Arguments for Drafting a Safety

Today’s the last day for the BroncoTalk Draft Breakdowns, and we’re tackling safeties today (instead of the other way around. No, it never gets old). We’ll tell you why the Broncos should draft one in the first round, why they shouldn’t, then leave it up to you in the poll. Enjoy!

The Denver Broncos fell apart at the safety position last year, to put it simply.  After John Lynch went down due to injury, and Nick Ferguson‘s performance fell off, the team was suddenly relying on unproven guys to fill the void.  Hamza Abdullah showed both upside and down, and Domonique Foxworth continued to show his versatility.

But Foxworth could very well be your fabled “Jack of all Trades, Master of None.”  John Lynch returned at a lower price, and believe me, I love him for it, but this is almost certainly his last year.

The Broncos bought in two veterans, Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree, for valuable depth and to compete for a starting job.  My hunch is that Hamza and McCree have the edge in the lineup, although if Lynch is healthy he could easily have something to say about that.

The problem is that all of these safeties, with perhaps the exception of Abdullah, have seemed to reach their potential already.  We’re not looking at upside with these players.  They’re band-aids until the Broncos can find someone else long term.

Drafting a safety with the talent that would warrant a first round pick would definitely improve the team.  I’d recommend moving down to do it and take Kenny Phillips, and that would complement an already very talented secondary quite nicely.