I'll be giving my thoughts on various draft issues regarding the Broncos over the next day. The posts won't be long, not by MHR standards anyway, and will be more 'from the hip' than you might be used to. To start, I think we can all agree the Broncos would love the opportunity to trade down tomorrow night. Now, with the Draft less than 48 hours away, there is talk that the Broncos could be in a good position to do it, as Adam Schefter explains(Hat Tip McGeorge) -
An off-season filled with trades could continue straight into Thursday night’s NFL draft, and picks 10 through 12 might be where the action will happen.
A cluster of teams — No. 10 Jacksonville, No. 11 Denver and No. 12 Miami — is interested in moving back in the draft, according to multiple league sources.
Meanwhile, another cluster of teams — No. 18 Pittsburgh, No. 23 Green Bay and No. 24 Philadelphia — is interested in moving up in the draft.
Teams will be cautious about trading into Jacksonville’s spot at No. 10 because the team that picks might have to negotiate off the complex deal that San Francisco and Michael Crabtree struck last season.
Crabtree, who fell to No. 10 in the 2009 draft and held out through training camp and the opening weeks of the season, signed a contract paying him more than the picks taken ahead of him, setting a tricky precedent for teams at that slot this year.
Denver’s spot at No. 11, one spot ahead of Miami, could have more appeal because the Crabtree contract would not be looming over it.
That situation with the Jags is intriguing. In most years, teams and agents look at the prior year for a guide on contract parameters. Michael Crabtree's never-ending hold-out made that situation a mess. That could keep teams from dealing with the Jags for fear there could be some sign-ability issues.
So, should the Broncos not be able to select Rolando McClain, could the Broncos move to the low-teens, early-twenties for a shot at Maurkice Pouncey?