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Published on 04/27/2009 at Mon Apr 27 11:54.
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Denver Broncos 2009 Draft Results

Posted Mon Apr 27th by

Ladies and gentlemen, your Denver Broncos 2009 draft class…



1. Knowshon Moreno
Running Back (12)

1. Robert Ayers
Defensive End (18)


2. Alphonso Smith
Cornerback (37)

2. Darcel McBath
Defensive Back (48)

2. Richard Quinn
Tight End (64)


4. David Bruton
Safety (114)

4. Seth Olsen
Guard (132)

5. Kenny McKinley
Wide Receiver (141)


6. Tom Brandstater
Quarterback (174)

7. Blake Schlueter
Center (225)

Kyle’s take: I loved the first two picks. From then on, I would have to say I was very disappointed. I understand the offense had some holes last year as well, but the defense needed to be addressed more, particularly the front seven. And I’m still livid at the trade for Alphonso Smith. I’ll give a grade of C, mostly because the first two picks are so important, and I think we nailed it on them. What are your thoughts? Poll after the jump.

How would you grade the Broncos 2009 draft?

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  • roshon2411

    Transformed, more like destroyed! The offense might have been 16 in points but thats what happens when your down to the 8th string running back. It’s Shanny’s fault, but if a guy like Moreno was playing last year and those last three weeks, Denver is top ten in points and in the playoffs. Hell, if the Defense was 16th in anything, no one would be talking about the offense.

  • DC

    They do sometimes when the T pulls.

  • inrodwetrust

    If you think we didn’t draft well because we didn’t fill needs you should look at how the Bill Parcell’s tree all approach the drafts…..If you try and reach for a need on your team you get burnt. You must take the best talent at the time based on your scouts draft grade. It does not matter what round you take a guy in they have about the same chance of becoming great. So trading a 2nd round pick for a lesser valued 1st (because it is next year) is not a bad value. Also we traded one 3 round pick up for a second by trading down the other 3rd round pick to 4th. So still 2 guys that have a chance to be great.
    Can you argue that coach McDaniels got bad players? just watch some of the interviews of the new players: http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=609 . Especially Knowshon, but all the players wanted to get better, and help the team get better. It is like we drafted a bunch of Rod Smith offspring.

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Jonathan Douglas

    If I wanted to watch the Patriots I’d watch the Patriots.

    Very good point about SF. I liked SF back in the day. I think it fit perfectly with the Wild West gunslinger mentality (so did Cutler by the way). But a mass-produced, vanilla ‘system’ isn’t exciting. I think that’s why most people hate NE. Their coach has an ego problem, and they completely lack personality as players or as a team.

    I DO blame McD for losing Cutler. But it’s not just for one meeting he screwed up, it’s for firing Bates and rest of the offensive coaches. It’s for going out of his way to try to replace our exciting youth QB with a drab vanilla backup QB. And it’s for gutting the offense that WAS working (when given a small amount of defense) for this ‘system’ of NE — all the while refusing to address the defensive front in any meaningful way.

    Of our QB’s right now I like Simms… but I’ll be honest – I think he has too much fire and personality to make Josh’s team. I think McD would rather have a robot.

    …am I taking this too far? Probably. It really just comes down to a gut feeling. And I just don’t ‘feel it’.

    Let’s hope that changes… cause I don’t think I’m the only one that feels that way.

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Jonathan Douglas

    inrod,

    I agree that we got good players (and people). I disagree with what we paid to get them.

    Also, I feel like we keep going back to ‘best available’. YES, that’s true, but why not trade up to get Raji with the same picks he gave up to move up later in the draft?

    No one has given me an quality answer to this?

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Jonathan Douglas

    One more question…

    Would you have rather had Raji and our current RB’s, or Moreno and our D-line from last year?

    That’s a very scary question….

  • DC

    I don’t know if you know but last year our O was like the patriots. And if your going to mimick anyone, why not the patriots? They are the only dynasty this decade. I have faith in this years draftees. Now, how many days till game 1?

  • roshon2411

    Reyes,

    I totally agree with you about Gilbert. We give credit to McDaniels for bringing the Patriot Way to Denver. But what happen during the draft? The Patriots knocked it out of the park by trading down and grabbing the best available and gaining picks. While Denver traded up for players, who clearly weren’t the best available at the time.

  • DC

    Raji is overated. If there was a decent DT class he wouldn’t have gone first. He was the best but a lot of scouts don’t consider him to be as good as the DT’s last year, and they turned out mediocre so far.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    Quotes from McD’s presser:

    On speaking with drafted players

    “I personally spoke to each player that we drafted before we actually sent the card in today. Most of the players, I think seven in total, came to the facility before. The other three we worked out extensively in private workouts. We either met them here, did a private workout, or, in many cases, did both. We are very familiar with each player we have now. I think that helps the process. When we called today and I got on the phone, there was a familiar voice on the other end. They knew me, I knew them, and they knew what we’re about too. They’ve heard it before.”

