Pick #11 Evaluations

The recent question going on throughout MHR is what should the Broncos do with the 11th overall pick. I'm going to give Rolando McClain, Dan Williams, CJ Spiller, Joe Haden, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Iupati, Earl Thomas, and Dez Bryant all consideration. I'm going to evaluate by need, best player available, and other concerns all on a 1-10 scale. Here goes nothing!

Need:

Rolando McClain- The Broncos opened up a huge hole after cutting ILB Andra Davis. The Broncos have numerous possible people that have a shot to fill that void, such as Haggan, Woodyard, and Larsen. Since I don't think that we have a great option to fill that hole, I'll rate McClain as an 9.

Dan Williams- The Broncos spent almost all of free agency bolstering up their D-Line by adding Williams, Bannan, and Green. In my opinion, I'd say the Broncos have pretty good depth at D-Line with Fields, Baker, Thomas, McBean, and Smith. The Broncos are pretty set at DL but they could definitely use a stud NT for the future; therefore, I'll rate Williams a 7.

CJ Spiller- In my opinion the Broncos currently have 3 effective HB's on their roster in Buckhalter, Moreno, and Arrington. Although the Broncos don't have an extremely explosive player on their offense right now, I don't think that we need another HB right now especially after using a 1st round pick on Moreno last year. I'll give Spiller a 4. 

Joe Haden- As we all know the Broncos already have one of the best secondaries in the league; however, we all also know that they're all getting old. The depth isn't the greatest at this position, but we also don't know what we have yet in a lot of our young CB's. Since we already have one of the best secondaries in the league, I'll rate Haden as a 5.

Maurkice Pouncey- Obviously the Broncos don't have anyone currently at this position and they need one desperately. I value Centers more than most people because they have to give line calls and pick up blitzes. Pouncey deserves a 10.

Mike Iupati- The Broncos lost long-time starter Ben Hamilton this last off season because the Broncos wanted to beef up their offensive line. This was fine to me, but it left a big hole in the interior of our line too. So far we have three solid O-Line starters in Clady, Kuper, and Harris. We have depth at OG with 4th round pick Seth Olsen, and it will be interesting how he fits into McDaniels' plans. I think Olsen will be progressing quickly because he played in a power-o offense at Iowa. I'll rate Iupati at a 7.

Earl Thomas- As I said earlier, the Broncos have one of the best secondaries in the league, but it's also very old. Thomas is an intriguing prospect because he can play both CB and S. I love what I've seen from Dawkins and Hill, and I also like what I have seen from McBath and Bruton. I don't see S a primary need but I'll give Thomas a 6 because of his versatility. 

Dez Bryant- Here comes the controversy. The Broncos lost one of the best WR's in the league last week and there are going to be some big shoes to fill. WR is a very tough position to come in and be effective during their 1st year in the league. Also, in McDaniels' system, there doesn't need to be great receivers to be successful. Look back at the Patriots during thier dynasty seasons. That being said, I'll give Bryant a 7. 

BPA/ Value:

Rolando McClain- If Denver drafts McClain I see him coming in right away, starting, and becoming the leader of the Broncos' defense. I can definatly see McClain being an Al Wilson type player. McClain is very effective in stopping the run, blitzing, and is good in zone coverage. McDaniels also said that McClain is one of the smartest players that he has seen coming out of college. This draft isn't very deep with ILB's. I'll give McClain a 9. 

Dan Williams- I am a huge Dan Williams fan. I can see see Dan Williams clogging up the middle of the Broncos' defense for the next 10 years. Williams is very effective in stopping the run and is also a good pass rusher. McDaniels said that Williams is extremely athletic and what his teammates called, "unblockable." Although the draft is pretty deep with possible NT's, I'll rate him an 8. Rating: 8

CJ Spiller- One of the most electrifying players in the draft, Spiller has been compared to Tennessee running back Chris Johnson because of his amazing speed. CJ Spiller is by far the best HB in the draft, and one of the top 10 players in the draft. Although is see this draft as being pretty deep at HB, I'll give him an 8.

Joe Haden- Probably the best CB in the draft, he has the potential to start when he walks in the door, but I see this draft being pretty deep in CB. Rating: 7

Maurkice Pouncey- I hate the idea of picking up an interior lineman at pick #11, but this draft isn't very deep in quality centers after Walton and Tennant. I wouldn't like to see Pouncey picked at 11, but I wouldn't feel terrible about it either. Rating: 7

Mike Iupati- Once again, I hate the idea of picking up an interior lineman at pick #11. Iupati is the best OG in the draft, but there has been reports on him being raw and holding too much. I also think that we can get big, quality OG's later in the draft. Rating: 6

Earl Thomas- I personally haven't payed a ton of attention to the Safety position in this draft considering we drafted two last year, but I don't think that it is very deep. Earl Thomas has been considered by some so called, "experts" as having more potential than Eric Berry. Since Thomas has versatility to play either CB or S, I'll rate him an 8. 

Dez Bryant- Arguably the best WR in the draft, I actually like the tools Dez Bryant brings to the table. He's a physical freak and it showed at Oklahoma State. Even though I really like Bryant, this draft is extremely deep in WR's, and I don't think the Broncos offense needs GREAT receivers be effective. Rating: 7

Other Concerns: 

Rolando McClain- I find this claim of not having Chrons disease very fishy. Either way, it's apparent he has some medical condition after not being able to finish his workout at his pro-day. He said that it hasn't ever effected him during games though, and that he's had it since freshmen year in high school. That being said, I'll subtract 2 points because of his health concerns. 

Dan Williams- none

CJ Spiller- none

Joe Haden- none

Maurkice Pouncey- none

Mike Iupati- none

Earl Thomas- none

Dez Bryant- Although some people make a big deal by saying he has character issues, I feel differently. He made one mistake during college that caused him his eligibility during the 09-10 season. He's never had trouble with the law, so I'm only going to subtract 1 point

OVERALL RANKINGS:

Rolando McClain: 16

Dan Williams: 15

CJ Spiller: 12

Joe Haden: 12

Maurkice Pouncey: 17

Mike Iupati: 13

Earl Thomas: 14

Dez Bryant: 13

Overall it looks like my board goes Pouncey, McClain, Williams, Thomas, Bryant, Iupati, Haden, and Spiller. 

*Note*- I tried to be as unbiased as possible and I gave each player what I thought they deserved. I thought it was a good system to see where each player stands in my rankings. 

GIVE ME SOME THOUGHTS! HOW WOULD YOU RATE THEM?