Horse Tracks: What we learned from Round 1

Stay off the interwebz

If you're a twitter fanatic or MHR lurker who treats the draft like opening a present, you have to stay away.  People are going to tip picks.  Last night I was attempting to stay on twitter, even warning folks I would unfollow if they tipped the picks, until about an hour later after blocking a dozen or so folks, I was still having spoilers retweeted onto my timeline.  I finally gave up just went with the flow.  People are going to be doing that so if you truly want the element of surprise as you are watching, it is probably best to give the internet a break.

Who did the Broncos draft?

Bradley Roby, CB out of Ohio State.  I was extremely surprised by this pick.  Was it a bad pick?  Nope, quite the opposite.  This pick like last year was excellent value.  What was surprising was that John Elway took a player that had character concerns coming out of college.  This marked a first time in the John Elway era that he rolled the dice on a player who had a checkered past.  It tells us that Elway believes he has a strong enough locker room to help keep Roby's shenanigans in check.  For his part, Roby said that "he isn't a bad guy" and that being in Denver was one of the best places he could go.

BPA?

No.  Roby may have been the BPA on the Broncos big board, but corner still represented a position of need.  Once you get past the fact that the Broncos have oft injured Aqib Talib as their #1 to go along with ACL-rehabbing corner Chris Harris Jr. as their #2, to go along with raw but unproven prospect Kayvon Webster and Mr. PI himself Tony Carter, DB depth was absolutely terrible.  Call this BPA at a position of need.

What will Roby do in 2014?

Pencil him in right now as your #3. Sure he'll compete with Kayvon Webster but he has a better pedigree and I expect him to nail this role down.  What it means is that Roby will back-up both starters on the outside and play that #2 roll in our nickel and dime packages.  He will have the opportunity to make an impact right away.

Other Random Thoughts about the Draft

• Mel Kiper Jr. sucks and Gruden looked like he wanted to wail on him a couple times.
• Vic Lombardi said that Elway said the Broncos tried to move up to #16 (presumably to choose C.J. Mosley) but that the price ended up too steep.  Elway also said that there were chances to move back until players started to fall and teams thought they could stay put and snag their guy. 
  
• This highlights another great quality about our draft process.  They stay true to their board and don't hit the panic button.  Moving up will only be done if it is right and at a palatable cost.
• Teams are starting to copy Denver's model with Von Miller. We're seeing more and more teams take those uber-talented OLB tweener prospects to play them at the SAM position.                  
  
• The Steelers took yet another Broncos hopeful when they selected Ryan Shazier.  A couple of years ago they blocked us by taking David DeCastro                                                                    .
  
• LOL Jags on taking Bortles #3
• The rest of the West went defense including the LOLChiefs who overdrafted Alabama DE Dee Ford despite X'S having one of best pass rushing tandems in the league. What about the other tackle spot?
• Some teams panic.  Look at Cleveland who made some very weird trades up and down the board.  At least they ended up with their superstar
• Johnny, with all the questions about your character, having a beer at the draft is the last thing I'd do.

Horse Tracks

Bradley Roby

Denver Broncos pick Bradley Roby in 1st - ESPN
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The pick: The Broncos selected Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby with the 31st pick of the first round. Roby started 35 games

What Roby Brings to Broncos
Read Independant Analyst Andrew Mason's take on what Bradley Roby adds to the Broncos.

Roby was 'Top Guy on Our Board'
EVP of Football Ops/GM John Elway said the Broncos were able to take the best player available and "fulfill a need" in drafting Bradley Roby.

Roby Excited to Join a Winner, Ready to Work
Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby didn't expect to be picked by the Broncos but is happy to be on a Super Bowl contender.

Elway on Roby: 'Tremendous Talent'
John Elway talks about first round draft pick, former Ohio State CB Bradley Roby.

Fox on Drafting Roby
Head Coach John Fox talks about why the Broncos took Bradley Roby in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Roby Gets the Call
Head Coach John Fox congratulates Bradley Roby right after the Broncos drafted the cornerback in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

BTV Daily: Broncos Bring In Roby
The Broncos use their first round pick of the 2014 NFL Draft to grab Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby.

