56 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

No Safeties, but

depth at corner is key. Especially with age being a factor for both starters. Also, CBs and DLs always take time to develop.

by Eyecore13 on Oct 28, 2009 11:41 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

agree, Eyecore13

Safety is still an interesting position but CB is moreso. I’d like to see us pick up another good CB (fairly high pick) who can return kicks. A player such as Donovan Warren would be very nice pick in the 2nd.

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by Colinski on Oct 29, 2009 12:11 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

McCoy

3 McCoys in the first round. Where are the Hatfields

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by 3nS on Oct 28, 2009 6:40 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah i dont see us taking a safety that earlier after taking bruton and McBath

by Skotty on Oct 28, 2009 6:47 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

i wouldnt be surprised if we go o-line. Ben and Kuper both could be gone

by Skotty on Oct 28, 2009 6:48 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I dont know how you came up with the draft positions

But I don’t see us draftin at 16. And I don’t see us takin an LB early, I think we’ll go G or C late in the first round

by DBroncs1414 on Oct 28, 2009 7:05 PM MDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Seattle has Denver's pick at #32

Pick #16 is the Chicago Bears draft pick

by CombatChuk on Oct 28, 2009 7:06 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

your right i cant believe i forgot

But still, we did jus draft an LB last year, and davis and dj hav been great, and we also have great depth there, so why would we draft there? I could see us tradin down n pickin up a C or a G

by DBroncs1414 on Oct 28, 2009 7:20 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Technically we drafted a DE. Ayers played the position in college.

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by kentuckybronco on Oct 29, 2009 6:22 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Denver will be picking higher when it's all said and done.

The Bears can’t run the ball to save their lives, I’m thinking we’ll 13 or 14. Nice Mock Draft, I have to agree with Skotty, think we’ll look to strengthen O-Line or D-Line. Since the depth of this draft will be on the defensive side of the ball, D-Line would be my preference. Something else to consider, McD was very active in Free Agency, and with a lot of success. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us address major needs through Free Agency, and possibly with ex-Pat’s. Seymour will be a FA, and New England and Vince Wilfork can’t come to terms on a new deal, he’d be a nice pick-up at NT.

by mattison on Oct 28, 2009 7:27 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

im not arguin where the bears are gonna be

And I don’t agree with you on FA, in my opinion. Mcd payed a lot for those guys, and now we have to worry about resigning a lot of guys. I think MCD mite go after some, but I really doubt wilfork cuz he would cost too much, and might require us not to resign a starter or 2

by DBroncs1414 on Oct 28, 2009 7:36 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

The team spent a lot of money last year. That money is not available for next year. What is available will go to Kuper and Orton and Marshall, perhaps.

by Eyecore13 on Oct 28, 2009 11:45 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

So you think Gearhart goes football instead of baseball

could be an interesting pick for sure. I like the others but man it’s awful early to start speculatin’

by bchiper on Oct 28, 2009 7:54 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I like it, but I think if Spikes is somehow available at that slot, Denver would nab him

I thought Spikes was the best LB in the Nation last year, just my opinion. But I have no real challenges, I am not sold on Clausen being a top ten pick, I see a lot of Brady Quinn in him and I think he will get pushed down. While I don’t disagree with Teabow maybe being a 1st rounder and I could see the Jags taking him, I have to question that they seem to be replacing their existing QB with the same guy, I don’t know other than selling tickets, what good it would do for J-ville to take him.

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by Broncoman on Oct 28, 2009 8:18 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

To me McClain definately has a case.

This from a lifelong Florida fan. Spikes is great but McClain is very much his equal. Course Dan’ta Hightower and Nico Johnson are also gonna be good, possibly even better in Hightower’s case. Albama’s going to produce some great 3-4 ILBs over the next three years and beyond.

"You can make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you blame others for those mistakes." -John Wooden

by Randall15 on Oct 28, 2009 8:21 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

*Alabama

"You can make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you blame others for those mistakes." -John Wooden

by Randall15 on Oct 28, 2009 8:29 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

They need to sell tickets more than anything...

