A Draft Fans Would Hate,

but would still make the team better. And before y'all go off on me and my ancestry keep in mind that this is a mock and mocks are as much a way to think about the team as to give our opinions about what should be done in reality. This would not be my preference for the upcoming draft. At the same time, I think this draft would make the Broncos a better team both next year, and more importantly, over the long haul.

The Broncos were 4-12 last year and it was not even a hopeful 4-12. We got ourselves blown out by the Raiders in one of the worst performances in team history. We endured a four game and a five game losing streak. We couldn't run the ball consistently or stop the run. On offense, we were awful on third downs and in the red zone. On defense we played well for a bit and then gave up a 40 yard play game after game after game. Further, our division is improving. The Chargers are still very talented and require that a good team play well to beat them. The Raiders have shown signs of being a team to be reckoned with, and the Chiefs proved they can win the division. At this point, we are a BAD football team in an increasingly competent division. We have holes just about everywhere on the team and the road from worst to first is likely to take more than one draft class and group of FA to travel.

I firmly believe that Tim Tebow has a very good NFL QB inside of him. I believe that having him under center on a bad football team actually increases the chances of that team to win an extra game or two. Bad football teams who are lacking in talent often have breakdowns in their play. Right now, Tebow's best characteristic is his ability to improvise in the face of adversity and turn a bad outcome on its head. Further, his style fits with what Fox will want to do which is pick up first downs, control the clock and keep games in the 20-17 range. If we can run that style, finish drives (which Tebow definitely showed he could do), and keep the defense off the field we can be competitive. 

On the defensive side of the ball, I expect that Fox and Allen will improve the defense through their experience and schemes before any switches in personnel are made. I expect that some players will improve from the switch to a 4-3, especially Robert Ayers. We never did find a true NT for out 3-4. I expect that a rotation of the DTs we have can play competently if not spectacularly. I am bummed about the implications of a 4-3 switch for Mario Haggan who looked like one of the few good pieces we managed for our 3-4 front seven.  Not sure if he can play in a 4-3 though I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way. Anyhow, even if we make zero moves on defense I expect the presence of Fox and Allen plus the changes in team chemistry and some pride will take take the team from dead last in defense into the upper 20s anyway. If we can wipe out our tendency to give up monster plays three or four times a game this group could play even better than that.

For this mock, I'm going to assume that the CBA gets done after the draft so there are no FA signings yet, and no trades of players for picks. Now keep in mind this is to think about the team. It's not necessarily what I would do in reality.

ROUND 1

A.J. Greene, WR Georgia, 6'4'', 205 lbs. Greene is a good sized receiver with speed. He has the ability to go across the middle or go deep. He's got good hands and the ability to catch balls thrown in his general area even if off target. He's seen as an elite prospect that would improve any WR corps in the NFL. Most fans (including me) see the Broncos' WR core as the strength of the team. At the same time, beyond Brandon Lloyd that strength is either journeyman (Gaffney and Royal) or unproven (Decker, Thomas, Willis). Further, the injuries to Thomas and Royal create some uncertainty around the position going into the offseason. Royal should be back, but we Broncos fans know how difficult hip injuries can be for WR. Thomas is highly unlikely to be ready until later in the season and probably won't be 100% anyway. Taking Greene gives a top level receiver to a QB that will need all the safety valves he can get as he matures. I don't know about you, but I can see Tebow on a 3rd down scramble having lots of success finding an all over the field guy like Greene. BTW, picking up third downs keeps our defense on the sideline.

ROUND 2

Mikel Leshoure, RB Ilinois, 6', 230 lbs. A big running back with decent speed, Leshoure would give us some physicality in the running game besides Tim Tebow. Even when we had improved our overall running game toward the end of the season, our ongoing problems with third and short seemed to remain. I like Knowshon, but want him complemented by a guy that can crunch over some opposition. Some of you have your hopes pinned on LenDale White, but he's never showed that he can put it all together and live up to his potential. LeShoure is a player that averaged 6 or more ypc both of his final two years. Once again, improving our ability to stay ahead of the chains by running the ball and converting short yardage situations keeps our defense off the field. A combination of Tebow, Moreno, and Leshoure would have a good chance to do just that.

