More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

6 months ago: Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels talks about the team's two first round NFL Draft picks at the team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The Broncos selected Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick and Robert Ayers a defensive end from Tennessee with the 18th pick.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

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HEAD COACH JOSH MCDANIELS

Statement on RB Knowshon Moreno

"I'll get started by saying how excited we are after the first round. Knowshon Moreno, running back at Georgia, throughout this whole process is a player that we earmarked. Very talented and durable, tough, smart, competitive player, good person. We feel that he is going to fit into our backfield very well."

Statement on DE/LB Robert Ayers

"The defensive end from Tennessee, very similar, tough, smart competitive player, very versatile.  Can move inside, can stand up. We can use him in a lot of different ways. So at this point we are very pleased that we added two players that we thought very highly of from the get go and we are looking forward to adding a few more before the day is over."

On Tampa Bay jumping on QB Josh Freeman on pick before Denver

"I'm not sure. We certainly didn't give them any reason to do that. They might have felt that that was something they were uncertain about, made the move and gave up something late in the draft to do it. We weren't interested in that point in the quarterback."

On if Knowshon Moreno is an every down back

"He can be, certainly, yes. He catches the ball extremely well, he has very good hands. One of the things that nobody will talk too much about, is his pass protection. For a college back that is something that doesn't get a lot of recognition. This guy stands in there and he can put his face right in their numbers and he'll keep them off the QB. So certainly on third down as the player grows in our system and he becomes more comfortable with what we are doing. I think he could definitely give us that versatility."

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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.

Baltimore Ravens

Picks: QB Joe Flacco(1), RB Ray Rice(2), ILB Tavares Gooden(3), S Tom Zbikowski(3), OG Oniel Cousins(3), WR Marcus Smith(4), OT David Hale(4), S Haruki Nakamura(6), WR Justin Harper(7), RB Allen Patrick(7)

Best Pick: QB Joe Flacco

Analysis: B: Some may question whether or not the Ravens paniced a bit when the Falcons sleected Matt Ryan #3.  The move down with Jacksonville was a shred one for Ozzie Newsome, but to give most of it away to get back in the Top-20 for Flacco had some scratching their heads.  It is obvious the Ravens had Flacco graded significantly higher than Brian Brohm and Chad Henne.  Flacco does possess the best "NFL-Arm" in the draft, but time will tell whether or not playing at Delaware prepared him for the rigors of the AFC North.  The Ravens also took advantage of having 7 total picks in the Top 4 rounds, with Rice, Gooden and Zbikowski set to play significant roles as early as 2008.  For a team desparate for a shot in the arm after the Brian Billeck era, John Harbaugh and Co. did a solid job.

Buffalo Bills

Picks: CB Leodis McKelvin(1), WR James Hardy(2), DE Chris Ellis(3), CB Reggie Corner(4), TE Derek Fine(4), LB Alvin Bowen(5), Xavier Omon(6), OT Demetrius Bell(7), WR Steve Johnson(7), CB Kennard Cox(7)

Best Pick: WR James Hardy

Analysis: B- : The Bills hit homeruns with their first two picks, with Hardy being the most exciting.  At 6-5 - 217, he'll provide the large target Trent Edwards needs to continue his progression, and provides the Bills offense a significant weapon to play along side Lee Evans.  With McKelvin, the Bills were able to grab the most talented corner in the draft, at last replacing Nate Clements. I like the value of getting Chris Ellis in the 3rd Round, and I have been high on Xavier Omon for awhile.  The Bills still have a huge hole at TE, overlooking options earlier in the draft, then reaching to grab Derek Fine from Kansas.  Overall a solid haul for the improving Bills.

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A quick introduction to some of the newest Broncos!

