Mock Draft Thread

[cdumler7]

So I thought we could have a bit of a competition...I have seen this on other Bronco boards so let's see what happens here. Before the draft enter a mock draft of who you think the Broncos will draft on actual draft day. Not who you want them to draft but who you think they will and let's see who is the closest in actually picking who the Broncos pick. The point system will be...

10 points for both guessing round and actual player the Broncos draft.
5 points for guessing the right position in the right round.
5 points for guessing right player but wrong round.

Tie Breaker--person with the latest round guessed right

Now you can submit as many mock drafts as you want leading up to the actual draft itself but you do have to post which one is your official entry for the draft.

Good Luck!

 

[DownSetHutch]

I'm in. In 2012, I had us drafting Derek Wolfe and Ronnie Hillman. We drafted both a round sooner then I projected, but still I'm pretty awesome.

 

[MrDoc420]

I'm in. In 2012, I had us drafting Derek Wolfe and Ronnie Hillman. We drafted both a round sooner then I projected, but still I'm pretty awesome.

Got one up on me for sure. I def knew about Wolfe and loved the idea of drafting him, but I wasn't sure if he'd be around going into round 2. I had no idea who Hillman was until the few days leading up to the draft.

You can count me in on this too cd.

 

[cdumler7]

Cool...Well you guys can post mock drafts any time and as many as you want leading up to the draft. Just have to pick one final one. So if you want to put 10 different ones on here and gauge people's reaction have at it.


I guess I will get the ball rolling with my first one leading up to the draft (probably will post a few more as I have been known to change my mind).


1st Round--Ryan Shazier...I have been against us drafting this guy for a while but a few articles on him that I have been reading have me changing my mind a bit on this kid. He isn't a true MLB which is the whole reason I was against taking him as we saw the failure of Woodyard this past season but his athleticism is off the charts and he would be a 3-down guy from day one with the ability to move him around all over the place. Plus Broncos have already shown they are willing to play linebackers out of position a bit if they are more talented than the guys who are more true to the position. Plus fits the bill of multi-year starter and captain which is what Elway likes. Plus a guy that I have seen in most mocks right around where we pick.


Round 2--Keith McGill. Broncos have shown they want big physical corners and this guy fits that bill. Also can play multiple positions which again is what they like on the defensive side of the ball.


Round 3--Billy Turner. Big OT that needs a bit of time to develop. Should have a year to sit and learn as my guess is Chris Clark starts at RT this year but his contract is up after this year so Turner provides depth year one then possible steal after this. Again fits what Elway likes in multi-year starter and dominated from the get go. Plus did well at the Senior Bowl.


Round 4--Charles Sims. Guy is taylor made for a Peyton type offense in he runs well, catches well, and even blocks pretty well. Would be a great compliment to Ball and could start if Ball were to get injured.


Round 5--Pierre Desir. Again another small school project player but a good one at that. We double dip at the Corner position as it is our thinnest position plus one of these two guys could be moved to Safety if needed.


Round 6--Devin Street. This is a guy being overlooked at the WR position and I have no clue why. He has decent speed with good hands and a good route runner. My guess is next season the Broncos will let Welker walk in Free Agency moving Sanders to the slot position meaning we will need a bigger guy on the outside. Street fits that bill well. Good value this late in the draft.


Round 7--Spencer Long. Will have to red-shirt for a year recovering from an ACL tear but was considered a top-100 pick before his injury. Would do well say we lose both Clark and Franklin after this season to have some guys to compete for starting jobs.

 

[DownSetHutch]

Nice job, CD. That wouldn't be a bad draft at all.

Personally, I hope we figure out a way to snag C.J. Mosley, even if it means moving up to the 10-15 range to get him. However, it would be a long shot for us to be able to make this happen, so I see us more likely going in a different direction.

There are about 10-15 players we could end up taking in the 1st, including players at the LB, CB, DL, and OL positions. Its really wide open, as we have multiple needs, but most of those needs are for D-line allowing us to stunt MLB and CB are probably our biggest needs. With MLB, there is a big dropoff in talent after Mosley, and with CB there are about 4-5 that are worthy of being selected in the 1st round. All could be gone before we pick. With that in mind, here is my mock draft 1.0.


Round 1: Kony Ealy, DE, Iowa. We already have 2 good starting quality DEs in Derek Wolfe and Demarcus Ware (WareWolfe anyone?), but Ware is more of a DE/OLB hybrid. It would be good to have 2 DEs that could play 3 downs at that spot and not be a liability vs. the run. Plus, Wolfe can move inside allowing Ware to play either on or off the LOS. And Ware is 31, so it wouldn't hurt for him to be able to take some plays off in order to stay fresh. I think this would give us more flexibility along the D-line allowing us to stunt and to keep offenses guessing.

