While gearing up for the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft, it's important to take note of where the Denver Broncos have selections, with respect to the rest of the NFL. Here is a list of the Denver Broncos' picks for the 2011 NFL Draft that begins Thursday at 6 pm MST (8 pm EST).
Here are the picks that are currently possessed by the Denver Broncos (subject to change, at any time):
Round 1, Pick 2 (2nd overall)
Round 2, Pick 4 (36th overall)
Round 2, Pick 14 (46th overall) - From Miami (part of the Brandon Marshall trade)
Round 3, Pick 3 (67th overall)
Round 6, Pick 21 (186th overall) - From Philadelphia through Detroit as part of a trade that brought Dan Gronkowski to the Broncos
Round 6, Pick 24 (189th overall) - From New Orleans through New England as part of the Laurence Maroney trade
Round 7, Pick 44 (247th overall) - Compensatory Selection (awarded by rule to bring the total number of compensatory selections to 32 (equaling the number of NFL teams)
You may notice that there is no 4th or 5th round pick for the Denver Broncos. Here's why:
Round 4, Pick 2 (99th overall) was traded to the Patriots as part of the Laurence Maroney trade.
Round 5, Pick 4 (135th overall) was traded to the Buccaneers for two 2010 7th round picks that were used on DB Syd'Quan Thompson and LB Jammie Kirlew.
The 2011 NFL Draft Is Pivotal to the Broncos
It should be noted that the Broncos have four picks in the top 100. John Elway has said time and again, most notably at the Pre-Draft press conference, that the Broncos are looking to pick four starters in this year's draft. With that many picks in the top 100, they have a great opportunity to do just that. With that said, if the team continues to be unsuccessful over the next few years, you could very well point at this draft and say "What wen't wrong?"
Hopefully, that doesn't happen, though. We're almost guaranteed a stud player with the number 2 overall pick, unless something unforseen happens with the Broncos first round pick.
Trading Back
A lot of talk has gone back and forth about the idea of trading back from the number 2 overall pick. For a while, I was convinced that the Broncos would be able to do so, but I'm afraid that those convictions were from the fan part of my heart instead of the analytical part of my brain.
You see, no matter where Carolina Panthers decide to go with their 1st round pick, the Broncos will probably be stuck at #2. With the Buffalo Bills behind us at #3, many thought that they would be in the market for a first round quarterback. As of late, that doesn't seem to be the case, which means that there isn't as much demand for the second overall pick. If teams don't feel they need to jump over the Bills on the draft board, they shouldn't feel motivated to make the trade.
Throw in the fact that there is currently no rookie cap and the likelihood of a trade decreases even more. You can blame that one on the NFL and NFLPA labor dispute. With the cost of a top 5 pick increasing every year, it becomes extremely difficult to find a team that is willing to move up and take on that financial responsibility.
If what Elway has said is true (that they haven't received any calls about trades for the 2nd overall pick), then I don't see how that will change over the next few days. A lot of times, teams will call each other and get some idea of whether or not another team would be willing to trade in different circumstances. If no teams have played the "what if" game with the Broncos, I'd say it's fairly unlikely that the Broncos would be able to move out of that 2nd overall pick.