Clausen has a much stronger arm. For some reason, Spikes can’t tackle this year. Poor tacking technique seems to be a problem in the college game this year: Spikes, Mays, etc.

by Eyecore13 on Oct 28, 2009 11:47 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couple of things

Gearhart likely has played himself into the first or high second round, certainly won’t last to the 4th. And there’s always baseball as mentioned above (same for Locker whom some compare to a certain #7 on the diamond). There’s a lot of talk of either him or CJ Spiller being the best senior RB.

At #18 you have the Texans taking an ILB. Well DeMeco Ryans may have something to say about that since he’s pretty dang good in his own right. I love Spikes, but I just don’t see him at WLB in the 4-3. Otherwise a corp of WLB-Spikes, MLB-Ryans and SLB-Cushing has insane potential. The Texans need DL, OL and secondary help more than another great young LB though.

For the Chiefs, I agree Berry is probably the best (that he, Suh and G. McCoy won’t win/even have a chance for the Heisman is a capital crime), but Okung is a solid pick for them. A great pass protector and improving run blocker. Never a bad idea to solidify a line.

Overall though, solid names in the first round. Can’t question any of them. Course there’s a lot of college football left so we’ll see what changes. Kudos on Berry over Mays. This is debated way too much in my opinion. Berry is clearly better, while most of Mays is potential based on his physical skills.

"You can make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you blame others for those mistakes." -John Wooden

by Randall15 on Oct 28, 2009 8:19 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Does anyone else think Ryan Mathews has some serious potential?

I know, he’s only running in the WAC, but still. That guy has some legs on him. Plus, to see him break away like he was against Boise State, it was impressive.

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by Joe Medina on Oct 28, 2009 9:28 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

From ScoresReport regarding Matthews against Boise:

Still, what an incredible performance by Matthews. The junior tailback rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries and virtually kept Fresno in the game by himself with touchdown runs of 69, 60 and 68 yards. He showed incredible explosion, quickness and vision throughout the night and will no doubt keep Fresno in most ball games.

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by Joe Medina on Oct 28, 2009 9:31 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Regarding a few of your points

1. I think Locker will come out because of what im going to call the “bradford/dez bryant effect”. both could have made much much more money coming out last year than staying an extra year. However i do think that Locker still needs a year in college and wouldn’t be overly surprised if he did come oue

6. Brian Price is a straight BEAST. having watched him while here at UCLA he has been huge for our defense and going up constantly against double teams he has still produced. I think he will be a great player. Anyone need proof, go back to the games vs USC, he has held his own against a top O-Line and I think he would be great in a 4-3, idk if he has the size for a 3-4

Toby Gearhart is another monster of a player. He will be drafted before the fourth round, i would say late 2nd-3rd, but he brings memories of Jerome Bettis or in his running style. Hes a power runner, but can be nimble when need be, a great pickup for any team for their power running game.

by uclabruin34 on Oct 28, 2009 9:49 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

regarding Locker

*I wouldnt be overly surprised if he DIDNT come out.

sorry for the typos

by uclabruin34 on Oct 28, 2009 9:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

dang, caught one more

Jerome Bettis or Brandon Jacobs

by uclabruin34 on Oct 28, 2009 9:51 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

re: McClain

I like the McClain pick but I you could have better explained why he’s a good pick.

We carry 9 LBs currently, which is a good number, but the composition of those 9 could easily change. Moreover, we could even carry fewer, if the need arises. A good place to suspect a change is at OLB, where Moss is virtually gathering… well, moss. I’m not down on him but he’s been inactive and that makes him one of the likely cuts next year.

What McClain offers is a possible OLB/ILB combination. ILBs weren’t in demand in the last draft, and they haven’t been in the last 5 years or so. I won’t try to repeat all the reasons for that development but it’s behind the drop of Maualuga and Laurinaitis in the last draft. McClain wouldn’t be a good pick if he only played ILB, although he wouldn’t necessarily be a terrible one, either. Here’s a description of him from Scott W.

At 6-4 and 258 pounds with 4.60 speed McClain is capable of playing inside or outside in multiple schemes and he has been an impact player for the Crimson Tide since his true freshman season.

McClain’s speed gives him possibilities in pass coverage (one of the shortcomings of ILBs), as well as possibilities in the pass rush. And this last attribute is particularly important besides being behind why OLBs haven’t lost value while ILBs/MLBs have.

McClain also has good size, which is another attribute that helps in becoming a good pass rusher.

