It's nice to finally have time to post again here at MHR. I have missed talking Broncos and Football with all of you. Some of you will know me from Twitter where we talk all the time and for some this will be their first time reading my thoughts. Right now every Denver fan is on Manning Watch. Everyone has an opinion on this subject but I am not going to get into that because that is not what this post is about. This post is about NFL Free Agency and the Draft.

If you follow me on twitter you will know that IMO the Broncos will spend a good chunk of their CAP space this year. I have had multiple conversations about this on twitter. Some people think the Broncos will continue to be cheap and some think they will spend their money. My Reasoning for thinking the Broncos will spend

1. The Broncos went after multiple big name free agents last year. DeAngelo Williams, Charles Johnson, Brandon Mebane are some of those guys. However the Broncos were smart last year and didn't' pay good players star money.
2. The Broncos have brought in John Fox and Jack Del Rio in the last 2 years. Fox and Del Rio both coached for organizations that rarely spend money to try and win. I doubt they would come to a team that wouldn't do everything in their power to win. That includes spending money on key Free Agents
3. John Elway was named VP of Operations last year. Do you really think he would have signed on if Bowlen told him that he would be held back from spending money to make this team better

I know the Broncos didn't spend money last year but to use that as an argument to why they wont this year is weak IMO. The Broncos are showing right now they will spend money to improve this team by going after Peyton Manning. I think the Broncos will keep Broderick Bunkley, Wesley Woodyard and Jason Hunter.This is what I think the Broncos will do in Free Ageny. For Free agency I am going to throw out names I like for the Broncos. I do not think the Broncos will be able to sign all the player below but they are players the Broncos should consider. There will be a few Big names on the List but there are some players that wont cost a lot to bring in.

1. Peyton Manning- Yes I think he will end up signing here. I have been saying for the past week that Denver makes the most sense. Denver has a ton of cap space, some very good young talent, and playing in the AFC West almost guarantees Manning a spot in the playoffs every year. In Miami he would have to deal with the Patriots. In Arizona he would be killed behind one of the worst Olines in football. Not to mention Arizona front office and owner are jokes. Arizonas owner showed up an hour late to the Manning visit today. Denver sent a private plane with Bowlen and Elway on it.
2. Reggie Wayne- I just put him on here because I think he follows Peyton wherever he goes. I don't Wayne is a legit #1 WR anymore but a WR core of DT, Wayne and Decker is not so bad
3. Carl Nicks- If you sign someone like manning you need to do everything in your power to protect him. Carl Nicks would be huge upgrade Denvers online. It would send Beadles to the bench as a backup where he Belong. Carl Nicks is arguably the best Guard in the NFL
4. Brandon Carr- I really like Carr. I think he could be Champs replacement in a couple years. Stealing him from KC would be great also. He is a Legit #1 CB IMO who would significantly upgrade this team
5. Matt Roth-He isn't someone special but I think he follows Del Rio to Denver.
6. Kendall Langford- This is a player that no one is talking about to the Broncos right now. I think he will come cheap cause he isn't a proven player but he has upside. A lot of people will say he is a 3-4 DE but I think he could play 3 Tech in a 4-3
7. Tracy Porter, Terrell Thomas or William Middleton- I think the front office will try to add a #2 corner in Free Agency. I like all these guys because they will not cost a lot of money. They are all looking for their 2nd contract in the NFL but they all have a lot to prove. They are all young and still have upside. Porter & Thomas are both former 2nd rounder, Middleton was a 5th round pick
8. Dan Connor- He played for John Fox in Carolina. I think he could follow Fox to Denver. Now I think the Broncos are high on Nate Irving and I like Irving a lot also but I could see why they Broncos would sign Connor
9. Robert Meachem- I think he is an underrated WR. He is a legit deep threat who hasn't lived up to his potential. Could develop into a nice #2 WR.
10. Dwight Lowery- Another player who could follow Jack Del Rio to Denver. A young player with upside. We will need help at safety if Dawkins retires
11. LeRon Landry- I know he is coming off a serious injury and has question marks still but if he is healthy he would help this team and would probably come cheap because of his injury question marks

I have been reading a lot of mocks on MHR lately and I see a common theme in a lot of them. I see a long of players being mocked in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th rounds that will most likely not be there. I am not going to copy and paste a scouting report like some people do. I will give you my opinions on the players This is where I think the Broncos should go

1st round-25th pick- Doug Martin RB Boise State- He is my #2 ranked RB in this year. He is a 3 down back that can do it all. Martin is tough, compact runner who has very good vision. He doesn't have 4.3 speed but he has very good speed for a 223. He reminds be of a lot of cross between MJD and Jonathan Stewart. I have seen him in a lot of MHR mocks but they all have him going to us in the 2nd. He will not be there when we pick in the 2nd. He is a legit 1st round talent. He is an upgrade to every RB on our Roster including McGahee.

2nd round-57th pick-Kendall Reyes DT Connecticut-This kid is going to be a stud IMO and he is the most underrated DT in the draft. He has plus quickness for his size and a plus first step. He will be a great fit in this defense as a 3 tech DT. He might not be able to contribute every down his first year but he will be able to contribute in a rotation day one. If Reyes isn't here I really like Mike Martin out of Michigan also. I think Martin is more a 3tech in the NFL. Really like both these DTs

3rd round-88th pick-Josh Norman CB Coastal Carolina -He is a small school kid but he has a ton of upside. He has very good size at 6'0" 197 lbs. He showed at the shrine game that he has the talent to play with the big boys. He should have been invited to the Senior Bowl but wasn't. I know I am going to hear this is too soon for him but he is a legit top 100 pick. Trumaine Johnson is another CB I like at this pick. This Draft is very deep at CB so Denver should be able to get a good CB at this pick if they go in that direction

4th round-120th pick-David Molk C Michigan-I think he is underrated. I think we need to bring in competition for JD Walton who I think is one of the worst centers in the NFL and needs to be upgraded. Molk isn't the biggest center at 6'1 298 lbs but he is very strong for his size. He did 41 reps at 225 at the combine and he won the 2011 Rimington Trophy winner for being the top Center in college football. Chris Rainey is another player I love here. I like Rainey more as a WR in the NFL as a RB. He is an immediate weapon on offense and in the kick and punt return game.

5th round-129th pick (From St Louis)-Nigel Bradham OLB Florida State- Bradham has good size at 6'2 241 and is athletic for his size. With DJ Williams suspension we will need more depth at the OLB position. He is a good tackler who is very physical. He doesn't have the greatest instincts and that's why he drops to the 5th round.

5th round-152nd pick DeVier Posey WR Ohio State - This kid has all kinds of talent but he wasn't consistent in college. At 6'1 211 he has good size for a WR and will add good depth to our group of WR

7th round-215th pick-Brandon Taylor S LSU- These late round picks are almost impossible to predict. Broncos take a chance on a player from a big program.

I think this is a realistic mock. I think each pick fills a need that this team has either as a starter or a quality back up. I know there will be some people that will not agree with the picks. If you don't agree I would appreciate you stating why you don't like the pick instead of just saying "this mock sucks" lol. I look forward to talking free agency and draft with all you over the next two months. I can't wait for Tuesday.