Hey everyone, it has been a little while since I have done a fanpost over at MHR but I have been really busy with Bronco Madness and all. So I thought I would give you all a sneak preview of my mock draft before I go put it up on my own site. Tell me if I did anything extremely stupid because I would rather make a fool of myself here than over at my own site. =P

Round 1: Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU. Oh how things change. I was pushing very hard to get Rey Maualuga here but with an injury, off the field problems, and Andra Davis being signed I think that we need to draft somebody on the Defensive Line. But, and there is a but my first choice B.J Raji is not available so it looks like the Broncos will chase after Tyson Jackson who is a Defensive End from LSU. He is a relatively safe pick and is the only true first round Defensive End in the 2009 Draft. He is great against the run and with the right coaching could excel against the pass too. He is taylor made to play in a 3-4 Defense and while I am still a bit wary of drafting Defensive Ends after Jarvis Moss, Tyson Jackson is the right person for the Broncos to draft.

Round 2: Ron Brace, DT, Boston College. If we don’t draft a Defensive Tackle in the first round then it is necessary that we get one in the second. It is by far our biggest need and Ron Brace would be the optimum fit for our defense. We can train him for a year or two but he could definitely come in after one season riding the bench and possibly be a star. I don't remember us ever having a legitimate star Defensive Tackle in the Shanahan era and with Mike Nolan and Josh McDaniels in town you can bet that they will be looking for one to fit our 3-4 defense that will soon be employed. 

Round 3: Jason Phillips, MLB, TCU. It is really important that the Broncos get somebody besides Andra Davis in the middle before we face another epic Defensive collapse. While it will of course be hard finding somebody who can really fit our needs this late Jason Phillips might be a good start. He is a very good tackler who can intimidate most Running Backs and Tight Ends. You can fit him at any Linebacker position in my opinion but would of course be best in the middle where he might even be the second middle linebacker in the 3-4 system if he impresses enough in training camp. Andra Davis is a decent linebacker and an upgrade to anything we had last year but it would be even better if we could add some help with Jason Phillips in the third round.

Round 4: Coye Francies, CB, San Jose St. Coye Francies has seen his stock soar as of late but still has a lot of questions surrounding whether he could break even into the third round. If you ask me though he won't even though he should. Francies is a great player who is tight in coverage and has excellent speed. He is smooth and fluid with his hips and changes direction well. Even with the signings of Andre Goodman and Champ Bailey already in place the Broncos not only need depth but a bit more of a future. Coye Francies could battle Jack Williams or Josh Bell, or whoever we hope to build this Defensive Backs squad around in the future and be a great Special Teams player for now or come in situational. 

Round 5: Arian Foster, RB, Tennessee. Here is the problem with the running back situation: If we draft a Running Back (which we should) we will be left with a total of 6-7 running backs when we enter training camp. Mind you, we had 8 injured so this might be smart but as it looks we will have 4 on the active roster and by picking a player in the 5th round we are guaranteeing to ourselves that we will drop a Correll Buckhalter, Ryan Torain, Lamont Jordan or J.J Arrington. It also puts our favorites like Peyton Hillis and his standing on the depth chart at risk. But when it is all said and done we need to do what is best for the team and that is drafting an underrated player like Arian Foster. Foster has great balance and hits the hole hard with a short and quick burst. While he lacks great speed, he might still be a solid addition to our roster or even the practice squad.

Round 5: Alex Fletcher, C, Stanford. I like Kory Lichtensteiger and I know that Casey Wiegmann is a Pro Bowler but when you think about it, nobody is safe under this new regime. Just ask Jay Cutler. That is why we don't know if Josh McDaniels is that crazy about Kory Lichtensteiger and therefore he might want to pick his own middle round Center. If he does I think it will involve Alex Fletcher a Center from my Stanford University which I live only 7 minutes away from. Because of that I have gotten the opportunity to see him play a lot and I know just what he is capable of. He is a strong blocker who is very accurate with his snaps. He also has potential as a great special teams blocker on punts. If he was available by the 5th round I think that it would be hard for our coaching staff to resist. 

Round 6: Mortty Ivy, OLB, West Virginia. The Broncos are looking for a big of defensive leadership and talent. Mortty Ivy could bring both. While by no means is Ivy a physical beast he has a nose for the mental aspect of the game and also is a great leader. The Broncos are in serious need of a good Strong Side Linebackers and while Ivy is not a very famous or flashy player he could still battle for a starting job in the NFL. Ivy has a good ball skills and could have potential as an NFL pass rusher. Ivy has a bit of an injury concern but I would not be that scared of it. His injuries have never been way too serious and he had enough drive to with a torn acl to play all 11 games of the 2007 season. 

Round 7: Kory Sperry, TE, Colorado St. It looks like there is a chance Tony Scheffler might not be back next year and that Daniel Graham only has a few years left so a late round Tight End might be a good option for the Broncos. Or if neither you accept as reasons to draft one here is another one: are you not sick of the Chad Mustard, and Nate Jacksons who we keep signing and getting rid of all the time. If we want 4 Tight Ends on the roster: Graham, Scheffler, Putzier and one other lets get a permanent, home grown player. Sperry is about as home grown as it gets as he already comes from Colorado St. The new regime has already signed two former Colorado St. alumni to the team to warm up to fans and if we got Sperry it would do a good job of doing just that. Sperry is the most underrated Tight End in the class and could be a great receiving Tight End in the future.

Round 7: Kendell Davis-Clark, CB, Michigan St. It is tough for our new coach Josh McDaniels to draft Defensive Players on his first shot but he might be intrigued by Davis-Clark even though he is not the most talented Cornerback you could get at this point. Josh McDaniels started his career in Michigan St. and would really like to get some Michigan St. alumni onto the team. Davis-Clark has injury concerns but is still a good tackler and can contribute into Special Teams and possibly succeed in a Nickel package. He can contribute into the run game and would be a very attractive pick to the coaching staff and scouts.