Round 2: Marcus Martin, C, USC. We need help on the interior of our O-line. Martin has played both C and G, so he would bring not only an upgrade in talent, but flexibility as well.

Round 3: Pierre Desire, CB, Lindenwood. He would be a project for sure, but he could serve as depth while he learns the finer points of playing CB in the NFL. He was very productive in college and has the size and athleticism to be potentially dominant at the next level.

Round 4: Caleb Lavey, ILB, Okla. St. As already mentioned, there is a big dropoff in talent at MLB after Mosley. Most of the other MLBs are not very good in coverage. Lavey is. He senior year saw a huge increase in production, so he could be coming into his own.

Round 5: Dri Archer, RB/WR, Kent St. Archer projects as a slot receiver in the NFL. He has blistering speed (4.26 40) which could be put to use in the return game.

Round 6: Bennett Jackson, CB, ND. Jackson has good size and speed combo and is a CB/S tweener.

Round 7: Brett Smith, QB, Wyoming. There will likely be an open competition for starting QB in Denver in the next year or two. It wouldn't completely surprise me to see us get one more name in the mix for competition.


There it is fellas. Go ahead and tear it up.

 

[DownSetHutch]

Sorry about that 3rd paragraph. I somehow F'kd up the edit. Goddammit

 

[braves66boy]

It looks about as good as any mock draft I have seen, Hutch. I can see us trading our first round pick if Schazier or one of the CBs are not there when we pick. To get multiple picks in the 2nd round to a team that wants to get a QB where we are picking.

 

[randymon]

I think both cd and hutch have a pretty good possible scenarios. I do be believe hutch is closer to Desir going in 3rd than 5th. He`s really been grabbing more attention and is climbing compared to initial mocks. I see a rb for Denver in prob 4th but not Archer. Like Crowell or Sims there. But, to tell ya the truth, I think Elway is going to pull off a major shocker ( at least at first glance). Denver did very good in FA and addressed some very important issues with the D and getting Wolfe,Von ,Vick, Harris etc back, they look very solid barring a injury bug. The Offense with Sanders addition,Ball and healthy Clady and some adjustments, will still be very potent. I say... its very possible, not only because the window with Manning is minimal and Elway just might not be so confident in his current replacement "stable" of qbs,and might believe now is the time, that he just might give up the "fort" to Houston for #1 pk and then.....because he is a very smart business savy guy..........then barters that pk and ..not only recoup some pks back ( and then some) but also gains Mack in the process. Whether it be Clowney or Manziel, not sure. I also think Oz will be involved in trade with Houston. Tell me its absurd. I`ll relish it more come Thursday..... I love speculating and love even more if I`am right!! I could be well off but I still think Elway makes a big move in rd 1

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah I agree that my assessment of Desir is probably off at this point. I see him as a 5th round value because he is such a project but with the push for the bigger Corners these days in the NFL his value will sky rocket. Good thing that won't be my final mock for this competition. I also now am starting to lean towards Shazier not being available at our 1st pick. I have seen at least a few analyst lately saying he is one of the faster risers over the last few weeks and is looking more like he will go in the early 20's than make it to us.


I am leaning even more now to us trading back as either Carr or Bridgewater will be available at our pick and some team is going to want to trade back into the 1st to 1) get in front of Houston and the other quarterback hungry teams and 2) get that 5th year option that saves a team a buttload of money.

 

[cdumler7]

Alright going to do another Mock here today and then decide whether to stick with it or not the day of the draft.


Elway said that we are not looking for a MLB in this draft but more of a nickel linebacker as he believes in Nate Irving. Well I have heard that same story for the past 3 years and yet he never seems to find his way into the starting lineup. So on that note Broncos 1st selection is...




1st--Kyle Van Noy BYU--I really like this kid. He is a play maker and just is all over the field. He played more outside than inside in college but he has the size and strength to move inside. Could actually start more in the nickel role but grow into the 3-down guy for us.


2nd--Cyrus Kouondjio Alabama--This guy was a 1st round lock before reports of his knee came out. He actually reminds me a lot of Franklin who we are moving inside. Does struggle some with speed rushers but with Clady coming back the team should be able to send extra help his way in those type of games. His addition gives us a monster OL that will be fun to watch.