    On familiarity with drafted players

    “We took advantage; we used almost all of the allotment we are permitted as far as bringing players in. I think the number is 30 that you’re permitted. We brought in close to 30. Like I said, seven of ten have been here before. They know their way around, they’ve seen the facility. They’ve met me and the coaching staff. We targeted players; we weren’t trying to throw a bunch of smokescreens in the process. We wanted to bring in players we had a sincere interest in and we felt could help our team. We’re fortunate that we felt comfortable with them, we watched them on tape, we brought them here, and we saw them at the combine. We have a mini relationship started already with many of them.”

    I doubt this is the way the Patriots do things. They don’t limit their board to 30 players, and they don’t pigeon hole and reach for players they want. These quotes don’t sit well with me.

  • inrodwetrust

    Well lucky for us we don’t have last years line. Is B.J. Raji the best NT from next years draft also? It does take a while to draft all the holes Shanahanagins left in our defense. Plus how much would you have spent to move up for Raji? It might have been a 1st from this year and a 1st + 2nd from next year. Since it is a crap shoot in the draft anyway, I would rather have more players than ones taken sooner. Time will tell if Raji is even any good anyway, maybe he does not have the attitude we are looking for.

  • BroncoinVA9986

    I am gonna give my grades as follows..

    Knowshon Moreno-A+++++ he will be a difference maker and they kept him out of San Diego. He will be an all down back. I expect cory buckhalter to be the power back and knowshon to be the speed back..

    Robert Ayers–A- wasn’t the best defensive player on the board…but he was the best defensive player avaliable at 18.. He can play OLB and DE…DOOM THOMAS AYERS sounds real nice to me.

    Alfonso SMith–A …..some of you guys are to obessed with numbers you look at height and weight instead of stats.. SMith was projected to be a top ten pick at the begining of the year and drop….He had twenty some career interceptions at Wake…in one of the best pro Talent conferences in the country the ACC.

    IF HE ENDS UP BEING A STUD AND WORKHORSE AND A CONTRIBUTOR YOU GUYS WONT BITCH ABOUT THAT FIRST ROUND PICK

    Darcel Beth- B- I don’t know much about this kid but I know the big twelve sucks at defense…

    Richard Quinn-D- He will be a good blocking tight end and will contribute on special teams..I give a D because they traded away two third rounds for him

    David Bruton- C- He will be a contributor on special teams and defense and will be learning the game under arguably the best safety in the game Brian Dawkins

    Seth Olsen-C don’t know why we got this guy…but he is a decent football player that will add depth to the O line

    KENNY MCKINLEY–B++++++ This is the steal of the draft…this kid can flat out play ball. He is quick and has good hands.. He can play the slot and will be good replacement for Bradon Stokes whenever Brandon hangs the helmet up….This guy can return kicks

  • roshon2411

    Whats wrong with smoke screens, helped nab Cutler? Anything from Xanders? Thought he was going to have control of personel? Isn’t that why Bowlen got rid of Shanny?

  • DC

    Kyle if you listen to the whole thing he said there was about 100 players on the board from both offense and defense. What he said was the league alloted them 30 players to come in and practice and that he used most of the 30 up.

  • Katch22

    I liked some of the picks but the deal for TE Quinn was a REACH! So now we have 6 SS/FS on the roster? I can see the CB’s even if the price was high but more WR’s and another RB…….. I hope McD is leasing his home and not buying if this all blows up in his face! I’m on the fence right now but I REALLY like the undrafted signing of WR Swift. Dudes a machine just watch his work ethic, reminds me of a past Bronco………

  • BroncoinVA9986

    Tom Brandstater????-C+ this kid is teachable…I don’t watch fresno state High school football so i can’t comment on this kid…He could be the Next Tom Brady or the Next Ryan leaf

    Blake SChlueter-C+ —Good replacement for Casey when he retires…

    Overall I say they got quality players…but forgot to get a MIDDLE LINBACKER AND A NOSE tackle…So I give them a C++

  • Candide

    Brilliant Draft! You know how I know, because everybody hates it. Each of these picks was very high quality. McDaniels will be the coach of this team 15 years from now and he will have 3 Super bowls wins on his side of the ledger.

  • scottey

    I just wish someone would have taken the crayons away from McDaniels and told him the bubbles beside the names weren’t just for coloring in. How do you pass on some of those defensive players out there is just staggering!

  • juice

    does anyone have a good site for the Broncos current undrafted free agent signings?

  • Ryan M.

    Can we all agreet that all our picks after the first round would have been there for us at our natural spot…meaning there was no need to sacrifice to get them. At the very least Richard Quinn would have been around at our natural 3rd round pick. Alphonso Smith might definitely have been around at #48 too.