1. Anthony Alridge (WR - Houston)  RB/WR  Don't tell Anthony that he is a dreaded 'tweener.  Reportedly responded to not being drafted by swearing vengeance on every team in the league, except for the Broncos of course, who nabbed him right up.  Alridge is an electrifying player, a north south one-cut runner with a massive chip on his shoulder and experience at multiple positions.  Should compete at KR/PR, but needs to bulk up a little to really push either of our current "change-up" specialists
2. K Garrett Hartley (Oklahoma)   Denver is taking a flyer that Hartley will show the consistency and range he had his first three years, before inexplicably losing both his accuracy and some of his power.  Hits into the endzone at about a 33% rate, and is(was)  exceptionally accurate inside of 50 yds.  Has enough power to hit longer ones and has gotten better about getting lift into his kicks, but has some fundamental parts of his game that he needs to keep fine tuning.
3. T Mitch Erickson (South Dakota State)  Quick footed player with marginal speed and hands, but good lower body strength.  Had 66 knockdowns and graded above 80% on his blocking for three of four years.  Has the strength to develop at RT or could be moved inside to guard with time.
4. T Tyler Polumbus (Colorado)  A ton of potential here, Polumbus needs to (and can) add some weight, but could be a long term project to develop for RT or LT depth.  Hawkins gave this late bloomer a chance to start as a junior and was rewarded with 54 knockdowns the first year and 68 knockdowns the second, as well as seeing 8 of those blocks lead to TDs and only 1 sack getting by him.  Not a natural player, he needs to show more spark and fire, and reduce the thinking workload.  Fundamentally unsound (can't keep his pads down, doesn't protect his legs) and needs to prove his commitment.  In short, nothing a few years in Shanny's patented incubation tubes can't fix...
5. P Brett Kern (Toledo)  An overall project punter that could end up on the practice squad.  Has amazing instincts, and grasps some of the more difficult nuances, being a good directional and placement punter.  Has good leg and could develop even more leg strength, in the meantime he has limited hangtime and a well below average kicking speed.  He can be rattled under pressure and had a lot of Ernsterish miskicks at critical moments. 
6. WR  Lorne Sam (Texas-El Paso)  A Matt Jones clone, Lorne is a young man with QB experience and WR potential.  Lorne however is a much better runner and has a ton of raw talent, if he could just get settled at a position.  Expect him to be an automatic addition to the practice squad where he can learn a thing or two about how to run those route thingamajigs.
7. OLB Wesley Woodyard (Kentucky)  Denver is competing for his services right now, but if they nab him they will be getting a 'tweener type of SAF/WLB with a ton of heart and unwavering tenacity.  All things considered it would be a steal to get this guy, essentially, for free, even if he isn't anyone's first choice at the position. [Woodyard is officially in the fold.]

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The final pick in a nine pick draft.  KC will get a lot of credit for getting a lot of solid picks in this draft, but what else is to be expected of six picks on day one?  Whe it comes right down to it, this pick for Denver is the "Mike Shanahan Approved" stamp that packages up this draft neatly and sends it off to training camp.

Shanny wants nothing more than to score TDs.

He knows he has the most important ingredient for success, a young QB with limitless talent and a drive to be the best.  At this point it is all about building around Cutler.  From LT to insurance on Henry to arguably the best center in the draft to a dynamic player who can single-handedly improve the Broncos starting field position by leaps and bounds, the Broncos are closer right now to scoring in the red zone than they were in over 25 trips insde the 20 last year.

FB is a bit of a misnomer as recent new member hooper recently pointed out:

Part of Hillis's job will be to protect Cutler.

Hillis is listed as fullback for convenience, but Arkansas played him predominantly as the wingback in a modified Single-Wing offense. That placed him right up with the TE and the strongside tackle on a lot of plays. From that position, his assignments varied widely from play to play; he was expected to block linemen, linebackers, safeties and corners routinely. But a wingback is also used a lot in deception in a Single Wing; Arkansas often used Hillis as a blocking decoy, then a pass receiver in the flat. He also made a good “end-around” candidate; run the play to the strong side and hand the ball off to the wing just as the defense takes its first following step. He’s seen a huge range of play responsibilities and handled them well.

Most importantly, he’ll be a good blocker in the backfield for Cutler as some of the new linemen get on-field experience. I would anticipate more players devoted to QB protection this year than what we’ve seen for this reason.

I’m impressed with Hillis. He was lost in the McFadden-Jones hype, but he was very valuable to their success in college. I think this was a great pickup for Denver.

The blocking can't be overrated after a season where our best backfield blocker was a an undrafted rookie named Selvin Young.  And relying on Mike Bell to be an emergency FB?  The thought probably gave Shanahan nightmares.

But Hillis is too versatile to be lined up like Lorenzo Neal was in SD.  He can catch, even if he isn't going to blaze down the field, and he ran A LOT in short yardage sitations, where he proved he could move the chains with consistency.  Add in that he is a one cut back and denver is targeting an ideal player with ideal potential.  For once a FB that the offense can build around instead of collapse around.