NFL Draft 2014: Scouting Denver Broncos CB Bradley Roby - Predominantly Orange - A Denver Broncos Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
With the 31st pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos picked Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby out of a pool of players that had no business fallin

Bradley Roby, CB, Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos - NFL News - Pro Football Spot - Forums
Forum dedicated to the coverage of the NFL, NFL Draft, and fantasy Football. We are an online community of NFL fans that have established a platform to provide and discuss quality football information.

Denver Broncos draft cornerback Bradley Roby - NFL.com
The Broncos completed their revamped secondary in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft when Denver selected cornerback Bradley Roby out of Ohio State at 31st overall.

AFC West

Another pass-rusher a good idea for Kansas City Chiefs - ESPN
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs sent outside linebackers and pass-rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston to the Pro Bowl last season

McCoy: Jason Verrett's size doesn't matter - AFC West Blog - ESPN
SAN DIEGO -- Tom Telesco said watching game tape of the newest San Diego Charger, No. 25 overall selection Jason Verrett, reminded him of another defe

NFL Draft results:CB Jason Verrett to San Diego Chargers with No. 25 pick - Bolts From The Blue
With the 25th pick in the 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers attempted to improve the worst part of their team by drafting CB Jason Verrett.

Dee Ford is an outside linebacker and he's surprised the Chiefs picked him - Arrowhead Pride
Kansas City stunned its fans by taking a player nobody could have ever expected.

Raiders see some Von Miller in Khalil Mack - Silver And Black Pride
The Raiders made their pick at the top of the draft. When the selection came up, the guy they wanted to upgrade their pass rush long term was sitting there looking at him. The Raiders don't use a...

Kiszla: Broncos missed out on the Marqise player - The Denver Post
On a draft night when the theme was stopping Peyton Manning, the Broncos drafted defense when they took Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby.

Kiszla: Broncos missed out on the Marqise player - The Denver Post
On a draft night when the theme was stopping Peyton Manning, the Broncos drafted defense when they took Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby.

NFL

Kiszla: Broncos missed out on the Marqise player - The Denver Post
On a draft night when the theme was stopping Peyton Manning, the Broncos drafted defense when they took Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby.

WalterFootball.com: 2014 NFL Draft Winners and Losers

Report: Tamba Hali 20 pounds over "optimal playing weight" | ProFootballTalk
The Chiefs took Dee Ford with the 23rd pick of the first round on Thursday night, adding him to a collection of edge rushers that already includes Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.

Patriots select Dominique Easley at No. 29 | ProFootballTalk
Taking a calculated risk on talented player with a history of injuries, the Patriots selected Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley with the 29th pick in Round One on Thursday night. Durability is the major concern with Easley, who suffered a right ACL tear in 2013.

Six first-round picks with franchise-altering potential - NFL.com
New Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has the skill set to change a franchise's trajectory. Check out Chris Wesseling's list of five more first-round draft picks with that type of potential.

Kelvin Benjamin drafted 28th by Carolina Panthers - NFL.com
The Carolina Panthers selected Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin with the 28th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Standing at 6-foot-5, Benjamin has the tools to be a legit No. 1 option.

Bills grab Sammy Watkins after trading up to No. 4 - NFL.com
The Buffalo Bills traded up to draft Sammy Watkins fourth overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns received the Bills' ninth overall pick, as well as Buffalo's first- and fourth-round picks in 2015.

Zack Martin drafted 16th overall by Dallas Cowboys - NFL.com
Zack Martin is headed to Dallas after the Cowboys selected the versatile Notre Dame offensive lineman with the 16th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars take Blake Bortles with No. 3 pick - NFL.com
The Jaguars shook up the draft with the selection of quarterback Blake Bortles with the No. 3 overall pick. The Central Florida product will try to wipe away the memories of Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville.

Vikings draft Teddy Bridgewater after missing Manziel - NFL.com
The Minnesota Vikings selected quarterback Teddy Bridgewater No. 32 overall, acquiring it from the Seahawks by sending Seattle their 2014 second-round pick (No. 40 overall) and fourth-round pick (No. 108 overall).