2015 Broncos Draft: The No Bull Preview

Let's review what I've scored our personnel groups so far:

Offense: 7

QBs: 7

RBs: 8

WRs: 7

TEs: 7

C: 5

G:6

T:5

Defense: 7

DEs: 7

NTs: 5

ILBs: 6

OLBs: 8

CBs: 10

Ss: 7

Special Teams: 5

Big Needs

1. O-line improvement: this could be depth or starters. We could use help in several places.
2. Nose Tackle: We look pretty thin here, but with the way Phillips schemes his defense, it isn't as shallow as it seems. I'd be mildly surprised if we don't get a NT in the draft.
3. Inside Line Backer: Here's another spot where injury concerns make us look pretty thin. I'll be very surprised if go all draft without an ILB prospect.
4. Wide Receiver: This is a great draft for WR and we have some need for depth and development there. Also worth noting is the Demaryious Thomas situation which is still not solved long-term.
5. Talent: This should be at the end of every GM's list in my opinion. It doesn't necessarily matter what position you get it at, but be willing to pick up opportunity improvements.

We Aren't GMs

Let me pass along some stuff I've learned over the years just as a helpful protip for all of you in Broncos Country:

1. Sometimes picks will drop that you didn't think had a chance. If that happens, it will shake up what the "normal" plan of a GM is in the draft. See Bradley Roby last year for a great example.
2. The scouting of our organization is far more complex, and customized than what all our draftniks do. Sometimes the GM is a moron, but a lot of times they make picks we don't agree with because of information we don't have.
3. You can't tell how good a pick is until they've had time to develop in the pro game. The number of years vary for different positions, but in general I like to assess players after their 3rd year.

Early Rounds

We need to address some present needs early in the draft starting with the offensive line. I'd love to see us get two guys that can compete to start day 1 of the 2015 season. This is just a no-brainer. I don't think both necessarily need to come in the early rounds, but if we don't go O-line early for one of our picks, I'll be scratching my head a bit.

Other than O-Line there are a few ILBs in this draft that look like they may be worth chasing. Unfortunately lots of teams want them so they end up going higher than we might like.

It would be very telling if we saw a QB picked in the early rounds...that would say a lot about the contract situation and opinion of the Broncos towards Brock Osweiler.

The big thing I want to see is something we saw last year from Elway: opportunistic picks. Go after high talent guys that are difference makers which is what we saw with both Bradley Roby and Cody Latimer last year.

Middle Rounds

Here's where the dice rolling begins. The 4th - 5th round picks are where you can find solid players and high ceiling projects. There's a wide open door here: RB, WR, S, ILB are all possibilities.

Late Rounds

This is an area that our franchise really performs well in the draft. Our late round scouting is league-leading in finding great talent. Over the past few years the picks here have had us wondering what was going on, but many of them pan out into starters or solid depth (Danny Trevathan, Virgil Green, and Malik Jackson to name a few).

We have a plethora of picks in the late rounds thanks to the superb management of the team by John Elway. They won't all pan out, but you have to be excited about all the extra dice rolls we get to work with this year.

Trades

We have a pretty darn talented team as it stands. We have 10 picks in this draft. Do not be surprised one bit if we actually do what most people think is dumb and move up to grab some guys we really want. We can't keep all 10 picks so why not maneuver to get "sure things" according to your scouting work?

Closing Thoughts

First of all, everyone enjoy the draft this weekend immensely and make sure to celebrate responsibly!  Look out for your neighbors in Broncos Country and feel free to chug the kool-aid!

Many critics of Elway really think he lacks in drafting good early talent and I honestly can't disagree. The encouraging thing I'll leave you with is that he's getting better and it shows. I'm always excited when people seem to learn from their mistakes as it seems that's a big part of life and people who don't improve struggle with how they handle failure. I think this draft will be very telling for our franchise and will have a big impact on the future of our team.

Feel free to put your thoughts below...what do you think I'm missing? Do you have harsher critiques of our GM? What would you do with the first few picks?

Cheers and I'll see you in the comment sections!