We got the second best FB in the 2008 draft, and the reasons he wasn't #1 range from durability questions (had fractured vertebrae in his back, though indications are that it has been fixed and healed properly) to being undersized for a prototypical FB.  I personally don't worry about injuries cleared by doctors, but the size issue could limit his effectiveness in a lot of situations.  While very powerful for a TB, he is only adequately powerful for a FB, and is considered a dreaded 'tweener.  He has difficulty maintaining driving blocks in tight quarters, but could address this easily by focusing on his leg drive and just keeping his legs churning ahead.  When he starts to lag he can be washed out of the lane, and when carrying the ball there are some questions about his ability to control the ball.

One way or another, Shanahan is removing the question marks around Travis Henry.  The line has been upgraded, so the holes should be there.  A big back who can take a pounding has been added to share the grief.  The closest thing to a true FB that Shanny will allow himself has been added to keep Henry clean in the lane and gobble up the LB.  If Henry fails to live up to his end of the deal this year, there won't be a whole lot of other places to put the blame.

I'm not much for giving grades, but I would say that so far the draft has stacked up in the A-B range.  But this pick is the first that I really want to like but just can't get too enthusiastic about.

Its a shame too, because like HT I really like the safety position and would love to see Denver take it very seriously.

First off, this is the second pick that seems more suitable to a cover-2 type of defense.  I suppose if Denver feels like the Jack Williams pick and this pick can outlive Champ and Bly's stay in Denver that they migh find more value instituting a cover-2 scheme.  But this is a question for HT to address.  I would just like to look at some of the things I like about Barrett and some of the things that bother me.

I like that he is a safety that can play well in the box, since I'm with Shanny that you need one safety up to stop the run (especailly with our great man corners) and that will free you up to back him off later and get after the QB once the offense is one dimensional.  Barrett also is a smart player with aabsolutely ideal size, speed and range for a safety.  He is a fast closer with good hips and great body control.  He reads receivers well and and can jump routes, but is a little too aggressive, and is susceptible to fakes, look offs and play-action.

Unfortuantely, I view Barrett as a bit of a workout warrior, who's good timed scores aren't really reflected in his on field speed, but he is definitely adequately fast for a safety.  You wonder if he can pour on a little more, and for that reason I get a little excited about this pick, since there weren't any significant cahracter risks, but there could be some unrealized potential.  I really wish he was a better tackler, but in college he did play well as a gunner on STs, so it is possible that could be where he steps in and tries to make an impact early.

I'm with a lot of MHR faithful that think that Barrett looks really good, even if a little risky, but I am probably in the minority when I say that I worry too much about the number of injuries he has had (right shoulder separation, right shoulder contusion, pectoral muscle strain, quad contusion, knee sprain...).  Its not so much the injuries as the fact that too often the injuries would sideline him for ends of games and then multiple games following.  In fact, the shoulder separation kept him out of football for a full year.  For all of his football smarts and skills he just has never put together a complete package on the field.

Kudos to Denver for not underachieving at an attempt to land an impact safety in this draft, and I will be more than happy to back Barrett's rise to prominence, but this is one pick that I am not holding my breath on.  For a seventh round pick, it is almost unfair to complain, especially as the pick wasn't made in a vaccuum, so for all intents and purposes, I like the pick.

But I can't shake the feeling that this one is going to slip through Denver's fingers.

A companion to the in depth review of players taken in the 2008 draft that have been written by Styg50...

There comes a time during a good Broncos game when a play goes horribly wrong. We all groan, kick the dog, throw a brick at the tv, or go out and drink our Zappa Juice. And then (like Death and Dying author Dr. Kubler-Ross says) we hit the next stage of grief and get depressed.

BUT WAIT! Coach Shanahan throws the red flag onto the field, and thousands of eyes shoot up to the replay screen in the sky!

"All, all forsook the friendless guilty mind. All... but HOPE. HOPE lingered yet behind!"

We've gone through a draft with our eyes on the ball, many have felt kicked in the gut, but I'm about to make the argument that upon further review the Denver War Room had their eyes on the entire field and saw some things we missed. I'm throwing out the red flag, and asking for us to consider the following facts.

For starters, we have to get out of the woods to see the forest. The best players are found at the top of the draft, and we know the names better up there. When a player gets taken that we didn't want, it is at least someone we know and someone who is ranked high. A good example is Clady. Some of the MHR faithful didn't want Clady, but they knew him and knew he was considered solid at what he does. We accpeted him right away.

