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The Denver Broncos selected DT Sylvester Williams with their first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Here's how the MHR Staff grades the pick.
Scotty Payne: A-
I love this pick. Syl is a big strong dude who can collapse the pocket. The Broncos have been lacking an interior pass rush presence in years and grab a very good one here. He'll start early in a rotation with Vick and Knighton. I really wanted Tank Carradine but i'll take this pick.
One thing im excited about is this. John Fox and Jack Del Rio have coached up DT's all their career. I'm very excited to see what they can do with Sly.
Tim Lynch: B+
You have to hand it to John Elway. He sticks to his guns and his board going with the Best Player Available. Perhaps he tried to trade back and it didn't pan out, but the end result is a much stouter interior line, which should hopefully improve the entire interior of the defense as well. The biggest hole remaining now is how the Broncos cover opposing tight ends against offenses that have that vertical threat. Naturally, I'm still holding out hope Manti Te'o somehow makes it onto the roster later tonight.
Bronco Mike: A
Broncos picked a guy with top 10 talent. They now have a very nasty and versatile rotation all along the D-line. The Broncos have a formidible edge rush with Von Miller, it just got some of that same potential with Williams coming from the middle. The Broncos clearly went BPA with this pick.
Christopher Hart: A
I never mocked Williams to the Broncos because I believed he was going to be a Top 25 pick. This is an absolutely fantastic selection for the team. Broncos faithful have been waiting for a guy like Williams for years. What I like about Sylverster most is his ability to get after the passer from the interior. With Derek Wolfe, Terrance Knighton and Von Miller and now Sylvester Williams -- offensive front lines are going to be shaking in their cleats lining up against a front that weights over 1,200 pounds.
Ian Henson: A
From high school dropout to radiator repair man to JuCo transfer this is definitely one of the more interesting stories in recent draft memory. My hope is that the Broncos keep him at defensive tackle. As John Elway said they had an opportunity to move back, but chose to stay when Williams was still available.
Mr. East: A+
The Broncos not only got one of the best players available on the board, but they got a player of serious need. The defense was not able to collapse the pocket last year, which made life for Von Miller more difficult. With a player like Sly Williams flushing the quarterback out of the pocket, right into Von's arms, we could see Miller's stats get even crazier. Get excited Denver, this guy is exactly what the Broncos needed.
Brian Shrout: A
Y'all know how "adept" I am at evaluating college talent. (Not!) LOL
I'm assuming that since the Broncos went ahead and drafted Williams rather than trading down that he's someone they wanted and felt was worth the pick. It also addresses an area that many so-called experts saw as an area of need.
For those three reasons, I'd give the Broncos an "A."
Monty: B
I like the pick, so while my grade is lower than everybody else's here, let me start by saying it again: I like the pick. A 'B' means I like the pick. C is average. This is an above average pick.
I don't think the value was as high as John Elway and company are selling it (Williams didn't drop to the Broncos in any mock drafts they did? Sure he didn't...), and the Broncos had opportunities to trade up slightly and get players I had rated much higher, like Xavier Rhodes. They also likely had an opportunity to get a bunch of picks and trade down with a lot of good players still on the board. See: New England Patriots, 29th overall.
But I love the fact that the Broncos finally drafted a defensive tackle (Broncos fans have been asking for that for years), and that he can collapse the pocket too. DT is a tough position to play for a rookie, but hopefully this pick turns out to be solid down the line. B.