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Published on 04/23/2012 at Mon Apr 23 17:50.
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John Elway: We’re not desperate to draft a DT

Posted Mon Apr 23rd by

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

On Monday, Denver Broncos V.P. of Football Operations John Elway addressed the media to discuss the team’s draft plans.  In the press conference, Elway noted that the team does not view defensive tackle as a dire position of need.

“We don’t feel as bad about our tackles as everybody else does,” said Elway. “I think that we feel OK there and [DT] Ty Warren will be back coming off an injury and [DT Kevin] Vickerson is coming back and then we have some young guys in there where we feel like we’ll be OK. It’s not nearly the need in our minds that people think it is.”

Unless that’s a smokescreen and the team is planning on trading up to select one of the top defensive tackles in the draft, it sounds like the Broncos aren’t planning at drafting a DT in the first round.  Elway did say that the team would be open to trading up (or down) from pick No. 25 on Thursday.  

Elway also hinted that the team has an interest in the cornerbacks that will be available in the first round, pointing out that pass rushers and cornerbacks are vital to have success on defense.

“We struggled all last year against anybody that spread us out. That is the thing. Every team has needs. It’s just a matter of the impact of the people you can find to help solve that need. You can never have enough good corners; you can never have enough good pass rushers. There is no question, corner is another spot that is very vital if you’re going to be good on the defensive side because of where the game is going and the amount of spread offense that we’re seeing now you have to be good in the secondary.”

Does this mean that we can scratch out DT’s Fletcher Cox, Michael Brockers and Jerel Worthy and pencil in CB’s Stephen Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick and Janoris Jenkins as likely candidates for the Broncos later this week?  Not necessarily.  Though BT‘s Ian Henson has been predicting cornerback for months, the team will have many options on draft day.

“We don’t have a mindset of exactly what we’re going to do,” Elway explained. “We’re going to have to wait and see until we get close to that pick at No. 25 and see how the board falls, we’ll never know. It’s a mindset that we want to find the guy that is going to come in and have an impact, whether it is offensively or defensively.”

Depending on who falls and who goes early on draft day, the Broncos may target a large variety of positions (including MLB, WR, RB, QB, DB and DT).  So with the Broncos prepared to draft the best player available, don’t count on them going defensive tackle just because it is a perceived position of need.

What’s your take on the situation?  Are the Broncos wise to go BPA?  Or has defensive tackle been pushed aside for too long?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

  • Anonymous

    I thick Vickerson and Bannan is decent, but he and Warren can’t anchor the DL.  I’m not sold on Warren coming out of injury.  The others have 3 or fewer YoE.  Elway may believe the younger guys can step up?  I don’t know enough about them to say yeah we need to draft DT.  I fully believe we need CB and SS over DT at the moment.  With Miller and Doom coming off the edges, we need the back field that can cover WR’s. Coverage broke down too many times last year.

    But, ever since we let Trevor Pryce go, we haven’t had a really solid DL player to anchor the middle, or close to it (Miller and Doom are the exception.)

  • Anonymous

    “whether it is offensively or defensively.”

    Yep sounds like best player available to me, but I like that! Should I go on again about Stephon Gilmore? Nope I didn’t think so…lol. I do think he could start game one though…

    MLB would be cool as well as OL, cant have enough quality O-Linemen either. I just like the idea, as I’m sure about everyone does, of picking someone that starts game one, regardless of position.

  • Anonymous

    Andrew Luck will be the first player drafted on Thursday.  Every single word beyond that from officials, sports casters and fans is suspect at best and a blatant lie at worst.  We only know that we don’t know.

    Political candidates (and pundits)  cut their puffery and B.S.-ery chops in the NFL draft coverage.

  • http://Facebook.com/BroncosZone Jon

    RG3 will be the second player drafted. After that it’s guesses and lies, as you said.

  • Anonymous

    I am back and forth on what position we should go after in
    the 1st.  On one side, we were
    rushed on basically at will last year and a DT would def help here. Now the
    other side has me thinking that Peyton will have us in the lead a lot more and
    will cause teams to pass more.  Which may
    help our rush def some.  Also there is a
    lot of depth at DT this year and what keeps up going let say CB in 1st
    and picking 1 or 2 DTs in the 2nd and 3rd?  I guess I would rather have them pick bpa
    instead of reaching for a player.    Or… Trading
    back wouldn’t bother me as well.    

  • http://twitter.com/TimLynch1978 Tim Lynch

    Lynch in the house!

  • http://twitter.com/TimLynch1978 Tim Lynch

    Naw, the Redskins traded up to draft a Guard. :P

  • rcsodak

    Past thr 1st, i’d like to see cb (fleming) and rb(utah st kid). Sell later picks to move back into the 3rd for another couple players and be done. Top100 players only, screw the rest.

  • mcyogi

    Just Elway being smart and saying what he should to preserve maximum leverage when our pick comes around (in the event someone that another team really covets is available at that spot…wouldn’t want that team thinking we’re going to reach for someone for need, i.e. Worthy).

  • 5280

    as a fan i disagree. i think we need a DT hands down. ya we got a couple of relatively young guys but theyre average at best. vivkerson hasnt proven anything and warren is too injury prone.  we need to try and get a to quality DT and hope that he pans out. actually we need a couple for depth. but it might not have to be in the 1st. theres a lot of talent this year at DT and we might be able to scoop a few good ones in the later rounds. above all tho, elway hasnt done anything i didnt like except get rid of tebow and that probably wont matter anyway. he’s been doing a great job so i trust he’ll make the right decisions. 

  • flbronc

    translation:  we have so many needs and a general lack of quality depth, if there is not a dt left with a first round grade, we’re either trading back or we’re picking the best guy on our board.  but what we’re not going to do is take a second or third round prospect late in the first just to please you.

    personally, i like it.

  • Anonymous

    So far (I think) Elway’s doing a great job with the poker side of the NFL.  He never shows his cards and keeps everyone guessing.  The last thing you want to do going into a draft is let other teams know your strategy.  It also sounds to me like he is sold on the BPA strategy and I think long term that is going to serve us very well.  

  • Anonymous

    If somebody has an extra computer monitor please send it to Mr. East…his was somehow thrown across the room after hearing this from Elway.

  • Anonymous

    Whatever you guys in the war room do, please do NOT draft a QB or any RB not named Trent Richardson in the first.

    I think we go DB, DT, RB with our first 3 picks. If I had to guess, those 3 picks would be Kirkpatrick, Brandon Thompson and Turbin. I’m in favor of trading back if we can still get the players we want. I would only trade up if we could swap firsts and our 4th rounder, not the one we got from NYJ.

    As far as DT goes, its a really deep DT draft. We don’t need to draft one in the first.

  • King

     Yep.  fun and games, fun and games. 

  • Komul

    my prediction kirk cousins second round….cornerback round… 1 wr round 3