Denver Broncos 2010 Draft watch: Alabama vs. Florida

Hey everyone!

I'm loving the Broncos' resurgence on defense, loving the Broncos' return to the running game, loving the return of Eddie Royal, Peyton Hillis, Spencer Larsen, and several others.  I am feeling good right now, as a Bronco fan.

But I'm also a guy who loves the NFL draft.  I was a big supporter of Moreno before the 2009 draft, and was ecstatic that we picked him.  I love watching rookies develop, and this year it has been a treat to watch Moreno, McBath, and Bruton, with Ayers improving every week.  I continue to hope for more from Smith, Quinn, and McKinley.  That being said, I noticed that with this past Saturday's SEC Championship there were more than a few notable players on the field who might be available for the Broncos to target come draft day 2010.  Given the high caliber of on-field talent, I thought that this would be the closest to an NFL-like situation.  I watched the game once live and twice recorded (once for offense and once for defense).  The players will be ordered based on how much I would like to see them in a Bronco uniform, compared to the rest of the players on the field.  For what it's worth, here are my thoughts:

(Note: Ted Bartlett has already covered this in his most recent Shallow Thoughts.  If you want another, broader analysis, look there.  I had already started this post, so I might as well finish it, eh?)

1a.  Rolando McClain, ILB -- Alabama

• He is a junior, so he might not declare, but this game to me was the definitive answer in the McClain vs. Spikes argument.  McClain showed excellent speed getting to the edge of rushing plays, was not baited by play action or option, and flashed superb acceleration.  He is 6-4 and around 250 lbs, but he moves fluidly and was around the ball constantly.  I saw him audible to the rest of the defense multiple times, displaying his leadership.  His tackling is very very good, but what impressed me the most regarding his fit for the Broncos was his ability to effectively blitz the A-B gaps.  Only once (1st quarter) was he held up on these blitzes; all other times he created pressure and/or collapsed the pocket.
• If you want a capsule of McClain, watch a play at 4:06 in the 1st quarter.  The play is designed as a pass, but Tebow sees an opening in the left side of the line and sprints through.  McClain was watching Tebow's eyes and moving to his left (away from the run play).  When Tebow tucked, McClain instantly changed direction and showed amazing quickness to catch up with Tebow, then incredible strength and tackling technique to bring him down for only a one-yard gain, despite a stiff arm.  Anyone who knows Tim Tebow knows this is no small feat.
• He is a playmaker, a leader, and a physical specimen.  If Chicago gives us a good pick, we ought to think very strongly about taking this guy here.  Think of him as being as hard of a hitter as Maualuga but as sure of a tackler as Laurinitis, all with great coverage abilities.  This guy should be the eventual replacement for Andra Davis.  In addition, he has the versatility to play at LOLB if we need him to, and would be superb in coverage against TEs.

1b.  Joe Haden, CB -- Florida

• Another junior who may not declare, but I suspect he will.  Last year's draft made it clear that McDaniels places an emphasis on a superb secondary that doesn't give up the big plays.  That was exactly what Joe Haden did vs. Alabama.  In fact, he reminded me an awful lot of Champ.  He played RCB, was often in on run support (stopped Ingram short twice in the 1st quarter alone), and was rarely thrown to at all.  The few times he was thrown to, he broke up the pass.  Julio Jones was usually opposite him, and all of his passing yards came against other CBs.  Haden quite literally shut down his side of the field.
• I hear you now: "Why do we need another CB?  We've already got Champ, Goodman is good, plus there's the Phonz, who is the equivalent of a 1st-rounder?"  In short: Champ is declining (but still great), Goodman is a stop-gap, and the Phonz hasn't quite caught up to the NFL yet.  If Haden is available at our pick, we should look very very seriously at taking him.
• What if both Haden and McClain are available?  Ugh.  That's tough.  If it were me, I would get Haden.  Both seem like can't-miss prospects, but Haden seems to be just a bit more of a guy you would regret passing on.  Still, ILB seems like a more pressing need -- I can't shake the feeling that we bottled lightning in 2009 with our LBs, and I'm not betting on a repeat.  That being said, we can find serviceable fill-ins at ILB easier than we can with CB. 

2. Terrance Cody, NT -- Alabama

• Emmitt did a great piece on Cody earlier in the season HERE.  In it, he essentially declared Cody not first-round material and stated that the Broncos should not draft him unless the value was right -- and even then we might have more pressing needs elsewhere.  The economics of draft day aside, I will have to respectfully (and cautiously) disagree.  Cody is still a massive man, but he looks to be much less belly than before.  He also has more agility than he is usually credited with, getting past the Pouncey twins on two occasions to cause trouble for Tebow in the backfield.  He also lined up as a blocker on offense in a goal-line situation for the Tide, resulting in an Ingram TD.  Finally, he has some special teams prowess, as he displayed vs. Tennessee earlier in the season.  The most telling part about the Tide/Gators game was the lack of interior runs.  Much like Haden, Cody shut down his assigned area of the field.
• Most of his concerns are regarding motivation and conditioning.  I think it's entirely probable that the conditioning part can be taught at the NFL level.  Especially as it regards the Broncos' current situation at NT, Cody can be part of a solid rotation of space-pluggers and two-gap players with Fields and Marcus Thomas.  That being said, it will be important to get some solid pass-rushing ability at defensive guard either in free agency or the draft.  I'm definitely not in favor of getting him with a high- or mid-first-rounder, but he might be a good pickup in a trade down scenario.