ROUND 2

Danny Watkins, OG Baylor, 6'4'' 310lbs. A good-sized guard with a high motor and good feet, Watkins could be the perfect interior offensive lineman for a return to ZB as our primary scheme. He's athletic enough to move and work at the second level, but big enough that he can still get a push in the running game if we need to pick up 3rd and 2. He also played with Walton at Baylor which might improve the efficiency of his progress in our offensive line. While I think Beadles showed some improvement as the season progressed I am not sold on him as the long term starter. Either way, whether Watkins or Beadles starts, our depth in the interior OL will be better. Please let's not go into another season with Russ Hochstein as our top backup. Injuries happen, and our interior offensive line is paper thin after Kuper and Beadles. I expect this pick would improve our running game by making sure a good player starts and by maintaining quality if a starter goes down.

ROUND 3

DeMarcus Love, OT Arkansas, 6'5'' 315 lbs. An OT with good feet who can also get a push in the run game sounds like an ideal starter on the right side or a primary backup to both OT positions. Love is an experience player in the SEC who spent the latter part of his college career keeping a statue like Mallet upright. He was durable and played both tackle positions in college as needed. With Ryan Harris' status in doubt we need a plan at RT and Love could certainly fit the bill. At the very least, he gives us excellent depth at the tackle positions and frees up Beadles to be the swingman inside. Depth is nothing to sneeze at for the OL. If we can get and KEEP a running game going we protect our weak defense.

ROUND 6

Lee Smith, TE Marshall, 6'6'' 267. A big man with some speed (4.9 40 listed by NFL Draft Countdown), Smith looks like a very good all around tight end in the making. While his size would lead many to believe he's primarily a blocker, they'd be wrong. He caught 61 balls in his final two seasons for a ten yard average. He has the potential to be exactly the sort of player you need as a TE, one that can play all three downs by contributing as a blocker and receiver. The kind of player that doesn't give away intentions by being in the game. That big body will give Tebow a potentially tremendous safety valve and yet another way to keep the chains moving and the defense off the field. I really don't want another Scheffler at this point of our rebuilding, I want a younger and better Daniel Graham.

ROUND 7

Anthony Gray, DT Southern Miss, 6' 317lbs. A fireplug of a player that demonstrated the ability to hold vs the run in college. While he didn't get to the QB very often, he did show the ability to push the pocket from the middle. He has a ton of experience at the college level and could work his way into the DT rotation early in his career. He has the potential to contribute to the defense this year, though he's unlikely to be a savior. Besides, there really is no way Denver can go through this draft without taking a DT (personally I think Dareus would look great as a Bronco).

Conclusion: This could be the kind of draft every pundit gives an immediate F but grades an A three years from now. What this draft does, in my opinion, is solidify the offense in the short term with the potential to have some key pieces grow together with each other and Tim Tebow. It should improve our ability to run the ball right now as well as improve our ability to convert on third down. Both of those things make our defense better by keeping their sorry butts on the bench for longer periods of time. It also protects our defense by shortening games and holding scores down. Who cares how opponents' PPG is held down as long as its held down? Further, drafting this way now would theoretically "finish" the offense for the near term and allow complete focus on the defense in FA after the draft (I expect the CBA to get done in time to at least do a quick FA before the season) and in general player acquisition over the next couple of seasons. I also expect that this approach would give us at least as much opportunity to improve from 4-12 to 8-8 as would throwing a bunch of defensive rooks to the wolves.

As I said, if I were in the front office I likely wouldn't go at it this way. Further, Elway's comments on the current state of the Broncos indicates that the real front office won't either. But putting this out there does give us a chance to talk about the team from some different angles. After all, are there any new angles from which to argue about Fairly vs Peterson vs Bowers vs Dareus? I think we've covered that.