But in the middle and lower rounds we're not aware of who everyone is. Starting with our third pick onwards we began to see Denver take players we hadn't heard off. To many, this was a sign that Denver had lost their way. Player recognition is automaticaly lost in the mid and lower rounds by implication, simply because of the number of players and the reasonable expectation that fans will focus on the players they really want. It's a trap we all fall into.

This brings me to my second point. The only TRUE experts are the ones in NYC. The people who spend up to 16 hours a day traveling the country and staying away from their families while they study film, salary cap implications, and write and re-write software programs that simulate draft scenarios. These are people who's very jobs ride on being the best. And no, I'm not talking about the sports media experts. I'm talking about the guys in the field of battle - managers and scouts.

But everyone feels like an expert. When there's a fire, and a child is in the house, every parent just knows that they can run in and save their child. In panic, as they fight the fire fighters, they don't realize the delay they are causing in getting elite rescuers into the inferno. Everyone who has ever waited over an hour in an emergency room lobby just knows that their pain is an emergency, and is convinced that they need to be seen right away, not realizing that the staff is tied up dealing with a heart attack in the trauma room and waiting for your labs to come back (something they have no control over). Heck, I feel like an expert sometimes, and I constantly need to remind myself that the pros are a far stretch from the high school game. I need to remember how many times the shoes was on the other foot so I can remember to keep myself in line. If I had a dime for every parent that had played in HS and considered himself an expert (but never coached), or every local sports reporter that had a fancy job but never even played the game, or every person (and this happened every year and almost every couple of weeks) that gave me advice based on what they saw on their "Madden NFL" game at home. I need to remember that now I'm presuming to outguess the Denver Broncos, and I had better remember my own experiences first.

Third, consider the issues in a draft we have zero knowledge of. Styg50 has written a lot about character. It's easy for us to forget the importance of "player character" in a draft. I can't begin to tell you how many times I made (or saw) coaching decisions based on which kid had his "head screwed on straighter". The decision was a mystery to fans and families, but sometimes we needed a kid who was a leader, or meant what he said, or wouldn't go out and get suspended before a big game. We got burned last year with a lot of non-typical behavior problems in the Denver organization, and it looks like we are fixing that this year. Character DOES convert o the playing field and the locker room. It's not just cliche. Denver (and other teams) use tests and interviews to uncover character, including interviews with the player's coaches.

Fourth, who really gets most of the people they picked before the draft? Unless someone has a chrystal ball, it's unlikey that the team gets most of the picks in line with most of the fans.

I know I'm being ungrateful about something else. I noticed that, setting aside the names I liked, Denver got the positions I wanted. I wanted a couple of OL picks (got 'em). A return guy and a project WR (got it). Even a FB (which most of us would swear Denver would never go for (guess what?). I wanted a DT, and I wanted a RB (got 'em). I wanted another LB for depth and STs, and a SAF for the same reasons (got 'em). The only thing I got that I didn't want was a CB. And I'm complaining?

I have a daughter who is kindergarden aged (yes, old MR. and MRS. HT waited a long time). Bless her heart, every year she gets presents for Christmas or her birthday and she looks thrilled with everything. Some day she'll get older, and maybe she'll get something she doesn't really want and she won't hide it so well. Well shame on me. I asked for 8 things and got all 8, but I got something else I didn't ask for. Poor Mike Shanahan knew I loved DBs and he threw in an extra CB for my draft day, and I'm going to cry because it wasn't what I wanted? : )

Well, sometimes you have to be big and own up to mistakes. Over the last two days I watched the draft closer than ever. I also did it with a bunch of friends (all of you out there). I caught myself making the mistakes listed in the above paragraphs. The funny thing is, the longer I looked at the choices we made, the better I understood them and the more I appreciate them. (Ok, the CB is still too zone for my taste. But I still like his STs value).

Clady - not a sexy pick, but the right one.

Royal - return man, future slot WR.

K-lich - has time to develop, and (according to Styg) a terrific player that was flying on stealth before the draft.

Williams - I'm shooting straight here. Denver sees something that I don't, but that's why they get paid the big bucks. But more on him in a minute.

Torain - we somehow managage to get great talent late at RB, and we think we know more than the Broncos managment? He must be good.

Powell - meet your new DT. Some say he might be a steal.

