2011 NFL Draft Order: Denver Broncos

by Troy Hufford on Apr 25, 2011 2:00 PM MDT in 2011 NFL Draft Coverage

While gearing up for the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft, it's important to take note of where the Denver Broncos have selections, with respect to the rest of the NFL. Here is a list of the Denver Broncos' picks for the 2011 NFL Draft that begins Thursday at 6 pm MST (8 pm EST).

Here are the picks that are currently possessed by the Denver Broncos (subject to change, at any time):
Round 1, Pick 2 (2nd overall)
Round 2, Pick 4 (36th overall)
Round 2, Pick 14 (46th overall) - From Miami (part of the Brandon Marshall trade)
Round 3, Pick 3 (67th overall)
Round 6, Pick 21 (186th overall) - From Philadelphia through Detroit as part of a trade that brought Dan Gronkowski to the Broncos
Round 6, Pick 24 (189th overall) - From New Orleans through New England as part of the Laurence Maroney trade
Round 7, Pick 44 (247th overall) - Compensatory Selection (awarded by rule to bring the total number of compensatory selections to 32 (equaling the number of NFL teams)

You may notice that there is no 4th or 5th round pick for the Denver Broncos. Here's why:
Round 4, Pick 2 (99th overall) was traded to the Patriots as part of the Laurence Maroney trade.
Round 5, Pick 4 (135th overall) was traded to the Buccaneers for two 2010 7th round picks that were used on DB Syd'Quan Thompson and LB Jammie Kirlew.

The 2011 NFL Draft Is Pivotal to the Broncos

It should be noted that the Broncos have four picks in the top 100. John Elway has said time and again, most notably at the Pre-Draft press conference, that the Broncos are looking to pick four starters in this year's draft. With that many picks in the top 100, they have a great opportunity to do just that. With that said, if the team continues to be unsuccessful over the next few years, you could very well point at this draft and say "What wen't wrong?"

Hopefully, that doesn't happen, though. We're almost guaranteed a stud player with the number 2 overall pick, unless something unforseen happens with the Broncos first round pick.

Trading Back

A lot of talk has gone back and forth about the idea of trading back from the number 2 overall pick. For a while, I was convinced that the Broncos would be able to do so, but I'm afraid that those convictions were from the fan part of my heart instead of the analytical part of my brain.

You see, no matter where Carolina Panthers decide to go with their 1st round pick, the Broncos will probably be stuck at #2. With the Buffalo Bills behind us at #3, many thought that they would be in the market for a first round quarterback. As of late, that doesn't seem to be the case, which means that there isn't as much demand for the second overall pick. If teams don't feel they need to jump over the Bills on the draft board, they shouldn't feel motivated to make the trade.

Throw in the fact that there is currently no rookie cap and the likelihood of a trade decreases even more. You can blame that one on the NFL and NFLPA labor dispute. With the cost of a top 5 pick increasing every year, it becomes extremely difficult to find a team that is willing to move up and take on that financial responsibility.

If what Elway has said is true (that they haven't received any calls about trades for the 2nd overall pick), then I don't see how that will change over the next few days. A lot of times, teams will call each other and get some idea of whether or not another team would be willing to trade in different circumstances. If no teams have played the "what if" game with the Broncos, I'd say it's fairly unlikely that the Broncos would be able to move out of that 2nd overall pick.

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Comments

You forgot to mention that our 7th round pick was traded away to Detroit in the same Phonz for Gronk deal. Not sure why that was necessary McD.

ConradA to me "You should actually watch a Broncos game from a critical point of view. Put away the orange and blue glasses for a game and watch." Maybe I'll try that sometime Conrad, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 2:02 PM MDT reply actions

I disagree for many reasons. 2011 draft is not that big a deal vs 2009 and 2010.

If we are not successful over the next few years, I’ll continue to point at the 2009 draft and ask what went wrong.

We have 4 picks in the first 67 slots of the 2012 draft and none again until late round 6. In 2009, we had FIVE picks in the first 64 selections (including TWO 1st rounders) and two more 4th rounders.

That was the draft we couldn’t afford to whiff on.

We really only have one primo pick in the 2011 draft. All we can’t afford to do in this 2011 draft is screw up that pick.

