This is a transcript of Jim Goodman's conversation about the draft from this fanshot put up by JonT .  I've taken some liberties with some paraphrasing here and there, but the heart of what he was talking about is there.  I thought this would be useful for any members who aren't able to watch videos on their CPUs, or who haven't had time to watch the whole video (its over 40 minutes long.)  Enjoy!

Jim Goodman

Director of Player Personnel

About getting ready for the draft:

The process takes 12 months, we start in May, when the National Scouting Service that we are a member of, gives us approximately 1000 names.  We go over thsoe names and give grades to them and distribute the names to our seven area scouts, and all of those guys have to get scouted, and reports have to be written on every one of those guys, plus any guys that  start to come out in their senior year.  So you'll end up doing anywhere from 1200 to 1400 reports a year, in order to get your 9 guys.

From there we have the season, the bowl games and feature games, and then the combine, and then we have a series of meetings between the scouts, between the scouts and coaches, and we take about a month to get that list narrowed down to around 300 names, and we end up talking about those 300 very specifically.

The hardest thing about evaluating, period, is what is in a guy's heart.  What makes him a player?  What gives him the will to succeed?  To see a guy's will to win and what he is willing to do to succeed, is the hardest thing for us to do.

On the hectic nature of draftday:

Actually, when the draft is going, it is real calm.  We have a game plan, and we go through every conceivable scenario beforehand, we get an idea of where guys could possibly go.  We will rank guys, so that we can say, "Ok, coach, if this ones gone and this ones gone, what is your game plan here?"  We are doing constant drills like that all the time, so that we can have a gameplan to go to just like in a football game.  But you always have to keep an eye on guys whose value is too high to bypass.  For example, you may not need a RB, but if you look up and see a can't miss guy, well, you had better take him.  But by the same token you have to know what your needs are, so you want the best choice for your need, but you need to ask yourself, "Is there a value here that is too good to pass up?"  That happens every round.  I remember a guy that really got my attention was Spencer Larsen, our 6th round choice out of Arizona, just a great kid, a guy that has his head on right, such a good player who plays with all his might, gives all he has every play.  He's a guy we look at and say "HE is going to make it at his position," so I'm really excited about him.

On Ryan Clady:

Ryan is a great athlete.  You don't see many 6'7" 300 lb tackles, that are that athletic and have that kind of foot quickness, that have that good of body quickness.  People just aren't made like that.  This guys has 37 inch arms, a great wingspan, a great range to kick step out of, to protect the backside of a QB, so he has probowl potential.  He has the potential, and the game has only begun with him.  He's got it all.

On Eddie Royal:

Eddie is a guy we looked at as a premier returner.  He is as good as I have seen.  he reminds me of Figures, of Devon Hester, but he is a good WR, don't let his return ability stop you from seeing that.  He is great in the seam and does very well getting off press coverage and getting after the deep ball, so we think there is a lot of upside.

Before the draft I expressed my deisre for the Broncos to trade down.  I kept hope alive all the way until Roger Goodell said Ryan Clady's name.  It isn't that don't like Clady.  Just the opposite.  On MHR Radio the other night, I called Clady the safest pick for the Broncos if he was there, and by the sounds of Mike Shahahan he thought the same thing.

There were plenty of trades, which speaks to the sheer fluidity of this draft.  That doesn't mean it is easy to get a deal done.  It was becoming clear with all the movement around the Broncos that they weren't going to be able to get something done.  At that point the Broncos had no choice but to punt and take the best fit.

Clady gives the Broncos something on the O-Line they haven't had in a long time.  Natural, God-given talent.  The Broncos have gotten so much out of guys drafted in the late round, so much over-achievement, that at some point you need to add real talent to the equation.  Clady is that guy, the 2nd best OT on the board, behind only Jake Long, the #1 overall pick.

The Broncos have tried this before, we all are still trying to forget George Foster, but Clady is different. To hear him talk, to see his answers to the meda after the selection, shows an intelligence that Foster never had.  That intelligence, along with his comfort in a zone-blocking scheme, should help Clady come right in and make an impact.