3. Brandon Spikes, ILB -- Florida

• I loved this guy in 2008, and I would have been thrilled to pick him up then.  In 2009, I was initially excited, but kept hearing more and more buzz on McClain.  Then, I watched a few games and was impressed but not wowed.  When I watched this game, I was very underwhelmed.  Spikes was not a presence at all for the duration of the game.  He was blocked effectively several times, once in particular on a pulling run play which allowed the RB (Richardson) to get 8 extra yards instead of a loss.  On a screen pass that went for big yardage, his lack of top-end speed was displayed while chasing the WR.  He blitzed mostly from the edge, and never really got serious pressure
• That being said, this guy is an extremely solid ILB who will be a good starter for nearly any team.  He is a quarterback of defenses, and his intangibles are impossible to miss.  What he might lack in athletic talent, he makes up for in leadership.  Still, I think that the Broncos are a better fit for McClain due to our tendency for delayed ILB blitzes and our necessity to have a superb ILB covering TEs in our 5-2 look.  A trade down into the late first round would be a great place to cover our need at ILB and not break the (draft pick) bank doing so.

4.  Mike Johnson, LG -- Alabama

• Mike Johnson had some great moments and some cringe-inducing moments.  The latter was on disply most often when he was called on to block in the second level.  Twice, he tried to cut block and ended up becoming just a speed bump for the running back.  He was effective on pulling run blocks, and showed enough athletic ability to encourage hope for great improvement there.  The most significant feature of his game, however, was his consistency.  Apart from the aforementioned gaffes, he was habitually solid in both run and pass protection.  He displayed some really fantastic strength, and always kept with the play until its conclusion.
• Purely on talent and potential, I would rather have Mike Iupati (Idaho), but I am strongly of the opinion that a guard should only be taken in a BPA scenario, and we are not likely to be in territory where a guard is the best player on the board.  Asamoah (Illinois) is usually ranked above Johnson by most draft gurus, but honestly I haven't watched him play enough to give a competent opinion.  What I like about Johnson is that he is projected as a 2nd/3rd round fringe pick, which means we could probably get him without having to reach much or sacrifice other areas of need.  At 6-6 and 305lbs, he is a monster of a guard who nfldraftscout.com describes as a "cerebral" blocker.  Sound like a good fit?

5.  Riley Cooper, WR -- Florida

• This kid is an extremely intriguing talent.  6-3 and 215lbs, he is built like our very own Beast and has the strength to match.  Like Ted pointed out in his ST&NO, this young man can manhandle physical corners in bump-and-run coverage, and has emerged as the most dangerous receiving threat Tim Tebow has.  He spent the first part of his Florida career on special teams (gunner), so he fits us well there.  He runs some very excellent routes, and has great hands.  Several times, he came down with difficult catches in tight coverage.  Also, he seemed to not be fazed at all by coverage from Arenas.
• In fact, if for some reason Brandon Marshall is not in our long-term goals, this kid strikes me as a very apt replacement for the Beast.  Built the same, with similar skill set, great as a blocker, better speed, and a better route runner.  With a 3rd-4th round grade, we could get great value for him.  The only question will be Elway's dilemma: baseball or football?

6.  Javier Arenas, CB -- Alabama

• Many of us like Arenas, and mostly for his return/special teams ability.  I must admit, I have been one of them.  Now, after watching him get beaten and overmatched by a WR who is hardly on most people's radar entering the draft (see above), I am starting to seriously second-guess that.  A returner is always a strange creature to draft: one hardly wants to draft highly a good returner who can't do anything else (i.e., Cribbs), but when the guy has great skills elsewhere you want him to stick to one or the other (i.e., Royal).  Arenas is likely to be drafted highly, and that is precisely why I don't want him.  I don't value his skills as a CB highly enough to draft him in that territory, and I don't think we need a return man that desperately to reach for him.  On a side note, can you imagine the cacophony that would ensue if McDaniels drafts two "undersized" CBs back-to-back?  For those who don't know, Arenas is a generous 5'9".
• Arenas could be a good nickel CB, but I don't see him as a #2, especially in our division (with tall, strong WRs in SD and KC).  His return ability is indeed special, though, and would be welcome on the Broncos -- thereby freeing up Royal to move to the slot position.  What I liked about him in this game was his absolutely obvious intensity and discipline: after every return, every tackle, he immediately popped up off the ground and ran off the field.  This kid is the definition of "gamer" -- or "baller", if you prefer.

7.  Chas Henry, P -- Florida

• He's a junior, and you rarely see a junior punter in the NFL draft.  Still, this kid absolutely blew me away during the game.  Arenas got 8 yards on one returnable punt -- and he is the 2nd-leading punt returner in NCAA history.  Henry's stats jump off the page: 42.8 yards per punt average, 12 punts inside the opponent's 20, 6 punts of 50+ yards, and -- here's the kicker -- 21 punt return yards the entire season.  His hang time was phenomenal and the distance was just as exceptional on every punt.  Accuracy isn't an issue, either.  He is currently a finalist for the Ray Guy Award for the best punter in the nation.
• Mitch Berger is showing definite improvement, but we all know he's not the long-term answer.  Wouldn't it be nice to have one guy every year who we could count on to put us in spectacular field position on defense?  Todd Sauerbraun was our guy year in and year out; Chas could be the same for us in 2011.

Well, that's the long and... well, the long of it.  I like all these guys in a Broncos uniform, and the all fit a need at one area or another.  It will be interesting to see what the front office will do; personally, I would like to see them in Orange and Blue.  Now I must leave before I start rhyming any more.