Draft guru Mel Kiper released the latest version of his Mock Draft this morning(Insider Needed) and there were a couple of surprises. Most notably, Kiper has Blaine Gabbert going #1 to the Carolina Panthers while Cam Newton falls to #4 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Broncos? As expected, Kiper feels the Broncos will focus on defense, and after his Pro Day at Auburn yesterday, Kiper feels DT Nick Fairley is the man the Broncos need:
The Broncos are between defensive systems, have major needs along the defensive line where their ability to stop the run was a problem as was their pass rush, and they have a shot to take the best defensive lineman in a remarkably deep class. While many saw John Fox and John Elway watching the Auburn pro day closely, I believe that more of the conversations were focused on Fairley. He is scheme-versatile, very athletic for his size (which is back to 297 pounds as of yesterday) and a devastating penetrator at tackle, he helps immediately.
Now, here is what intrigues me about Mel's draft. Let's say that we get a CBA done and trades are back on the table. If Gabbert - or Newton for that matter - goes #1 to Carolina, believe me, the phones will be ringing at Dove Valley with teams looking to move up. Look at all the teams after the Broncos that arguably need a quarterback - as I believe the Buffalo Bills do - that will want to jump ahead of the Bills and Bengals to get Gabbert or Newton:
Buffalo, Cincinnati, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans. That's just the Top-10!
If only these guys could get a deal done - we could get on to the business of building the Broncos back into a superpower!