3rd--Philip Gaines Rice--I cannot believe this guy is not getting more attention. He is 6'1", runs a 4.38 forty, and has more pass knock downs of any corner over the last 2 years in college football. He allowed only something like 30% of passes thrown his way to be completed. So he isn't just a great athlete he is actually a very good corner. Needs some time to learn the NFL speed and put on a little muscle but beyond that is a pretty impressive prospect.


4th--Charles Sims WVU--Broncos get another running back to add to the competition. Sims offers the Broncos a great 3rd down back who can not only run but also catch out of the backfield. Also isn't a bad blocker at this point. Reminds me of Matt Forte.


5th--Devin Street Pitt--Not the fastest guy in the world for the receiver position but has the size and hands to be a very good outside receiver. Probably the last of the quality big receivers in this draft in my opinion.


6th--Spencer Long Nebraska--Broncos have shown they are willing to take a player with high upside that is coming off an injury. He can redshirt his first year then gives us a quality player for next season that could push to be in the starting line up pretty easily.


7th--Marqueston Huff Wyoming--His stock has been going down but I have no clue why. This kid is a playmaker from the safety position. For a 7th rounder I really like his chances of sticking around the team.

 

[randymon]

Ok cd here I go..... Denver trades out of first ( to a qb hungry team) and gaines a extra 2nd and a 5th ( with a 1st or 2nd in 2015). Both pks are in top of their respective rds. With their first pk in rd 2 the Denver Broncos select....
2nd- Joel Bitonio OL - Nevada
2nd-S.J- Baptiste Db- Neb
3rd- Ka`Deem Carey Rb- Ariz
4th- Jared Abbradaris Wr- Wisc
5th- David Fales Qb- San Jose St
5th- Avery Williamson -Lb- Kentucky
6th- Lorenzo Taliaferro- Rb- Coastal Carolina
7th-Aaron Colvin- Db- Okla

 

[cdumler7]

I really like the first 4 picks of your draft randymon. Ka'Deem Carey actually reminds me a bit of Terrell Davis in he is being dropped down draft boards because of his 40 time at the Combine but there is no one in college football that has been a better running back over the last 2 years than this kid.


Fales I am not a big fan of as he is very hot and cold plus really lacks much arm strength. When he did get a chance to play some more top competition at the Senior Bowl he fell flat on his face. But hey everybody has a favorite quarterback and he just isn't quite my cup of tea.


The last 3 picks are all quality guys. Colvin won't be there in the 7th as he was a 2nd round pick most likely in the upcoming draft and usually injuries only set a player back 3 rounds at the most. So I would have used the Fales pick on him.


I do agree that the Broncos will most likely be looking to trade back. Right now it looks like Mosley, Shazier, Fuller, Dennard, Gilbert, and Roby will all be off the board before they pick. At that point since there will most likely be a couple of quarterbacks still on the board with 1st round grades like Carr and Bridgewater a trade back would be well worth it. I actually think the guy I drafted KVN with my 1st pick we could drop back a few picks and still get him while picking up a 4th round pick. Probably in my final mock that is what I will do tomorrow.

 

[DownSetHutch]

Randymon, I've seen both Bitonio and Carey mocked to the Broncos. We could definitely end up with either or both. I hope, however, that we draft a bit heavier on the defensive side of the ball. And I see us more likely moving up than down with the first pick. My guess is that we move up and grab either Mosley (1) or Shazier (2), as we have a pretty strong need at MLB. I am tempted to put Mosley in as my 1st pick, but I don't want to jinx it, so I won't.

I can't wait for the draft to start. Its always a blast.

 

[DownSetHutch]

MrDoc420, where are you? I'm looking forward to seeing your picks, so I hope you get them in before the bell tomorrow. And anyone else who wants to throw their hat in the ring, for that matter. The more the merrier.

 

[TDs3nOut]

I have no idea which players we will draft, but I will at least take a blind swing at the positions:

1. DB
2. OL
3. LB
4. RB
5. OL
6. DB

 

[randymon]

Randymon, I've seen both Bitonio and Carey mocked to the Broncos. We could definitely end up with either or both. I hope, however, that we draft a bit heavier on the defensive side of the ball. And I see us more likely moving up than down with the first pick. My guess is that we move up and grab either Mosley (1) or Shazier (2), as we have a pretty strong need at MLB. I am tempted to put Mosley in as my 1st pick, but I don't want to jinx it, so I won't.

I can't wait for the draft to start. Its always a blast.