We can thank McX for their work in the 2009 draft that gutted us of depth and top shelf talent. The 2010 draft was also more critical than the 2011 draft. We’ve got no studs from the 2009 draft, but hopefully Tebow pans out and makes 2010 draft a gem.

Tebow’s development is far more important that anything that happens at the 2011 draft.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 2:07 PM MDT reply actions

Tebow’s development is far more important that anything that happens at the 2011 draft.
I disagree. If we don’t fix our defense, it doesn’t matter how much Tim develops. We won’t win very many football games.

Agreed about the 2009 and 2010 drafts. Good points. We need to do better than that. Although, I’m still not ready to give up on KnoMo and Ayers.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Apr 25, 2011 2:11 PM MDT up reply actions

I’m not giving up on Moreno or Ayers. They are both NFL caliber players that would make all 32 rosters and start for several teams.

What I am willing to concede is that neither Ayers nor Moreno is a special player that will be a star for us. They are both simply average NFL starters, which is disappointing considering their draft status.

But they are both much better than a Jarvis Moss or Middlebrooks.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 2:16 PM MDT up reply actions

Jury still out

Your posts have been “spot on” as they say for many of your recent posts. I would disagree slightly here on the following issue: Ayers has been playing out of position and Moreno has not had a consistently functioning Oline to block for him since the day they arrived. One or both could yet “star” for us. Let’s hope so.

"Peace, a journey without distance to a place we have never left."

by BroncoCUbuffs on Apr 25, 2011 4:47 PM MDT up reply actions

Moreno has no top end speed and no open field moves. He’s got no hope of star status.

Ayers may surprise us as a DE so I’ll hope on that one. No hope for Moreno… He is what he is.

by McGeorge on Apr 26, 2011 7:40 AM MDT up reply actions

Nothing wrong with a firmly grounded opinion

Moreno has the potential to be a 12 to 14 hundred yard rusher in my opinion. If the Oline jells this year and he stays healthy…we’ll see. One thing for sure, only reality will determine whose opinion is more accurate.

At this point I would be more than happy to see another 8-8 season if Tebow comes along and we put some fear into opposing quarterbacks. Man, I love this time of year, from the draft to evaluating talent in training camps. I will be seriously bummed if training camp is severely curtailed.

"Peace, a journey without distance to a place we have never left."

by BroncoCUbuffs on Apr 26, 2011 2:44 PM MDT up reply actions

And a great QB is worth far more than a few good defensive picks. Payton Manning wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl with last year’s Bronco team, but he’d have been a hell of a lot better than 4-12.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 2:26 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

I don't disagree.

But we’re not shooting for “a lot better than 4-12”. Ultimately, we’re shooting for a Super Bowl. And you can’t get a Super Bowl ring with a defense who couldn’t stop a nosebleed.

We need the whole package. I think Tebow gets us closer to that ultimate goal, but we need some outstanding defensive players as well.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Apr 25, 2011 2:32 PM MDT up reply actions

But not as badly as we need a franchise QB… hence my point about why Tebow’s development is more critical than the 2011 draft.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 3:15 PM MDT up reply actions

I agree with Troy.

You definitely need a strong defensive line. Even Payton Manning’s effectiveness drops dramatically when he’s actually pressured by opposing defenses. But I think a strong offensive line that consistently provides the quarterback time to read defenses, make plays, and thereby develop, is equally as important as a strong defensive line. And I think both of these are potentially more important than who the quarterback is.

by CompUser on Apr 25, 2011 4:00 PM MDT up reply actions

The game starts in the trenches

You’ll never know whether you have a franchise QB unless the line is up to speed. Having said that, i think our line is fine, just needs more depth.

Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.

by Jeremy Bolander on Apr 25, 2011 4:07 PM MDT up reply actions

Nonsense. Indy’s O-line has never been very good, but Manning can make up for that.

KC had an amazing O-line about 6 years ago and it didn’t do jack squat for them in the playoffs because they didn’t have the QB to win it all.

I would love for Denver to have a great O-line or D-line or both.

