FanPost

Newton's Rise, Broncos Gain



Mel Kiper recently updated his draft rankings and currently has Cam Newton slated as number 3 overall and thinks the Bills are in play for his services. This makes a lot of sense. Chan Gailey loves athletic QBs. He coached Vick in Atlanta and had a lot of success. He also has a serviceable QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick that can buy time while Newton learns the NFL game. Why this helps the Broncos....

This is great news for the Denver Broncos. With the new CBA likely to produce a rookie wage scale, the 2nd overall pick has never been more attractive. The Broncos will be sitting in front of the Bills and any team interested in Newton's services will be forced to make a move to get him. The Broncos have only 6 picks in this years draft and a lot of holes to fix on both sides of the ball. Trading down a few spots will likely secure the Broncos and additional 2nd round pick and possibly more depending on the trade partner. The Vikings (12th pick), Redskins (10th), Niners (7th) and Cardinals (5th) all are in the market for a QB. The further we trade down the more picks we will be able to receive in exchange.

Moving down still gives access to an elite player but secures the Broncos, at the very least, another 2nd round pick. That means 4 players in the top 45 picks in the draft.

Likely trade partners and their respective value:

Arizona Cardinals at #5 : Trading down to the 5th spot still gives the Broncos a shot at drafting DeQuan Bowers, Von Miller, Marcell Dareus and Patrick Peterson. In addition, the Broncos will likely receive the 38th pick in the 2nd round in exchange and possibly a 4th. That gives the Broncos the flexibility to address offense (TE or RT) with one of their 2nd round picks.

San Francisco 49ers at #7: The Broncos will sill have a shot at some elite talent. Either Robert Quinn, Von Miller, Marcell Dareus or Prince Amakumura will still be available with that pick. Not to mention, the pot will be sweetened by not only receiving the 40th overall pick in exchange. We will likely receive their 3rd rounder in addition and possibly a pick in next years draft. There is still good value in the 3rd round and there are a lot of LBs and Safeties that can be had in the 3rd who might turn into good NFL players someday.

Washington Redskins at #10: I would be more than happy to stay in the top 10 and receive a bevy of picks in exchange. If we trade back this far it means we are likely receiving a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and/or a future 1st day pick in 2012. We all know the Broncos have many holes to fill and this scenario will give the Broncos up to 10 picks in this years draft. Drafting at 10 overall still gives the Broncos a shot a Robert Quinn, Aldon Smith, Cameron Jordan and Akeem Ayers. If they have 9 other picks they might even want to take a shot at Nate Soldier and focus on the D in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

Minnesota Vikings at #12: This is a long drop but not unlikely of a scenario. The Broncos could receive their 2nd, (no 3rd because of Moss trade) 4th, 5th and likely a 2nd and 3rd rounder in next years draft. I can see this happening because the Vikings have a team that is ready to win now and don't have many holes to fill. Available at 12 are Cameron Jordon, Aldon Smith, Adrian Claborn, Akeem Ayers and my personal favorite Ryan Kerrigan.

The way the 2011 draft is starting to take shape, I would prefer the Broncos find the best package and trade down. There are a handful of defenders available in the top 10 that can go anywhere from 2-8 overall. There are mocks that have Bowers going 1st overall and some having him fall all the way to 7th. Ive seen Patrick Peterson as high as number one and as low as 6. Von Miller as high as 3rd overall and as low as the 9th pick in the draft. There is still a lot of value staying in the top half of the draft and if the Broncos are able to receive numerous picks in exchange...lets make a deal.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.