Hey Hutch. I just don`t know if Elway will give up pks to move up in this deep draft where if you get a shot,moving down would be more benificial. I`am hearing some noise that Denver likes Van Noy also and he could be available if teams grab Mosley and Shazier early and if Denver were to secure an additional 2nd with trade out, he could be a great pk up in 2nd along with either Bitonio or Baptise. In a perfect world of course. Getting very geared up for draft myself. Not just for Denver but this is going to be fun to watch all the way thru 7.

 

[cdumler7]

DownSetHutch I agree it is starting to look like the Broncos will want to trade up. We have very few holes so it makes sense to get the guy that we want the most on our team. I'm really hoping that means Mosley, Fuller, or Dennard are our target. Mosley is probably the guy I want most if we do as I have heard nothing but rave reviews of him in this whole drafting process. They say even the secretaries of teams are impressed by this kid. His coaches rave about his leadership on the field and his ability to just get everybody in perfect position. He isn't as athletic as a guy like Shazier but he has a lot more experience playing in the middle and working through traffic.


So my final Mock then will be this (This is the official one)


Denver Broncos trade their 1st round and 4th round pick this year and 4th round pick next year to move up to 20 (trying to get ahead of Green Bay)


1st Round--I think I have already given this away but CJ Mosley MLB for Alabama.


2nd Round--Marcus Martin C USC--This guy is young (21 years old) and can play all 3 inside positions. Very athletic just needs a year to work on some of the technical parts of the positions. Can then either start for Franklin or Ramirez next year depending what we need.


3rd round--Phillip Gaines CB Rice--Probably my favorite corner in this entire draft so maybe this is wishful thinking but he fits the big and fast corner types that the Broncos are trying to find these days. Was actually very good in coverage so he isn't just an athlete. Needs a year or so to develop but watch out when he does.


4th round--traded


5th round--Carl Bradford OLB/DE Arizona State--I know this draft has been defense heavy but this guy would be too hard to pass up at this point. He is a poor man's Dee Ford is the best way I could describe him. The kid is just all over the field making plays in both the run and pass game. Can play linebacker for us in both the blitzing position and dropping back into coverage. He can sit behind Ware this year learning from him and coming in as a pass rush specialist and then as he develops his NFL body be ready to step in when Ware is done.


6th round--Jeff Janis WR--This kid fits the Elway type of player. He works hard to prove he belongs. Good kid on and off the field. Not afraid to take a hit and sacrifice himself for his team. Will fight for every yard. Not the most gifted of receivers but he will work as hard as anybody on the team. Good value here in the 6th.


7th round--Ross Cockrell CB Duke--There are very few positions on our team with spots open but Cornerback is one that we need at least a couple more bodies. Cockrell is one of the few Duke players who actually had any type of skill. The fact that he could shut down one side of the field by himself even though he had little help around him should show his talent. He might go higher than this but if not the Broncos probably won't find better value than him at this point.


Didn't quite get all the positions covered that I wanted as I probably would have taken a RB with that 4th round pick I gave up but well worth it to get the top prospect at our biggest position lacking a starter.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Hey Hutch. I just don`t know if Elway will give up pks to move up in this deep draft where if you get a shot,moving down would be more benificial. I`am hearing some noise that Denver likes Van Noy also and he could be available if teams grab Mosley and Shazier early and if Denver were to secure an additional 2nd with trade out, he could be a great pk up in 2nd along with either Bitonio or Baptise. In a perfect world of course. Getting very geared up for draft myself. Not just for Denver but this is going to be fun to watch all the way thru 7.

Van Noy looks to me like an interesting player. Seems like a versatile type who could be used creatively as both a pass rusher and in coverage.

 

[DownSetHutch]

CD, I love that draft. I was thinking the same thing about moving up to 20 to get ahead of Green Bay and pick Mosley. Also, the Marcus Martin pick would be prime value in the late 2nd round. That's a very good overall draft for us and makes a lot of sense. I'll take that draft all day.

 

[randymon]

Looks good cd ( quite a change from our other mock) I still don`t see a trade up happening with Elway when the price will be too high and there`s still alot of value with staying pat. If they can work a trade down, then that would be more benificial. If that doesn`t work, then its Van Noy or Verrett @ 31. I would be happy if your mock came true no doubt. Hoping for Carey also. IMHO of course and I still think Elway and Denver is going to pull off a surprise sometime in this draft. I just got this feelin. Can you say Clowney or Manziel??? Trade bait maybe??? I`ll never be accused of not having a vivid imagination for sure. See ya cd and others on board in awhile. Getting geared up alright!!