2009 Draft Reflections – Round One

Draft grades are useless. I don’t believe in grades until a few seasons have passed. However reflecting on who was picked and why is a legitimate idea.

12. Knowshon Moreno

Summary: Some fans out there are calling for Josh McDaniels’ head because this wasn’t Brian Orakpo. I think I’ll stand by McDaniels choice of taking the best running back in the draft who will take pressure off of the quarterback instead of drafting a 4-3 end who is a potential bust (see Vernon Gholston).

Pros: Knowshon Moreno was amazing at Georgia in SEC, end of story. Take a look at some of his film. His forty time may be slow for his position but you can’t knock production. This pick indirectly patches up the quarterback problem. Whoever wins the starting job will have a lot of pressure taken off their shoulders if they have a back who can get the job done. If Moreno lives up to his expectations Brandon Marshall will be seeing a lot less balls thrown his way. Here is a great highlight reel and a him kickin’ it with Herschel Walker. As you can see from the highlight reel that Moreno is capable of doing some amazing things physically.

Cons: The main question is his speed, Moreno did not impress completely at the combine with his forty, but hey, neither did Terrell Davis. Some analysts have stated that he needs to bulk up possibly another 5-10 pounds because of durability concerns. Mike Mayock however thinks he’s the hardest runner since Adrian Peterson.

Good Value: Yes

• Moreno is the top running back of the draft, so taking him at 12 when he could possibly be taken at 16 was a good choice.

Good Pick: Yes

• Moreno has the capability to fix all the kinks in Denver’s underachieving offense. Moreno potentially will add T.O.P, touchdowns, and red zone efficiency, all things Denver has lacked for quite some time.

18. Robert Ayers

Summary: If you happen to be Mike Mayock then you love this guy. Most of you have heard that Mayock said “In three years Ayers wil be the best defensive player of this draft.” Mayock is usually spot on, not always, but usually. Denver hopes his streak continues.

Pros: What is insanely impressive about Ayers was his Senior Bowl performance. Michael Oher got bossed around by Ayers, and not only Oher was labeled Ayers chew toy. There wasn’t a single offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl who could stop Ayers, just take a look at this footage. Ayers possesses both kinds of pass rush techniques, that being the speed rush and the bull rush. It was very impressive watching Ayers knock Kraig Urbik flat on his back. If Ayers brings his style of play to the NFL then we’ll have to start calling him “The Boss” because thats exactly what he does to offensive linemen. Mayock called Mike Nolan a very “creative” defensive coordinator, so Ayers makes sense because Denver will have a hybrid package of 3-4 and 4-3, and he has the ability to play both.

Cons: Ayers exploded his senior year, which gave him the one-year wonder label, so there are questions about consistentcy. What posisiton Ayers will end up playing is still in the air, Ayers weights roughly around 272 pounds which puts in him the middle of a 3-4 defensive and and outside linebacker. What irks me is that analyst have been real hard on Denver for taking Ayers, saying he is not a 3-4 outside linebacker. However, if you weight 272 pounds and your name is Shawne Merriman being a 3-4 outside linebacker has worked out pretty well.

Good Value: Possibly

• Denver possibly could have traded down and still landed Ayers. Ayers stock had been on fire lately so it is hard to say exactly where he would have ended up. I believe that he would have still been available a few picks later, but it is hard and risky to architect a first round draft trade that only skips down a few spots.

Good Pick: Yes

• Like I said before some analysts will slam Denver for taking Ayers because he’s not a prototypical 3-4 defensive end or outside linebacker. Most of them don’t take into account the 3-4 hybrid Denver will run.

All in all I myself was very pleased with the first round. Denver managed to grab the best running back in the draft as well as defensive player with a huge upside. What do you think? Try to keep it to the first round only please. Air it out!