When the season ended with a loss to the Chargers, we knew big changes were underway. For months, mock drafts and speculation have been filling up the FanPosts with members telling their opinions. No one knows for sure but that is what makes the draft fun. It is a guessing game until we find out who the potential stars our for the Broncos. Experts or not, we love to speculate. The beautiful thing about picking at number two in this draft is it is loaded with prospects at the spots that we have needs, especially defensive line.
We are three days away from the 2011 NFL Draft and the paid experts seem to have it figured out who the Broncos will draft with the number two pick. Here is a compilation of 2011 NFL Mock Drafts.
Mel Kiper Mock Draft 4.0
Marcell Dareus - DT - Alabama
Reason: There are several guys Denver could take here to bolster their defense, but Dareus makes a lot of sense. A scheme-versatile player who can be a disruptive, penetrating force as an interior lineman, or a fantastic pass-rusher as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, Dareus is a safe pick. He doesn't have remarkable quickness, but his agility and versatility at a full 319 pounds is the stuff of an elite lineman. Denver could also consider a corner or linebacker here, but Dareus fills a significant, immediate need.
Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
Scenario 1: Dareus remains the likely choice here. There is no better match between need and value in the first round.
Scenario 2: If Dareus is gone, Texas A&M OLB Von Miller is the pick for a team looking to upgrade on defense.
Scenario 3: Taking a quarterback is the wild card here. Vice president of football operations John Elway has given no indication he's in love with either of the top two signal-callers, but we continue to hear the organization does not believe 2010 first-rounder Tim Tebow is the long-term answer.
SB Nation Mock Draft April 18th
Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
With Dareus, this pick represents a convergence of safe pick, need pick and talent pick all in one.
Peter King – April 25th Mock Draft
Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
Reason: Will Pick: Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
Should Pick: Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
Let's get one thing straight: The 6'3", 319-pound Dareus is not the second coming of Ndamukong Suh. No defensive tackle in this draft rushes the passer like Suh, but then again there's rarely a defensive tackle in any draft who does. What Dareus will do is stop the run better than anyone Denver has, a good thing for a team that allowed 4.7 yards per carry last year. A safe pick for John Fox's new 4--3, and the right pick.
Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
The Broncos have huge defensive needs and get their pick of the lot after Carolina's selection of a QB. Dareus fills the biggest hole, which is in the middle of Denver's front four. The Broncos released two defensive tackles, and two more are free agents. Dareus would be the team's first defensive tackle selected in the first round since Trevor Pryce in 1997.
NFL Draft Countdown – April 20th
Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
Despite their public flirtations with just about every quarterback in this class, there is little doubt that the Broncos will be going defense with this pick. In fact, they will probably be opting for defense with the vast majority of their choices in this draft. Now that the Denver is making the transition back to a 4-3 scheme they will have to drastically re-tool their defensive line. The interior is of particular concern and whether or not they have a single starting-caliber defensive tackle is debatable. Alabama’s Marcell Dareus is exactly the type of the impact presence the Broncos are searching for in the trenches. While Dareus isn’t a "sexy" choice, he’s an outstanding all-around player who has shown the ability to take over games. Dareus, who profiles as a three-technique, would provide the Broncos with the type of disruptive inside force they so desperately need. Denver has a glaring hole at linebacker as well and selecting Von Miller of Texas A&M would accomplish their goal of adding a blue-chip talent in the front seven while also upgrading the pass rush. Even though the Broncos re-signed Champ Baileythey will still take a long, hard look at L.S.U. CB Patrick Peterson too. Denver has also let it be known that they're more than willing to trade down so don’t rule out a deal, assuming they locate a partner.
Marcell Dareus – DT- Alabama
We're finally coming around on the Dareus pick. He's been the consensus pick on most mocks and has frequently been the DRAFTSIM choice in the past. After flirting seriously with Miller and Fairley, the consistently positive reviews for Dareus combined with the Broncos extreme need on the interior D-Line makes his choice very hard to pass up. He's a huge man who's proven extremely stout against the run (wouldn't that be nice?) and has also generated solid backfield pressure. Despite missing some games last year his totals are impressive (66T, 20TFL, 11S) and would seriously upgrade the Broncos weakest unit. - Scott Nelson, Broncos Analyst
Alternate Pick – Von Miller
Alternate Pick – Nick Fairley
Starting to get the picture? Most people agree that Dareus is the safest pick for the Broncos and agree that it is value and need. I agree and am very much hoping that Dareus does not go number one because I think he would be the right fit for us.
The Denver Broncos have seven picks in the 2011 NFL Draft this Thursday with an 8 PM ET start time.