But I’d take a franchise QB over either ALL DAY LONG and Six times on Sunday.

by McGeorge on Apr 26, 2011 7:43 AM MDT up reply actions

Tebow's development is very important, but

our D has been worse than aweful the last few years. The line is a huge part of that. Getting Dareus and a starter/rotational lineman and LB would be a huge upgrade (this in addition to getting Elvis back).

I still have some hope for Ayers at D end, if he is surrounded by talent. Last year, he was getting double teams, because the rest of the D sucked. Having Ayers, Dareus, and Elvis, will make an immediate impact on the entire D and the team as a whole. Also, having quality players next Elvis will help to reduce him as a liability in the running game. (this is a very big reason why I want Dareus)

by DieselDan on Apr 25, 2011 2:16 PM MDT up reply actions

I hate how bad our D is and fully understand how much we need upgrades, but QB is vastly more important that any other position or even grouping (i.e. LBs).

If Tebow pans out, we can build our team around him. You don’t build a team around a great defensive line or set of shutdown CBs. Well, the Vikings did that (their D-line is great) and they are making the 12th pick in the 2011 draft because their QB play sucked.

QB > anything else in the NFL. So lets pray that Tebow pans out.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 2:30 PM MDT up reply actions

I agree with you about the QB position and needing Tebow to do well. I also agree with the Vikings example and building around a D.

Either way, to be a serious contender, you need both a QB and a D. Since we want championships, the discussion is moot. Deciding one is more important and ignoring the other will put you in the state we are in now… drafting at and playing like #2.

I don’t see any problems with hoping our D gets a major facelift AND hoping that Tebow pans out.

by DieselDan on Apr 25, 2011 2:49 PM MDT up reply actions

I would be just peachy if the Broncos used every pick at the 2011 draft on D. I would if I was the GM. I would draft a defensive player every single time I had one graded out as high as an offensive player at that pick.

The only way I’d draft O at this 2011 draft is if a prospect was clearly superior to the defender I was going to select.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 3:19 PM MDT up reply actions

This X 1000000

The only exception I would make, would be if we can get a decent back up plan for RT. I hope we do what’s necessary to keep Harris, but if not, we need another RT….Beadles just didn’t cut it on the right side. :)

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
John Adams

by Broncotodd on Apr 26, 2011 7:58 AM MDT up reply actions

Double that and I'd be one happy camper

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
My ship finally came in, but it was the Kobayashi Maru.
Follow me on Twitter @MHR_KaptainKirk

by KaptainKirk on Apr 26, 2011 9:40 AM MDT up reply actions

"Tebow’s development is far more important that anything that happens at the 2011 draft"

You nailed it man. As far as margin there’s no other player on the roster or in the draft that will impact the outcome of the 2011 season. Looks like TT’s doing his part from everything I’m reading about his offseason preparation, just gotta hope that A) He’s given the chance and B) His game will translate into W’s or at the very least more points while the D improves.
My biggest fear is that Orton will look like the all-pro practice player that he usually does with the red "no contact " jersey on and TT won’t get the reps that he needs to fine tune his game.
Gotta see some improvemnt in the D also though as no amount of QB skill can overcome last years nightmare.

"as in football so in life"

by asinsoin on Apr 25, 2011 2:56 PM MDT up reply actions

that’s a good point. Orton’s weaknesses are the exact weaknesses that won’t show up on the practice field. And Tebow’s strengths often won’t show up on the practice field, either.

I don’t think enough attention is paid to how badly Orton sucked after people started realizing they could press the receivers and blitz the qb. That’s a defense that Tebow could tear apart, but Orton couldn’t deal.

by tunesmith on Apr 25, 2011 3:17 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

How would Tebow (or any quarterback for that matter) tear apart a defense that

a) “presses the receivers” so he has no one to throw to, and b) “blitzes the quarterback” so he has no time to find an open receiver if there was one?

Orton’s weaknesses are his being proned to injury (and playing injured); having a crappy offensive line that fails to give him protection and therefore time to make a play; and almost no running game to fall back on. I don’t think enough attention is paid to how important that offensive line is, and to how important a strong running game is, to enabling a quarterback to develop and execute plays.

by CompUser on Apr 25, 2011 4:18 PM MDT up reply actions

Answer

Tebow’s mobility both in and out of the pocket buys his receivers time to defeat the press. Also his ability to either elude or break the tackle of a blitzing LB creates more opportunity for big plays since there are fewer people in coverage and a pressing DB once beaten is frequently beaten badly.