The Broncos most important asset is Jay Cutler.  Cutler needs protected and Clady should give Cutler that protection for the next decade.  For that, I can't help but be satisfied.

In the 2nd Round, the Broncos drafted the KR/PR we have been clammoring for.  Eddie Royal might be a name that you aren't familiar with, and it may have been a bit of a reach, but with no 3rd round pick the Broncos had no choice but to get the guy the needed right at #42. 

Royal was a 4-year player at Virginia Tech, a big-time football school, and made significant contributions all 4 season.  Again, what was most impressive to me, and Styg did a nice job talking about this, is this kid's character.  He was very well-spoken, spoke of being a team player, of doing whatever he could do for the team. 

Royal will instantly improve our return game and that alone makes him worth it.  Remember, in the SBNation Mock Draft I selected Chris Johnson at #42.  We needed a guy to make plays day 1.  Royal will come in and do that.  He also provides insurance for Brandon Stokely, whose injury history speaks for itself.  Only DeSean Jackson could have provided the same spark.  The difference?  Character.

Overall, I give these first two selections a solid B.  The Broncos have several needs and both of these picks are attempts to address them. There was no surprise.  There,  was no reach for a guy with a questionable past.  It is time the Broncos brought in players we could be proud of.  It looks like that has started today.

On whether he expected the Broncos to select him

“Yeah, I knew the Broncos were interested in picking me up. I thought there was a good chance, and I wasn’t all that surprised when they called.”

On his expectations as a rookie

“Right away, I just want to learn the system. I want to play well and I want to be a starter. Everyone wants to be a Pro-Bowler and to win a couple Super Bowls.”

On being taken by the Broncos in the first round of the draft

“I came in and I visited. Being drafted in the first round is a terrific thing, and I should be able to make an immediate impact right away.”

On the Broncos’ blocking system being similar to what he played in at Boise State

“I think it will help me a lot. It is the same type of system and I have been in the system for four years, and I have gotten to know it well. I am on the fast track for learning and getting on the field a little faster because I know the system.”

On rookie tackles going through the “school of hard knocks”

“I definitely think so. It is definitely a hard position to play, but I am ready to go and I am up for the challenge.”

On his impression of the Broncos and their coaching staff when he visited

“I loved them. It was really mellow and they were all real good guys. I was very comfortable. I came there last Sunday, and I was the only person there and it felt real cool. I remember feeling comfortable around the coaches.”

On being a defensive lineman in high school and moving to the offensive line in college

“Both of the schools recruiting me recruited me as an offensive lineman. I was expecting to play there, and a lot of people said I had a bright future as an offensive lineman so I went with it and it turned out to be a good fit for me. It worked out for the best.”

On playing for a team named the Broncos in college and a team named the Broncos in the NFL

“I have been saying for the past few weeks that it would be nice to still be a Bronco.”

On developing good feet

“I played a lot of basketball when I was younger and growing up, and that may of helped me out. In high school we did a lot of footwork drills. When I was there for the visit, (Head) Coach (Mike) Shanahan asked me that and I told him I didn’t know.”

On his health

“I feel good right now, I feel 100 percent.”

Clady is used to uphill battles.

Whether he faces more of a battle trying to win over a town desperate for playmakers in the draft, or in trying to secure a starting spot agains incumbent Tackles Ryan Harris and Erik Pears, remains to be seen.

But Denver fans should know, that Oline picks don't come any more exciting than this.

Clady has to be the most athletically gifted offensive lineman to come out of the draft in the past 5 years.  Want to talk about ceilings?  For Clady there is no ceiling:  the sky is the limit.  Much ado can be made about his football smarts, but one only has to see the series of games he strung together towards the end of 2007 to know that he CAN dominate:  over the course of three games he allowed 0 stats of any kind to opposing lineman.  You see, he doesn't take kindly to being told he can't get it done.

