Who would you draft at 9 if you ran the Broncos?

With the Denver Broncos offseason underway there’s more speculation than actual news to dig through. Fortunately Bucs Report’s J.T. Olson and I came prepared for just such an occasion on this week’s Cover 2 Broncos. What follows is a brief overview of the topics we discussed on the episode.

• The Broncos introduced their coordinators this week and when Ejiro Evero sure sounded like he knew the defense would need more help if the goal was a championship.

“The biggest thing I took away from this last season is you’ve got to have good players and they players have got to be committed to winning. The biggest thing is that you’ve got 17 games, you’ve got the offseason program, you’ve got training camp, [and] you’ve got hopefully the postseason. There’s going to be highs [and] there’s going to be lows. It’s really about staying the course. It’s about developing a process that you believe works and sticking to it. More than likely you’re not going to win all your games. There’s going to be losses. There’s going to be adversity and the one thing we learned is that as you go through it, there’s going to be a lot of challenges to your character, your approach, and your process. You’ve got to put the blinders on. You’ve got to have belief in what you’re doing, and you’ve got to stay the course. If your process is right—which I believe it’s going to be here—the people are right, and you stay the course, you’re going to have the results you want.”

• What are the biggest question on defense?
• What can the Broncos do to add to their defense? Does the draft, free agency, or the trade market provide the best solutions?

• The Broncos aren’t really a QB away in the AFC, so what happens if George Paton can’t land Aaron Rodgers?
• What happens with Aaron Rodgers?
• Who makes sense outside of Rodgers?

Jameis Winston?

Teddy Bridgewater?

Marcus Mariota?

Mitch Trubisky?

Andy Dalton?

Russell Wilson?

Deshaun Watson?

Carson Wentz?

Jimmy Garoppolo?

Kirk Cousins?

The draft?

So with all those questions hanging over everything, We elected to do a dueling banjo live mock up to the Broncos selection at nine. To set the table, we agreed on a few preliminary moves to serve as the backdrop for the “draft” scenario.

• Aaron Rodgers stayed with the Green Bay Packers
• Russell Wilson stayed with the Seattle Seahawks
• Two days before the draft Deshaun Watson was traded to the Carolina Panthers
• Kirk Cousins stayed with the Minnesota Vikings
• Carson Wentz landed with the Washington Commanders
• Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers

What follows are the picks themselves, though if you’d like to hear our thoughts and discussion you’ll need to tune into the episode. I took the odd picks, Olson took the evens.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Evan Neal - OT - Alabama

2. Detroit Lions - Kayvon Thibodeaux - ED - Oregon

3. Houston Texans - Kyle Hamilton - S - Notre Dame

4. New York Jets - Aidan Hutchinson - ED - Michigan

5. New York Giants - Ikem Ekwonu - OT - NC State

6. Houston Texans - Andrew Booth Jr. - CB - Clemson

7. New York Giants - Travon Walker - ED/DL - Georgia

8. Atlanta Falcons - Charles Cross - OT - Mississippi State

After the first eight picks Olson and I each threw three prospects that we’d consider with the ninth overall pick if we were in charge of the Broncos. After a brief debate discussion, we agreed that it’d be best to leave the choice up to you, dear reader. If none of them jump out to you, please let us know in the comments.