Larsen - read Styg's excellent piece.

Barrett - In a weak SAF class I still managed to hear this guy's name from time to time.

Hillis - Ok folks, we've been wanting a true FB. We got one.

And now for a little surprise or two. MHR ace contributer Zappa turned me onto the SI draft grades. While the two obvious picks (Clady and Royal) scored high, the rest of the picks were in tight right behind them. According to SI, on a scale of .01 to 4.99, Denver never went below a 3.37 Further, the picks for our SAF, DT, and yes even our CB ranked just below (and in the case of Barrett) just above our second pick (!). Read the grades here.

Upon further review, perhaps we can agree that this draft may be better than many of us first thought. I'm finding myself warming up to some of the decisions already. Either way, let's keep something in mind that MHR veteran Artic Bronco points out in a comment under another story. These are our guys now. Let's give them the chance they deserve.

The first thing I did when I got ready to do this write-up on Larsen, was to go backand read everything I had on Wake Forest C, Steve Justice.

Say what?

I did that because I like the Larsen pick.  He is a great ST addition who will be an immediate upgrade over many of our veteran journeymen who currently under-occupy the positions, and unlike them, he will have something to prove.  Plus, I like the idea that we can challenge K2 without making a huge vote of "no confidence" in him, as a Lofton pick may have done.  We are paying him after all.

My reasoning for looking at Justice, is that of all the players still on the board who stood to be gone by the time denver selected again, he was the one who I had always assumed would be a solid choice for Denver.  The question wasn't whether he should have been selected instead of Larsen, but whether we should have passed on K-Lic (if you guys want me to stop using this nick for him, you better suggest something fast, cause its growing on me).

After looking again, I can see that my major endorsement for Justice came from his athleticism.  I suppose part of me was operating on the assumption that all the linemen in Denver's system need to be athletic.  But a post put up  recently by TedBartlett and some insight provided by the ever-insightful Hoosierteacher I feel compelled to rethink my attitude towards Justice.  And certainly in light of Denver prioritizing K-Lic over Justice, I am led to believe that Denver really wants that lower body strength to come into the line.  Justice is all finesse.  K-Lic moves well and is ugly powerful.  So if I can't advocate Justice over K-Lic (as many teams apparently couldn't) then I can't advocate Justice over Spencer as well.  By the time this pick had rolled around, the die had been cast and the numbers read.  I think the Colts got a steal, but their gain is in no way our loss.  With that out of the way, let's talk about Spencer, shall we?

AGAIN with the character/high motor pick!  Shanny is really spoiling us in this draft.  If he's not careful we are going to come to expect this from him, ALL the time. :)  Spencer's attitude goes beyond just personal competitiveness:  he was the one who would stand up in the lockerroom and challenge his temmates; he was the one who would call out underacheiver's, demand effort, and then go out on the field and fly around like a cannonball set loose on the stormswept deck of a ship.  Sometimes this was a bad thing.  He could and would get a little too amped up sometimes, and recklessness was the result.  But more often than not, it was a good thing, and the notion of a guy who speaks loudly, and then backs it up with intense play on the field, is a notion that Bronco's fans might just get a little misty eyed thinking about.  Larsen could be the Kieth Burns voice on ST that we have been missing, and a galvanizing presence wherever he ends up on the roster. 

He is strong, but doesn't stay terribly clean, so while he can play WILL he will probably be expected to learn the MIKE.  More fast than explosive, he has a knack for slipping between defenders and sniffs out the play with some of the best instincts you will find outside of Jordan Dizon.  Greatly improved over his Soph and Junior campaigns, which explains his availability as late in the draft as he was.  I wish I could find it, but a member at one point put up a great post describing how important it was for Denver to effectively scout the talent in their own backyard.  Hopefully this draft shows that they take that issue seriously.

One last point I would like to make on this pick, is that I was pleased that up to this point Denver had yet to double up on any positions in the draft.  This is a huge vote of confidence in themselves and their scouting, and a great sign about their feelings  regarding risk in this draft.  I don't think they targeted Larsen, I just think they let him come to them and didn't second guess themselves.

There are a lot of ways to bite it in the draft, and so few to stay alive.  I don't fault Denver one bit for finally sticking to their guns in a draft, and staying loyal to their values.  In the end, when the hard work is done and the probowlers have stepped up, and the busts have moved on, your values will be the only thing that is left.

The draft is not the time to compromise them.