You’re right on the OL and running game points but a mobile QB can offset many weaknesses. Ex. Compare the sack totals from 08 with JC to 09 & 10 with KO. Mobility makes a huge difference not only in the O but also in what blitz packages a DC is willing to gamble on.

"as in football so in life"

by asinsoin on Apr 26, 2011 9:50 AM MDT up reply actions

Don’t make me cry before the draft.

Worst case scenario is that Orton wins the starter’s job. The good news is that he’ll be hurt by week 6 or so and Tebow will be taking over the team. Again, I don’t see any of this happening. Orton will be traded for a 2012 2nd rounder long before week 1.

by McGeorge on Apr 25, 2011 3:21 PM MDT up reply actions

Buck up buddy!

The good news (I think, hope and pray) is that Fox gets it and having played the game himself knows the difference between practice players and big game players. Sure hope you’re right and KO is throwing balls in Tennessee, Arizona or Minnesota before the season starts.

"as in football so in life"

by asinsoin on Apr 26, 2011 9:54 AM MDT up reply actions

I disagree with you there McG

Tebow’s development is far more important that anything that happens at the 2011 draft.

Our record will be 4-12 next season with Tebow or Orton, unless we draft defense, it won’t matter whose quarterback, because we beat the historical average for a similar defense, in terms of wins, and unless we draft well, Tebow won’t mean squat. Like Troy said, Tebow isn’t Manning, heck he’s barely average at this point, and to put the season on him and say his development is more important is just mind-blowing. Our draft this week will have more to do with our long term success then Tebow’s development, because if this draft goes badly, Fox’s defense won’t be able to do anything for at least two to three years, and if the team struggles like it did last season, which it will unless we draft well, Fox won’t be here to see Tebow peak, or even progress much.

Tebow or no Tebow, won’t matter in 2011 unless we draft well now.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Apr 25, 2011 4:20 PM MDT up reply actions

You should know by now that I don’t give a crap about the 2011 season’s record. I’m very aware that we won’t be any good next year no matter what and I’ve accepted that. 2011 is about building a foundation for 2012 and beyond. Tebow is the keystone or cornerstone in our future. Not some DT or LT.

by McGeorge on Apr 26, 2011 7:45 AM MDT up reply actions

I'm not just talking record

I’m talking about the future, if this draft goes poorly, we are set back for more then just one season, we could be set back for 2-3 seasons, likely getting Fox fired, and the Broncos likely won’t see a winning seasons, which means that when the new coach comes in, Tebow will likely be out, unless he plays at a Pro Bowl level, which I doubt he will at this point in his career. McD’s first draft was a huge contributor to his struggles later in his coaching career, and if EFX have a bad draft this year, we won’t be winning many games in 2011, 2012, and will be set back in 2013. We need a good defensive draft, and that this point, Tebow doesn’t mean squat till we fix the defense, because he’s no Manning, heck, Manning had one season where he had a defense comparable to ours, his allowed .1 PPG more then us, and he only won 6 games. So if the best “do-it-yourself” QB in the league can only win 6 with a defense like ours, do you really expect a 2nd year player like Tebow to do better? We need a good draft, because if we don’t, Tebow won’t win many games, he won’t play as well, he’ll lose the fans and organizations support, and we’ll have to start over again in 2013 with a new coach, a new QB, and a new system. This draft is bigger then Tebow, by a long short, because it sets the stage for the next couple years, a bad draft here likely puts Fox on a bad road, and great draft here will lead to future success.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Apr 26, 2011 8:36 AM MDT up reply actions

Did you know

Did you know that Denver picked Knowshan Moreno with # 12 and they could have had Brain Orakpo, picked Robert Ayers with #18 and could have picked Clay Matthews. McDork traded back in the second round using one of their 1st round pick in 2010 to get Alphonso Smith and he could have had Rey Maualuga, just saying that if McDummy were a little bit smarter and a little bit of patience, the defence would be improved and McDock can start picking his guys

by Wallace Clemons on Apr 25, 2011 5:05 PM MDT up reply actions

Yeah, we got it... hindsight is 20/20.

