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John Elway and the Denver Broncos went out and got themselves some homegrown talent in the second round in Ty Sambrailo. He was the one player that I hit a home run with in my only mock draft of the year back in February and I could not be more pleased with this pick. While Shane Ray was the high risk/reward pick on Day 1, Sambrailo was the safe play on Day 2.
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After a solid career at Colorado State spearheading one of the most prolific passing offenses in the country with Garrett Grayson, Sambrailo began faltering at just the wrong time with poor performances against Utah in a Bowl game and another one in the Senior Bowl. He got pushed around and abused, which hurt his draft stock.
This, ultimately, was a good thing as it allowed Elway to get the guy he wanted late in the second round.
The guys over at Pro Football Focus felt he wasn't even worthy of that:
What He Brings: Intriguing athleticism but not a whole lot of college production. Even against inferior opposition he didn’t dominate and when he was faced with better players he promptly got taught a lesson by Nate Orchard. He’s not ready to start but offers upside as a developmental prospect after 34 draft eligible tackles got a higher production grade.
Where He Fits: The team does need a right tackle but Sambrailo lacks the power and pedigree to be that guy right now. Can you say redshirt year?
For a change, I vehemently disagree with PFF on their analysis. First off, Sambrailo is perfect for the zone blocking scheme that Gary Kubiak plans to install in 2015. This scheme will help mask Sambrailo's lack of strength and will allow him the time needed to build that up while still getting some playing time. He failed to rank in any of PFF's measurables for offensive tackles, which only helps validate their own perception that he isn't going to do well at the next level.
I side with Charlie Campbell over at Walter Football when it comes to what Sambrailo will bring at the next level when he wrote, "In the NFL, Sambrailo could develop into a left tackle. He also might be a better fit as a left guard or right tackle, at least to start out. Sambrailo should work well in a zone-blocking scheme rather than in power man. He would have to move inside to work in the latter scheme. Sambrailo needs to improve his functional strength and technique. He gets caught reaching after rushers too much. Sambrailo has some quickness and athleticism for an offensive lineman. Entering the next level, he is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none blocker. Sambrailo does everything well, but he isn't especially dominant in pass or run blocking."
Our own Scotty Payne tended to agree with these assessment's in his own scouting report on Sambrailo last week, noting that he'd do well at right tackle in pass protection, but needs to work on his upper body strength in order to be more effective in the running game.
Where do you stand Broncos Country?