It’s kick back time. Have run off the snickers, Cadbury bunny, the shrimp po boy and now it’s beach time. I’m no longer hangry or have eyes full of grit. Enjoy (or hate) this last installment of my magic eight ball predictions.
Now that the Shrine, Senior and Combines are over, it’s time to dig into some names the Denver Broncos could target. Before I begin, need to let everyone know that without a regular Fan Poster, Cool_Ninja3100, this piece would be half of what it is. Not only did he put together the colorful charts from the combine, but at the begging of me, broke out some of the position groups (bless you, you made my job so much easier).
He also was a sounding board to bounce names off of. We may have even changed the other’s mind on a couple and even unearthed a gem here and there.
Having sizes and times for Cornerbacks and Safeties broken down puts the players into a better perspective. The speed of a Cornerback should be faster than a Safety.
My new man crush put color codes, it’s easier to see who is elite (Blue), above average (Green), average (White), below average (Yellow) and Houston we have a problem (Red). Black is for those who didn’t perform. Many athletes opted out because they’re going to work out on Pro Day or were sick or recovering from an injury. Don’t let that sway you.
Along with his charts, I made a tables to compare certain player’s numbers from college, trying to give as well rounded a perspective as possible. Have to also say thanks to NFL Female who procured press passes. Please support them!
Cornerbacks
Just when you need to draft a position for the future, a great class opens before you. Aqib Talib is in his last year (sob). With Kayvon Webster gone, and Bradley Roby having an inconsistent season, this a position that most likely will be towards the top.
Can’t help myself, but I adore some Adoree Jackson. I’m picking some players with overlapping abilities because you don’t know who goes when. Jackson is a special returner, which we need. More importantly, he’s a new CB, but I can see Joe Woods and Marcus Robertson rubbing their hands together in glee. They can mold him to follow Aqib. This guy is Santana smooth. I would give my world to lift you up, I could change my life to better suit your mood, Because you're so smooth :)
Teez Tabor is another athlete whose questionable off the field actions could drop him. Drop like Dumbo into our laps (G version). He would be another steal if Elway thinks he’s ok. Maybe Vance Jospeh was brought in to make sure some of these risky guys have a strong leader to keep them corralled. He plays man which fits us, has lightening quick speed and good timing. QB ratings against him are lower than cable bowling at 3am.
Tre’davious White, like Corn Elder are two of the shorter CB’s entering the league. As we’ve seen the last couple of years, this position has inched up to compete with the taller WR’s. For White, this may not be an issue now because of his talent, but could be later. He’s a guy who could fall to us in the second round, if so, you snatch him. Like Jackson, he also returned punts. He’s an aggressive cover guy, and can play slot, who QB’s have a poor rankings against.
Elway likes to pick up a player or two from a Colorado school every year, so look to Chidobe Awuzie or Athelo Witherspoon as one of those guys he might sign days 2-3. While neither are razzle guys, they’re pretty good at breaking up the pass and will provide some depth, plus have the chance to see if they can be developed up. If they played in a stronger conference the way they did at Colorado, they’d have a much better shot at going earlier.
DBs
NAME | COMB Tackles | SACKS | INTs |
---|---|---|---|
NAME | COMB Tackles | SACKS | INTs |
Rasul Douglas, CB | 70 | 1 | 8 |
Damontae Kazee, CB | 63 | 0 | 7 |
Tedric Thompson, DB | 63 | 0 | 7 |
Malik Hooker, S | 74 | 1 | 7 |
Xavier Woods, S | 89 | 3 | 5 |
Jadar Johnson, S | 60 | 0 | 5 |
Adoree' Jackson, CB | 55 | 0 | 5 |
Teez Tabor, CB | 32 | 1 | 4 |
Marshon Lattimore, CB | 40 | 0 | 4 |
John Johnson, S | 77 | 1 | 3 |
Josh Jones, S | 108 | 1 | 3 |
Tre'Davious White, CB | 35 | 1 | 0 |
Ahkello Witherspoon | 22 | 0 | 1 |
The safety class is strong; however, next year is most likely a more feasible year to pick one up in an earlier round, since we just drafted Justin Simmons and Will Parks. Plus, like this one, it should be a strong group. Next year’s crop has me excited! This will likely be TJ Ward’s last season with us, so next year makes more sense to pick a safety for depth.
John Johnson is one name that will give us the most bang for the buck. His mid round grade gives him a better chance at us drafting him. He is smooth, quick, is good at tracking the ball, nice acceleration and he can play some corner. This means, while a rookie, he could see more playing time when we’re in a sub package.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t like Jamal Adams, Malik Hooker, Rayshawn Jenkins, Jadar Johnson, or Xavier Woods, because I do. It’s more about falling to the right day and possessing the qualities that fits into where we’re going.
With that said, will repeat, every year Elway drafts/signs a kid with ties to Colorado or one of its colleges. Based on that, Tedric Thompson has a real shot. At the mid to later rounds, he’d be my second choice after Johnson. He has nice cover skills when he’s not hotdogging. I’m thinking one TC should fix that. Like Johnson, he could play as a rookie in sub packages and on ST. Both players need to add some more muscle, though. Calling Luke Richesson and Mike Eubanks!
That’s it. The End. The waves are calling my name. Au Revoir! (be kind)