FanPost

A Mock II

I thought I'd try one more using the same methodology, although this time it's with Scott Wright's Top 150 list. This means that the last three draft picks -- (6th)#172, (7th)#208 and (7b)#218 -- won't be selected.

As with the first Mock, there will be an emphasis on preserving value, and deviations or reaches will be justified on the grounds of positional needs and explained. Alternate possibilities will be discussed, so that others can decide for themselves if they would have gone another route.

1) - #12 - Everette Brown (DE/OLB34) (REACH: -4 )

2) - #48 - Ron Brace (DT) (REACH: -7)

3) - #79 - Chris Baker (DT) (REACH: 0)

4) - #110 - Jasper Brinkley (ILB) (REACH: -8)

5) - #132 - Scott McKillop (ILB) (REACH: 0)

5B) - #141 - Courtney Greene (S) (REACH: -2)

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TOTAL REACH = 21, AVERAGE REACH = 3.5

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DISCUSSION

PICK 1 - Everette Brown. One of the factors that inspired me to try another Mock was the belief that we might not have to pick Maualuga in the 1st and could still fill that need through a different 'path.' I therefore purposely chose Brown in the 1st although Wright's top 150 list doesn't look much different than DrafTek's Big Board.

The first defensive player after the 12th pick is actually Vontae Davis (CB), but I didn't think he met our needs. I believe that picking a 'rush' OLB is justifiable even though it's been pointed out to me that we're actually crowded at that position. I believe that some crowding at that position is necessary because of it's importance, and finding a pass rusher is so important that it warrants the added depth. It's also possible that we may eventually trade a player.

Note: Maualuga comes one slot later than Brown so picking him could have also been justified on the BPA/position of need rationale.

PICK 2 - Ron Brace. There are actually a number of players that could have taken instead of Brace. I don't believe we'll be taking TEs this high so they were out, but a WR is a little temping. I gave careful consideration to taking Brian Unger (OC), and I think it would be solid choice for a number of reasons. Connor Barwin (DE43/OLB34) and Coye Francies (CB) were also considered. Barwin would have been a repeat of the 1st pick so he couldn't be selected, but Francies was another very strong possibility. The choice of Brace was necessary because there just aren't many adequate NTs.

PICK 3 - Chris Baker. This was a tough choice. WR and CB were other options and could be justified. A Safety, who was a reach of -6 would have been a good choice. I decided that the Broncos would have an easier time finding DEs but NT was important enough to warrant a second pick. There is no overriding consideration here other than the pick being the BPA at this point, so a selection such as Ramses Barden would be popular with some members, and I can't disagree on that logic.

PICK 4 - Jasper Brinkley. This selection proved my conjecture that it would be possible to adequately fill ILB without picking Maualuga in the 1st round. Brinkley is a player I'd like to see them take, and the fact that he's going to be available later is comforting. There were other possible choice, such as CB, OG and S, but the Brinkley pick made the most sense on positional grounds, even though it' s a 8 point stretch. I felt that Denver couldn't wait any longer for an ILB at this point, so Brinkely was near enough to easily justify the pick. The only real competition was Darcel McBath (S), who was a reach of (-2), much better than the (-8) reach for Brinkley.

PICK 5a - Scott McKillop. McKillop was available again, just as with my first MOCK, and he's a good choice, too. He appears to be the type that would fit in well with the 3-4 scheme, which isn't true of all ILBs. WR and CB show up again, but I gave the most consideration to RB -- Glen Coffee -- and a DE, Kyle Moore, who looks like he'll do well at L-DE. He's a good combination of height & weight & speed, so he could easily be substituted here. Like NT, I think the added depth is important enough to flood this position, especially when the right player comes along at the right slot.

PICK 5 - Courtney Greene. This was a timely pick, since one of the objectives was to get at least one Safety. There are some other remaining objectives, such as WR, but defensive positions were the predominant concern, and it was important enough to warrant multiple picks at some positions. The problem was that there aren't enough picks to achieve all the goals. And, moreover, Safety wasn't as big a priority after the 2 FA Safety signings, so this worked out OK.

Other possible choices here included Pat White (QB), who I think might work in the 'slash' or wildcat role. He'd probably take some convincing to turn into a WR but he could be a valuable player to have on the team. Jarrett Dllard (WR) was also available in the MOCK and was considered. One player, Roy Miller (NT) turned out to be available again and could have been selected if there weren't already 2 NTs picked. His availabiltiy might signal there are less problems finding NTs than it would seem. If I had known that Miller would be available here then I could have waited and selected a WR in round 3.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Defense is the main goal again, even if it means adding more than one player at certain positions. I don't mind that there were two NTs chosen since my goal is 3-deep at NT. However, having Ronnie Field probably makes it less important to find 2 new NTs if other DL positions can be helped instead. There aren't many DE34s in the proximity of our picks so I'm happy with the NT choices.

WEAKNESSES

I'd like to see a WR relatively early so this could be a flaw, although that pick could still come late. I'd prefer that it was reasonably early if it didn't take away from the defense, however. I'd also like to see more help for the DBs, and this is the biggest flaw, although the one Safety pick, Greene, is a reasonably good pick. I'd also like to see the judicious selection of an Offensive Lineman. Six picks doesn't allow the filling of many goals, so this is actually a very good draft in my opinion. A few added late picks could help balance it out somewhat, but there's no way to address everything with the small amount of picks.

 

 

 

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