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Every year fans of the NFL Draft become enamored with a handful of prospects that they believe will be true difference makers upon their ascension to the pros. Our staff at Mile High Report is no different.
For our third installment of our Draft Round Table, we discuss a diverse group of players that each of us would like to see the Broncos add to their roster for the 2016 season. Enjoy!
Name one prospect, regardless of round, that you'd love to see Denver draft?
Ian Henson: Kenyan Drake, give me a four-year guy with two years of wear on his treads. Just Google, "Kenyan Drake 95-yard kick return" That's a running back worth drafting in the 2nd or 3rd (Mr. Elway) and I don't even want him running the ball this season unless you need him on third downs. Draft him, because he can return lots of balls well and he's big (210 lbs.) for a returner.
Sadaraine: Karl Joseph is a guy I'm really pining for from this draft. We need depth at safety and he's a guy that could be an impact player in our defense.
Tim Lynch: Scooby Wright III in the third round would be awesome. He seems like the perfect guy to replace Danny Trevathan on the Broncos defense.
Joe Mahoney: C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame. Remember when we thought Ronnie Hillman was a homerun threat? He's not, but Prosise is. Prosise is a converted slot receiver with the shiftiness and change of direction that you would expect from a slot receiver, but he has the size (220 lbs) and the balance to break arm tackles and the elusiveness to break ankles (make guys miss).
He only played one year at RB for the Irish, but he was one of the most dynamic running backs in college football in 2015 and he will be that homerun threat that Ronnie Hillman never turned into for us (unless the play was blocked perfectly. CJ Prosise only had 167 carries in college, but more than 8% of them went for 20 or more yards and 25% of his carries went for 10 or more yards. Here's what PFF had to say about him :
• Breaks arm tackles and gets yards through final contact when given the opportunity to run downhill.
• Graded well on inside zone and power-blocking scheme plays, but definitely produced better on power plays.
• Exceptional when he can reach the second level untouched. Reads the open field well. Has the burst and top speed to beat defensive back pursuit angles.
I will jump for joy if we draft CJ.
Pete Baron: Cardale Jones. We all know he's my man crush of the draft, and apparently he has a 3rd or 4th round grade on him. If the Broncos were to take a QB any higher than the 7th round, I want it to be this cat.
Scotty Payne: You ask for one and I'll give you 4! Scooby Wright, Dan Vitale, Derrick Henry and Dak Prescott.
Scooby has a cool name and the dude is a tackling machine. Instincts make up for his athleticism, and he's a great A-Gap blitzer. Would be a solid addition to the Broncos defense.
The Broncos need a fullback and Dan Vitale is the guy Kubiak probably wants. He can do it all and would be a great fit in Kubiak's offense.
Derrick Henry isn't coming to Denver but man I love the guys potential. He's huge and would look great in a zone scheme.
Ian St. Clair: I feel like a broken record here, buy Scooby Wright. He could not only replace Danny Trevathan but be an improvement. For reasons mentioned above, also Lynch.
Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann: Scooby Wright. We are going to need more big, tough inside linebackers to fill Danny Trevathan's spot, and why not a guy named Scooby? Mostly, I can't wait to tweet "Scooby-dooby-doo" when he flattens/sacks someone.
Christopher Hart: Kenneth Dixon, running back out of Louisiana Tech. Outside of some fumbling issues (which can be corrected) he is superb everywhere else. Undoubtedly, he is the most productive running back in this years' entire class. Despite the Broncos re-signing both C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, they would be wise to invest a selection in a running back with high potential that would come on an affordable, four-year rookie deal.
Jeffrey Essary (NastyJ): I'll give you two. Others have already mentioned Karl Joseph, so my other two guys I love this draft are wide receiver, Sterling Shepard, and linebacker Jaylon Smith.Shepard is probably a 2nd round pick, and we don't really have a need for WR, unless we are looking for a big time replacement for Emmanuel Sanders. I think Shepard could be that guy.
I'm a big OU fan so I have been watching Shepard his whole career and there is a ton to love. He is probably the most complete receiver in this class. His route running is elite, he makes tough catches anywhere on the field with amazing hands, and even though he was used primarily in the slot, he is a good outside deep threat as well.
Watching him actually reminds me of Emmanuel Sanders. I would love to see him in orange and blue. Some people will knock due to size or because he is probably a primarily slot guy in the NFL, but, mark it down, he will be the best receiver from this class if he stays healthy.My other guy is Jaylon Smith. As someone on Twitter put it: Would you trade a mid-round pick this year for a first rounder next year? Then draft Jaylon Smith.
Don't forget to sound off in the comments section and tell us some of the players you would love to see the Broncos select in this years NFL Draft!
Stay tuned to Mile High Report for parts four and five of our NFL Draft Round Table which will go live tomorrow. Once again, thanks for reading and get ready for an action packed 2016 NFL Draft!