Hey guys! Thanks for taking the time to look at this project for me. The idea behind this is simple: create a master list from which to make our first round choices. In other words, the Broncos would strike names from the list as their names are called on draft day and simply select the top remaining prospect when they're on the clock, avoiding redundancy when relevant. I considered all positions except for offensive tackle and tightend, because I believe this franchise could be well served by chosing elite talents at every other position. Our needs and the reality of the draft obviously skewed the results in such a way as to render many other positions irrelevant. And so, without further ado:
- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forrest
- B.J. Raji, NT, Boston College
- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
- Brian Orakpo, OLB, Texas
- Malcolm Jenkins, DB, Ohio State
- Rey Maualuga, ILB, Southern California
- Tyson Jackson, DE, Louisiana State
- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
- Brian Cushing, LB, Southern California
- Sean Smith, DB, Utah
- Aaron Maybin, OLB, Penn State
- Clay Matthews, OLB, Southern California
- Everette Brown, OLB, Florida State
- Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
- Robert Ayers, OLB, Tennessee
- Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois
- Evander Hood, DE, Missouri
- James Laurinatis, ILB, Ohio State
Notes: Be it my faith in Kyle Orton and/or suspicions about Stafford and Sanchez, but I would not spend a first round pick on a QB in this draft... Crabtree and Moreno are the only offensive players I would invest a top pick on this year and I only do so because I believe they are exceptional talents... the absolute worst case scenario of Matthews/Laurinatis wouldn't thrill me, but it would likely make us a better team in a "solid, but not spectacular" sense... perhaps a realistic but still wistful best case scenario of Raji plus Maualuga would inspire backflips out of me... there are a great deal of interesting 3-4 OLB that should be available from our #18 pick to our #48 pick, so perhaps we shouldn't look at those options at #12.
Alright guys, time to tell me where I went wrong! What do you think of my list and the resulting potential drafts? Who did I over- or under- rate and who did I miss entirely? What would your Top 18 for the Broncos look like, what would you expect it to yield and how does that make you feel? The real draft is just around the corner and, with the dust beginning to settle, it's time to crystalize our opinions for we can be accurately happy/sad about the results on that fateful day. As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to our continued conversation in the comments. Go Broncos!