Clady brings an impressive football resume from Boise, including being a fulltime starter in a zoneblock system, 122 knockdowns, including 21 that resulted in rushing touchdowns.  The sooner he fights his way into the starting lineup, the sooner we start punching it into the endzone.  That HAS to get a Bronco faithful's blood pounding.

I could talk all day about his athletic gifts, from his long reach and vicous hand punch, to his quick feet and elite balance.  His technique doesn't need any work, and this point bears repeating:  from a zoneblock standpoint, he is ready to go.  The only adjustment he has to make is actually working In Shanahan's system, learning the terminology, and learning how the rest of his linemates work.  In Boise, he worked very well, with a  natural ease, when moving in tandem with other linemen, and he has the right attitude to develop that kind of chemistry with the guys here now.  Expect him to make a major push at LT and for Ryan Harris to either be a backup or to displace Pears.

There isn't another lineman in this draft with the franchise caliber athleticism to hang with Cutler, and to hang in there when Cutler does what he needs to do.  We asked for way too much from Lepsis, and then Pears. 

With Clady, those same demands don't even begin to scratch the surface of his potential.

Welcome Back!  The Broncos are only 1 pick away and every one of the OL's are still on the board.  TRADE DOWN!!!

  #11 Buffalo Bills -- CB Leodis McKelvin -- The Bills undoubtedly tried to move down.  Reaching for a WR here would have been a huge reach so the Bills made the wise move taking the best DB on the board.  Remember, the Bills play against Tom Brady twice a year.  Nice move for the Bills.

ON THE CLOCK -- THE DENVER BRONCOS!

  #12 Denver Broncos -- OT Ryan Clady -- I guess we had to know this pick was coming when all these linemen fell.  Clady and the Broncos have been connected at the hip during this entire process.  I said on MHR Radio that O-Line would be the safe pick.  It turned out that the Broncos decided to stay safe.  Styg50 will have his thoughts ASAP.

  #13 Carolina Panthers -- RB Jonathon Stewart -- The Panthers waste no time taking the card with Stewart's name to the commish.  Stewart has questions, mostly about health, but still projects to be a solid RB in the NFL.  There was a smattering of boos form Panthers' fans when the pick was announced.

  #14 Chicago Bears -- OT Chris Williams -- Many thought the Bears would go Running Back here, but to their credit they made the smart move, choosing to solidify the O-Line.  I am a bit surprised that the Pick was Williams, but the Bears needed a lineman and they got one.

#15 Kansas City Chiefs -- OL Brandon Albert -- The Chiefs, easily the most active of the teams in this draft, make another move to get help for their O-Line.  When Williams went to the Bears, you had to imagine that the Chiefs were ecstatic.  Albert fits what they do to a T.

#16 Arizona Cardinals -- D. Rodgers-Cromartie -- The Cardinals needed some serious help for their pass defense, and Cromartie might be the best DB in the draft.  There are some health concerns, but if he stays healthy Cromartie is the real deal.

#17 Detroit Lions -- OT Gosder Cherlius -- A bit of a surprise here, with Rashard Mendenhall still on the board.  The Lions have a big hole in the backfield they must feel they can address later in the draft.

#18 Baltimore Ravens -- QB Joe Flacco -- The Ravens wanted Matt Ryan.  The Falcons ended all talk about that.  To their credit, they didn't panic and made the bold move with the Jags to move lower in the draft until the right moment.  It came at 18, with the Ravens moving back up to get their QB of their future.

#19 Carolina Panthers -- OT Jeff Otah -- Kudos to the Panthers.  First, the Panthers were able to get much needed help at running back.  They then come right back to nab much needed help along the O-Line.  Solid draft for the Panthers.

#20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- CB Aqib Talb -- A bit of s surprise.  The Bucs need playmakers and all the Wide Receivers are still on the board.  Gruden went defense instead, and hopes to have found a replacement for Brian Kelly.