Did you know that every team in the NFL had a chance to take Tom Brady at least 5 times a piece?

That’s just how it works sometimes. Saying “McDummy, McDock and McDork” don’t make you sound any more intelligent, fwiw.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Apr 25, 2011 5:37 PM MDT up reply actions

I really hate it when DP wannabees try to come to my aid….

by McGeorge on Apr 26, 2011 7:47 AM MDT up reply actions

And if Lincoln was smart enough to realize live theater sucks...

What other great advice do you have Captain Hindsight? Boston should not have traded the Bab? Tampa Bay gave up on Steve Young?

by Heeler on Apr 25, 2011 5:40 PM MDT up reply actions

No shit Wallace? Thanks for pointing out something so pointless and obvious. Go give yourself a gold star.

by McGeorge on Apr 26, 2011 7:46 AM MDT up reply actions

McDork? McDummy? Did you come from DP?

Every draft great players get passed on, look at the Pro Bowlers we passed on to get Tebow, why don’t you complain about that as well?

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Apr 26, 2011 8:37 AM MDT up reply actions

Maroney trade was absolutely horrible! I think that Squid is worth a 5th, so I’m as worried about that one.

It would be nice to pick up a couple extra picks, but our top 4 picks are where you get great value. That is where we need to get some impact players

by DieselDan on Apr 25, 2011 2:08 PM MDT reply actions

Karl Mecklenburg, Terrel Davis, Mike Anderson, Tom Brady, Dan Fouts, Shannon Sharpe...

The list goes on and on. EVERY draft pick is important.

by Heeler on Apr 25, 2011 5:44 PM MDT up reply actions

With 2 early 2nd rounders

Taking Peterson and DT on the next 2 picks would be dope..

For the love of the animals. 24
ps3 handle KINGbaboon

by Earthtiger24 on Apr 25, 2011 2:10 PM MDT reply actions

hmm. I just thought of a cool way to judge a team’s performance in draft pick trades.

I’ve mentioned before a study that looks at how each team drafted based on the picks they actually have on draft day. What this measures is how good the players are that a team drafts. It doesn’t take into account player trades, meaning, our 2006 draft would get credit for Cutler until he retires.

But the way that is measured is by looking at each team’s draft slot, calculating the average career output that that slot yields, and comparing it to the career output that the picked player yields.

You could instead look at a team’s hypothetical draft slot if there were no pick trades. Like for Carolina it would simply be the top pick of each round. You wouldn’t include compensatory picks.

This still wouldn’t account for pick-for-player trades though….

by tunesmith on Apr 25, 2011 3:13 PM MDT reply actions

Hmmm that idea actually has merit Tune!

But would require a degree calculus to track.

"as in football so in life"

by asinsoin on Apr 26, 2011 9:58 AM MDT up reply actions

The run game is the key next year.

If the broncos can grab another solid RB—free agency or draft—then they can pound the ball for 30 times a game. That’ll take the pressure off of the defense. Last year’s offense didn’t do a whole lot to help out the defense.

Also, that Maroney trade really sucks. That was the worst trade. What a worthless piece of crap he was. Broncos would have been better suited with ball. At least he ran with passion and actually cared.

by tiderfootball09 on Apr 25, 2011 4:14 PM MDT reply actions

We should only run 30 times a game if we don’t lose 2 or 3 yards on 1st down. I was disgusted by how many 2nd and 12 or 3rd and 14s we had because our play calling was obvious and our execution was bad.

by DieselDan on Apr 25, 2011 4:31 PM MDT up reply actions

True.

However, I remember games—Chargers(1st game) Rams, Chiefs—where Mcdainels had the run game working early but then stopped for some reason. He only went back to the run when the broncos were down. Espeically on Monday night against the Chargers (that drove me crazy). Those games show me that the o-line can run block well, but Mcdainels was too busy trying to pass. I think the o-line would get better by switching to the zone because Harris, Clady, and Kuper are better suited for the zone. Also, Moreno looks better fit for a zone too.

by tiderfootball09 on Apr 25, 2011 8:53 PM MDT up reply actions