Finally, the hype settles down. But we still don’t know much more than we did a few days ago.
The rite of spring known as the NFL Draft came and went with its usual, accompanying cacophony of opinions and overanalysis.
A simple fact remains, though, after all the “war rooms” have been converted back to their normal states: No one knows which teams did well and which teams did not.
We all can root for our favorite teams to select players we think will be good. We can all debate why we think a particular team’s draft was good or not so good.
But when you get right down to it, we just don’t know which players will be good and which ones won’t.
Those are helpful reminders for me as I think about the Broncos’ 2009 draft.
Many people thought the Broncos would emphasize defense. They didn’t. They selected four defensive players and six offensive players. I expected the Broncos to come out of the weekend with a balance of offensive and defensive players. They were closer to that than they were to emphasizing defense.
Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels said they stuck to their board. They didn’t take a defensive player simply because there are certain needs on that side of the ball. How can you argue with that?
It is clear that Coach McDaniels believes the Broncos have many positions that need to be fortified. I believe the Broncos took some good steps in improving their roster.
– They drafted Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno 12th overall. I believe Moreno will be an outstanding NFL running back. He is tough, versatile and still young, having played only two years of college football. There is a big part of me that will be surprised if he isn’t the Broncos’ starting running back come September.
Remember, a good running game is a great friend to a defense. If Moreno helps the Broncos up their first down total per game, that is more time the defense gets to be on the sideline. Given the Broncos’ struggles getting tough yards in the red zone the last few years, a running back like Moreno might mean more points per game, too.
– I like the free agent signings of safeties Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill. They bring talent and experience. They also bring some age to the position. The Broncos drafted two safeties, Darcel McBath of Texas Tech and Notre Dame’s David Bruton. The Broncos needed depth and needed youth at this position and they got both.
They also apparently got a great special teams player in Bruton. Coach McDaniels called Bruton the best special teams player in the draft. I don’t think any of us need to go back over the special teams numbers from a year ago. Again, if the special teams coverage units improve, other teams will have worse field position, thus helping the Broncos’ defense.
– The Broncos tried to shore up the interior of their offensive line. Ryan Clady ad Ryan Harris are the bookend tackles but the Broncos needed to add some depth to the interior of the line. There are still some questions as to whether center Casey Wiegmann will be back.
– I like the pick of CB Alphonso Smith out of Wake Forest. I know the Broncos gave up a first round pick next year to get Smith. I generally don’t like to see a team do that. But in this case, now is the time. I like that Coach McDaniels and Brian Xanders were aggressive and went after a player they believe will help them.
I also chuckle at the assumption that the pick the Broncos traded to Seattle will likely be a top ten pick. It might turn out to be just that. But we don’t know that yet.
My good friend Stan Cotten announces the Wake Forest games and has seen Smith play for four years. Stan has great things to say about Smith, most notably that “things seem to happen around him.” Smith was a playmaker who covered some of the best receivers in the country (including first-round picks Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey and Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina). Does any of this make Smith a can’t-miss NFL prospect? Of course not. But I won’t bet against him yet, either.
– Without question, the Broncos drafted high-quality people in this year’s draft. I had the opportunity to talk with all five Saturday draft picks and I was thoroughly impressed. All five young men were articulate, sincere, smart and caring. Yet I could also sense they were intensely competitive. I know a successful NFL team has to have talent. If these guys have the talent to contribute, then the Broncos will undoubtedly be far better than we could even hope for.
For as much as I think the Broncos helped themselves in the draft, there is no doubt that questions remain, the biggest of which relates to the defensive line. How good will this unit be? There were no high-profile additions to this area of the team, either through free agency or the draft, so can the players the Broncos have added show themselves to be talented NFL players?
What will the defensive scheme ultimately look like?
Who will emerge as the starting quarterback and will Kyle Orton or Chris Simms be effective?
What will be the make-up of the Broncos offensive backfield?
Will the NFL suspend wide receiver Brandon Marshall and if so, for how many games?
Those and other questions remain. I don’t have the answers to those questions and ultimately, the Broncos don’t either right now.
That’s OK. Just like we don’t know which teams had good drafts at this point, we also don’t yet know which teams will be good and which ones won’t.
But it sure is fun talking about it.
What are your impressions of the Broncos draft? Thanks for reading and offering your thoughts.
Later this week, I’ll bring you some highlights of my interviews with some of the Broncos draft picks.
Tags: 2009 NFL Draft