It’s very hard to come up with suitable picks in this year’s draft. Unlike last year, when nearly every area was a potential need, I have mixed feelings about replacing players, many of whom are still developing. I don’t want to give up either Woodyard or Larsen, and there’s no real danger — at this point — that we would. I still do like Moss but the problem is we can only keep 45 men (plus a QB) on the active roster. Whether or not Moss stays past this year, his value is severely limited while he’s inactive. And that’s also why a player such as McClain has value, since he’s versatile enough to provide help in 3rd down/passing situations, which makes him an obvious member of the active squad because of his versatility, besides talent. The story is about roster math, and high picks need to be able to play on all three downs and in many different situations.

Despite the fact that I’ve praised McClain, I’d probably take Arthur Jones (DE) with the first pick, but the DE34 position is particularly well stocked so there are possibilities for taking a DE34 later, too. Another player I like for later is Corey Wootton. His injury last season has seriously impacted his play so far this year but he was a terrific player when healthy and offers an important attribute — versatility. There aren’t many DE34s who can actually drop into pass coverage, but Wooton can. And it’s that kind of versatility that creates mismatch possibilities and stretches the roster size. There are a number of DE34s we could select in the early going, such as Odrick, Graham, Heyward, Oghobaase, etc., so it’s a position that I’ve paid close attention to.

-- Eric Hoffer

by Colinski on Oct 28, 2009 11:25 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

As of right now, I like the idea of taking a DE early despite the depth. This defense will be predicated on getting the most out of the defensive line.

by Eyecore13 on Oct 28, 2009 11:58 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

interrelationship between depth and need

The best way I can put it is: you take them early if you want a starter. And we do. We don’t necessarily need a starter now but we will in the near future, besides needing an upgrade.

The idea contained in my “they’ll be there later” comment is that there are other DE34s spread along the early rounds who are also excellent choices. Draft picks can’t be forced to fit into an ideal conception of what you think the draft should look like. A better choice may arise in the 1st so we can’t go into the draft with strategy of taking a DE34 in 1st whether or not he’s the best pick. However, that’s exactly why the availability of DE34s later on is such a blessing, since we’ll get other chances, and DLs take time to develop so it may be the best way to go, anyways.

A player such as Cameron Heyward (currently #65 on DrafTek’s BB) might be an excellent choice for us (in the 2nd). I can also see value in a player such as Brandon Deaderick, who should be available in the middle of the draft. I wouldn’t want to rule out taking a player such as him in the later going. We can identify suitable players who may be available at a suitable range but we don’t know who will eventually be available. We can say that we’d ‘like’ to take a DE34 in the early going but we can’t promise we’ll do that, not unless we’re willilng to take a player who is, by our own definition, a less desirable pick. And I don’t think we want to become that dogmatic.

-- Eric Hoffer

by Colinski on Oct 29, 2009 12:59 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Moss' value

I don’t think we can accurately guess at Moss’ value to the team right now. Our last sighting of him was a “by the skin of his teeth” vault over Crowder onto the 53 man roster, after a three day furlough where he briefly considered retirement…and that is coloring our perception of him, since we haven’t seen him since. We have gotten excellent play out of our LB depth, so there has been no need to activate him, outside of week 2 vs. the Browns. We can only guess at the reasoning for that, though he only got reps on STs, both offensively and defensively..perhaps he was part of a Cribbs neutralization scheme?

With Larsen back ont eh squad, for the time being we are even less likely to see Moss. I don’t know that we will be able to guess at his true value until either injury occurs amongst our cohesive unit of LBs, or until we get much further into the season and face teams (like the Colts) where a much deeper DL rotation must be used.

As an aside on 3-4DEs, this is the best draft in a three or four year window to target them, as there are a ton(literally!) of good to great 3-tech DTs. There is really no one that is an instant translation to a difference making B-gap starter, though I certainly wouldn’t sell a guy like Suh short, so Denver has an opportunity to really hit the bricks and get someone who might be just a perfect fit at all three levels of the draft. Gotta love that kind of opportunity, and I already have a strong feeling that Denver is going to get exactly who they want for the B-gapper of the future. Still a lot more research (and watching!) to do before we know which guys have it and which don’t, but the type depth is very very encouraging at this point.

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by Jeremy Bolander on Oct 29, 2009 2:54 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs