NFL Draft thoughts

[TDs3nOut]

La'el Collins (LSU I believe).

That is somewhat surprising, since he was considered a first round pick. I have to think that a sort of PR backlash from the Hernandez case discouraged teams from drafting Collins, even with a late round pick. If he is cleared of any wrong doing, then you have to figure he will get a big UDFA deal from some team.

 

[WalkerBoh]

That is somewhat surprising, since he was considered a first round pick. I have to think that a sort of PR backlash from the Hernandez case discouraged teams from drafting Collins, even with a late round pick. If he is cleared of any wrong doing, then you have to figure he will get a big UDFA deal from some team.

Exactly why I would have spent one of our late 7th rounders on him. There's no indication so far the guy was involved, and it would guarantee his rights if/when he's cleared. 1st round talent and teams were content to just let him fall into the UDFA pool? Becomes a lottery at this point, especially since he won't qualify for the 2016 draft.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Okay. I think I see one reason he wasn't drafted. Apparently if he were, he would qualify for 2016 draft if he didn't sign. It was a threat he floated. By not being drafted, he's ineligible for 2016, and can sign only a limited contact. Still, might have been worth a pick only to try to talk him off the ledge, so to speak.

 

[Broncosballer32]

Taurean Nixon? I am trying to find scouting reports on him and I cannot find much. I had to look twice when I saw he was clocked at 4.4 and some reports say he was 4.36. Others, rumored that he ran faster than that, and he is listed at 6'0 tall.

What am I missing here about him? I mean any DB let alone a corner that is 6 foot and running 4.4 or faster ought to garner a lot of attention. Why or how did last till the 7th?

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed about the draft. Not much more to add to that.

 

[randymon]

La'el Collins (LSU I believe).

Right Duh. Yeah Walker me too. Maybe the info that`s being kept discreet is more damaging than the public knows. I would of thought somebody would of taken a chance in 3rd rd at least if there wasn`t.

 

[randymon]

He did say if he wasn`t drafted in 2nd or 3rd,he would not sign with anybody so pretty much after 3rd rd,he was off all draft boards anyway.

 

[cdumler7]

Taurean Nixon? I am trying to find scouting reports on him and I cannot find much. I had to look twice when I saw he was clocked at 4.4 and some reports say he was 4.36. Others, rumored that he ran faster than that, and he is listed at 6'0 tall.

What am I missing here about him? I mean any DB let alone a corner that is 6 foot and running 4.4 or faster ought to garner a lot of attention. Why or how did last till the 7th?

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed about the draft. Not much more to add to that.

Taurean Nixon falls into what I would call the Seattle category. Teams seem more willing in the late rounds to take a flyer on an athlete that maybe isn't the best at football but all the physical skills are there that just need to be coached up. Seattle does this all the time in their drafts so starting to see other teams copy it. He did play significant snaps in 3 straight seasons so there is some football background. The other part of this with him is Elway loves kids that are leaders. He was his schools student president, 4.0 gpa, and was known for his hard work. The Broncos probably think because he has that kind of background that he is very coachable and that they can maybe maximize those physical abilities.

 

[DenBronc]

I think that Shane Ray will do well, and he may have an outside chance for DROY.

That being said, I felt that they needed to come out of this draft with two guys that were virtual locks to start on the offensive line right away. That's why I would have gone for D.J. Humphries in Round 1 and Shaq Mason in Round 3. You could have gotten a good edge rusher in Round 2 (Gregory, Owa, or Harold).

I also think that the NT they took (Kilgo) could be the sleeper of their draft.

 

[Broncosballer32]

I think that Shane Ray will do well, and he may have an outside chance for DROY.

That being said, I felt that they needed to come out of this draft with two guys that were virtual locks to start on the offensive line right away. That's why I would have gone for D.J. Humphries in Round 1 and Shaq Mason in Round 3. You could have gotten a good edge rusher in Round 2 (Gregory, Owa, or Harold).

I also think that the NT they took (Kilgo) could be the sleeper of their draft.

A few problems I have with Kilgo. First of all he is 6'3. That is rather tall for a NT. Ideally, you want that NT to be around 6 foot or 6 foot 1. It is rather difficult for someone that tall to get the leverage. Just that much more difficult to get those shoulder pads lower.

Low and behold, when you read the scouting reports on Kilgo, that is his main weakness.


Weaknesses:

• Plays a little too upright sometimes
• Not a pass rusher
• Needs to improve his hand technique at the point of attack
• Needs to disengage blocks better
• Doesn't have the strongest lower half
• His snap anticipation needs to be improved

2015 NFL Draft: Scouting Denver Broncos nose tackle Darius Kilgo - Mile High Report

He really will not be able to improve on that aspect of playing too upright. Just due to his physical height.

I am wondering who the Broncos are planning on using at NT at this point. Hope it is not this guy. I know that is why they drafted him, but let us not have delusions of grandeur about him. Let us hope he can be an impact guy, but there is a reason why he was not very high on the radar as far as NTs or DTs are concerned.

Also, it is going to be rather difficult for Shane Ray to be ROY unless there is an injury to Von or Ware. Right now, I guess he comes in on passing downs. I am still not quite sure where he lines up.

What, are they going to take Ware out on passing downs? Huh. There are only TWO edge rushers, and the Broncos now have 3 with Ray. I know, they can come up with something "creative."

OK.

Having said all of that I agree with your analysis. Humphries would be an immediate starter.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Vince Wilfork is 6-2 and Haloti Ngata is 6-4, so perhaps the 6-3 Kilgo is a sort of average of the two?

I think that the plan is to start Williams or Austin, with Kilgo perhaps cracking the rotation and maybe even bringing in another player later. Does seem a little risky, but Elway seems to be all in on getting Williams to live up to what was expected of him when he was drafted.

 

[Broncosballer32]

Vince Wilfork is 6-2 and Haloti Ngata is 6-4, so perhaps the 6-3 Kilgo is a sort of average of the two?

I think that the plan is to start Williams or Austin, with Kilgo perhaps cracking the rotation and maybe even bringing in another player later. Does seem a little risky, but Elway seems to be all in on getting Williams to live up to what was expected of him when he was drafted.

Yeah, I am nitpicking. I was stating my personal view of what a NT is or should be ideally. The simple fact is the NT is the key imo for a 3-4 to work optimally. Right behind that need is an edge rusher. The Broncos have that, no doubt. A plethora of them and we know that.

I guess I am a little frustrated they did not resign Pot Roast. No, he is not the height I mentioned, but talk about the quintessential NT in todays NFL. He even had pass rushing skills. Rather rare for a NT, trust that.

I am just trying to figure out who the NT is going to be. A good one is rather difficult to find. Yes, I was hoping they would have signed Ngata if they were not going to resign pot roast.

I am just not all that excited about what they have and not all that enthused by what they drafted considering his weaknesses, and how he was not on the radar and hardly any scouting reports as a great prospect.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Yeah, I am nitpicking. I was stating my personal view of what a NT is or should be ideally. The simple fact is the NT is the key imo for a 3-4 to work optimally. Right behind that need is an edge rusher. The Broncos have that, no doubt. A plethora of them and we know that.

I guess I am a little frustrated they did not resign Pot Roast. No, he is not the height I mentioned, but talk about the quintessential NT in todays NFL. He even had pass rushing skills. Rather rare for a NT, trust that.

I am just trying to figure out who the NT is going to be. A good one is rather difficult to find. Yes, I was hoping they would have signed Ngata if they were not going to resign pot roast.

I am just not all that excited about what they have and not all that enthused by what they drafted considering his weaknesses, and how he was not on the radar and hardly any scouting reports as a great prospect.

I too favored addressing NT more than we seemingly have. At the same, I also understand that the team has to decide how to allocate cap space and my understanding is that we don't have a lot of cap available. Elway has kind of acknowledged that he is counting on Williams to really step up this year.

 

[Broncosr0k]

Cap space was the issue with trying to get Ngata or Wilfork.

Like most fans here I find our NT position a little suspect. I have heard Wade Phillips plays his NT different than a normal 3-4 so hopefully it can mask the position a little.

I am interested to see how the depth chart shakes out, especially for the O-line.

 

[cdumler7]

Cap space was the issue with trying to get Ngata or Wilfork.

Like most fans here I find our NT position a little suspect. I have heard Wade Phillips plays his NT different than a normal 3-4 so hopefully it can mask the position a little.

I am interested to see how the depth chart shakes out, especially for the O-line.

So going to just answer a few of these in one post. This isn't all just geared towards you Broncosr0k...

About the OL and not taking one in the 1st round I still think we got 2 guys that stand a very good chance to start. Sambrailo from everything I have been reading was one of the guys the Broncos targeted most in this draft. They think he is the perfect fit for what Kubiak loves to do on the OL. I know some think we reached on him but if you understand what Kubiak does with his OL he doesn't go after the typical players that most teams do. He looks for a unique skill set. Heck last year he started 2 rookies on the Ravens OL and they didn't do too bad. They were also 5th round picks or later. Then you have Garcia who is one of only two at the Senior Bowl that was said to do well against Shelton and Carl Davis on the DL. Garcia doesn't quite have the lateral movement that you want in a Center for the ZBS but what he does have is a great base that helps him not give up ground to a DT/NT to get pressure up the middle. In two years at Florida he didn't give up a single sack. This was a protect Peyton and our future quarterback type draft pick. So yes we could actually have 2 rookies starting this year. Honestly the OL is going to be the greatest competition at training camp as the Broncos essentially have 6 guys they have brought in the last 2 years to compete for the 3 spots plus a couple already on the roster.

As for the NT position it actually is not the center piece in the 3-4 1-gap defense that Wade likes to run. His system doesn't need an all-star at the position to have success. Heck his is one of the few systems that can have even a guy just weighing 300 lbs. and still have success. He did this in Dallas where at one point his NT was under 300 lbs. and they still had a top-10 defense. At this point our 6th round pick is a developmental player. Elway has shown that he likes to take starter caliber players in the first few rounds then use the back part of the draft to find athletes that they hope to build into good football players. Which is why they took a Corner who wasn't all that productive but can run a 4.3 forty and is as smart as they come. It is the same with Kilgo. He was picked because Kollar came to Elway and Kubiak and told them he wants this kid as he sees huge potential in him. If Kollar sees something in this kid then I tend to believe he can train this kid into a quality at least rotational piece. Maybe not this upcoming season but for next year and beyond. Really with most drafts you are drafting for the next season not this one. While yes I do think we will have 4 rookies with our first 4 picks contribute this year it is not the norm to count on them to be all-stars day 1. Roby was the only one last year that got significant playing time but for this upcoming season there are high expectations in Denver from what I understand for Latimer, Schofield, and Barrow. Like I said I don't see Kilgo actually even making the roster. I think he is PS year one. They can store him on there while they build him up for next year when we will possibly be losing a good chunk of our DL depth. So that means the team is banking on Sly Williams to be the man. Reports that I have read from this off season say he has really devoted himself more so than the last couple of years. Elway has been checking in on him and Sly has decided to stay in Denver all off season training with Greek. Since they didn't take a NT in this draft I would say Elway and the coaching staff have really liked what they have seen from him.

 

[cdumler7]

Also have to remember we are just not always going to have all-stars at every position every year. I remember last year when Moreno had left people were really questioning our RB position and that we should have drafted somebody. Next thing you know this year we are considered to have one of the deeper RB positions if Ball can get back to how he finished his rookie year.

For this upcoming season we are just going to have some question marks at ILB, NT, and OL. I would say though by them not drafting an ILB and then waiting until the 6th for a NT that the Broncos don't view those as big of a question mark as the fans do.

 

[Broncosr0k]

For this upcoming season we are just going to have some question marks at ILB, NT, and OL. I would say though by them not drafting an ILB and then waiting until the 6th for a NT that the Broncos don't view those as big of a question mark as the fans do.

That is what I would take from it too. I don't think Elway and coaching staff have really considered ILB a need position despite what "experts" would tell us.

I think there is so much talent on the offensive line this year that there could be some fun camp battles. Could be fun to see if one of our picks last year start or one of the guys this year. We just need to fast forward to September and get the season going.

 

[cdumler7]

That is what I would take from it too. I don't think Elway and coaching staff have really considered ILB a need position despite what "experts" would tell us.

I think there is so much talent on the offensive line this year that there could be some fun camp battles. Could be fun to see if one of our picks last year start or one of the guys this year. We just need to fast forward to September and get the season going.

I agree with that wholeheartedly. I would say linebacker while having some major question marks is the position that has the most players competing for just a few spots. We have a lot of young potential that the Broncos have picked up over the last couple of years. My guess is at least one of them emerge this year like that of a Lamin Barrow or my personal favorite Shaq Barrett. I would say what the team saw in limited snaps from Todd Davis helps as well as he actually had a couple of quality games at MLB for us. So again there is a lot of potential at the position.

I do think this past draft showed us not only where the team saw the biggest need but also answered some questions by what they didn't do. Such as Osweiler looks to be our quarterback of the future. I can't see Elway feeling comfortable about next year and not taking a QB early unless this is true. No way is he trusting this team to a rookie especially since we will be picking later in round 1 where the quality of QB is questionable at best.

As said above it does seem the team is going to trust Sly Williams to head the middle of the defense.

Finally I think the Broncos showed they are planning on moving Roby to FS this year. By taking a slot corner instead of a safety in the 5th round it shows that is the position the Broncos see needing the competition. With the Safety position honestly only having 3 true safeties at this time then the Broncos have to have something up their sleeve.

 

[cdumler7]

A few problems I have with Kilgo. First of all he is 6'3. That is rather tall for a NT. Ideally, you want that NT to be around 6 foot or 6 foot 1. It is rather difficult for someone that tall to get the leverage. Just that much more difficult to get those shoulder pads lower.

Low and behold, when you read the scouting reports on Kilgo, that is his main weakness.


Weaknesses:

• Plays a little too upright sometimes
• Not a pass rusher
• Needs to improve his hand technique at the point of attack
• Needs to disengage blocks better
• Doesn't have the strongest lower half
• His snap anticipation needs to be improved

2015 NFL Draft: Scouting Denver Broncos nose tackle Darius Kilgo - Mile High Report

He really will not be able to improve on that aspect of playing too upright. Just due to his physical height.

I am wondering who the Broncos are planning on using at NT at this point. Hope it is not this guy. I know that is why they drafted him, but let us not have delusions of grandeur about him. Let us hope he can be an impact guy, but there is a reason why he was not very high on the radar as far as NTs or DTs are concerned.

Also, it is going to be rather difficult for Shane Ray to be ROY unless there is an injury to Von or Ware. Right now, I guess he comes in on passing downs. I am still not quite sure where he lines up.

What, are they going to take Ware out on passing downs? Huh. There are only TWO edge rushers, and the Broncos now have 3 with Ray. I know, they can come up with something "creative."

OK.

Having said all of that I agree with your analysis. Humphries would be an immediate starter.

I've now watched two of Kilgo's games and honestly I see some of this but not on a consistent basis. Yes he can play high when he is not playing at 100%. He also has other times that he powers through a gap to make a play at or behind the LOS. And while yes he is not going to offer a ton in the pass rush department he does offer some ability to shoot gaps and get immediate pressure. And while yes there are plays he gets pushed out of the play there are others he took on double teams and was able to free himself to make the play on the RB. His issue from what I can tell has more to do with consistency and strength than actual ability on the field. It is why I think a year on the PS and him working with Kollar he could be a nice rotation piece for the DL. I can now see why Kollar was begging Elway to draft this kid. I don't see him as our starting NT but I do see him as a guy that can come in as part of the rotation and make some nice plays for us.

 

[randymon]

Wouldn`t it be nice to know someone who was close to you that had a key inside position in the Broncos organization and be able to get more credible/accurate inside info on players,huh? Fact is, we all have no clue as to how many of these guys have made big strides and have really made big improvements in last couple yrs. Obviously Elway and Co. know a tad more than us when it comes to evaluating their current personnel. Pretty much everybody here would say that you sure as hell made big strides from yr 1 to yr 3 when you started your career. If not,you get fired. No matter who gets the starting nod on both sides of ball, there is still going to be a learning curve with everyone going into season under a new staff and new philosphy this yr. Patience will be very key in the beginning but I expect them to be running on all cylinders with the guys they got by wk 4-5 and their also going to be a much more fired up aggressive team this yr on both sides of the ball damn it!!!

 

[randymon]

Well thy waived Cornick