  • inrodwetrust

    I think people are just shocked that we didn’t get 10 defensive players in the draft. I was stunned to see Knowshon as our first pick and my initial reaction was “did that just happen?” then I saw K.M.’s press conference and I thought Shanahan who?

  • inrodwetrust

    Here is the most complete list I have seen for the UDFA’s so far: http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2009/04/2009-undrafted-free-agent-signings-list.html . Sorry it has to be a Patties fan site. Though it would seem fitting from the conversation.

  • http://broncotalk.net Ben

    I gave us a B, if u look at our draft it is actually pretty strong. Moreno is absolutley amazing at runningback, Ayers was considered the best draftee in the class in 3 years, Alphonso Smith was said to be a top 5 pick if he was an inch or 2 taller. Plus, we still have next years 1st, we need to look out for this year not next. We also might still trade Scheff to the Browns along with some draft picks next year (or maybe an rb) and we could get Shaun Rogers back.

  • http://broncotalk.net Ben

    Mike Mayock said this about Ayers.

  • http://birty.blogspot.com mikebirty

    JD & East – deep breaths!

    If McD showed one thing it was that he was aggressive going after the players he liked – like Kyle I’m not certain I like the price paid for some players but the one thing that is certain is that if he had liked Raji or Brace they would have been Broncos. I just don’t think he liked them for whatever reason. Do you want me to speculate why because I have no reason – only they do.

    Last year I was going on and on about the need for defensive tackles (you can check the comments if you want – I even suggested passing on Clady and trading for Ellis) and we got one who went on IR. There’s been a need for a new defensive line ever since Pryce left and the Browncos were split up. But that said this years front 7 is way better than last years. We do not have the same D-Line as last year. No Engleberger, No Ekuban, No Robertson and in their stead there’s Ayres, Reid and Powell. There’s a situation I could see a situation the entire defense will contain three starters from last year.

    Nolan and McD obviously saw something at the last mini-camp that made them think that front 7 wasn’t as big a need as it looked to me and you who remember Larry Johnson walking through everyone or maybe they thought with a new scheme then the defense would look a lot better. Like you I am worried about the NT position in particular. And I guess until I see a depth chart and some pre-season play I am not going to be 100% sure its fixed.

    Knowshon will help the defense. Every carry he gets – and he’ll get a lot – will be one less play the defense is on the field.

  • flbronc

    for the folks who are upset about picking more o than d, i was too… until i thought about it. mcd wants to bring in a new scheme… he needs to bring players to fit that scheme. for better or worse, bowlen canned shanny and his scheme and hired mcd and his. no matter if you like the move or not, as a fan i think that you have to give mcd a chance to get his guys. if that means he needs two solid blocking te’s then so be it– yea we paid a little bit to get him.. but in al reality he is an extention of the offensive line in running sets, and is thus pretty damn important.

    honestly, i think that our defense will improve pretty dramatically next year. we have brought in some solid fa’s, drafted a couple of guys who will contribute (mainly ayers and smith), and now have a couple of udfa’s as well (including a big nt who some people had being a late first or early second day pick). the biggest reason is that we have a coach and a defensive scheme… rather than a hodgepoge of ‘lets try this this week’ then a ‘well that didnt work, so lets invent something new’… nolan should help jus tby his knowledge and experience, rather than a green dc.

  • juice

    inrodwetrust – thank you for that link… Nate Swift from NE will probably make the team or practice squad – being in Nebraska was his problem.

  • Tom9798

    Well . . . I give McD mixed reviews for the draft . . . grade it at C-

    I don’t know that I will forgive him for passing on Orakpo . . . and he stated that the draft was weak for the front seven we had all hoped for . . .

    I think he made no effort to go get the player’s that were there . . . since he had no problem trading up for picks #37, #48, and #64 . . . he could have easily packaged our #12 pick and our natural #1 next year and gone after Curry . . . same goes for Ragi . . . with the same or a similar package . . . I still feel he should have taken Brace at #37 without giving up one draft pick, let alone our natural un-compensated #1 for next year.

    And Moreno would still have been there at #18 . . .

    He stated that he has had a good look at our front seven . . . that’s true . . . he was on the sidelines for the Patriots last year when they tacked 41 points on our forehead . . . the wildcards being played here are Powell, Reid and Fields . . . so somewhere in the mix since minicamp has ended . . . he is satisfied with the personnel we now have . . .

    What I was most satisfied with his picks is this . . . and he stated this in his post-press . . . he chose the personnel with the Special Teams in mind . . . he said our S.T.’s were 30th in the league last year . . . and he wanted fast, smart, hard-hitting players . . .

    So now drafting Smith, McBath, Quinn, Bruton and Mckinley started to make a little more sense to me . . . but this seemed like an expensive special team class . . .

  • Tom9798

    Roshon . . . you’re blog at #31 is as close as to what might draft class would have looked like . . . but I still might have packaged up for Curry and/or Ragi . . . . after they were gone . . . your first three picks are exactly what I wanted to see happen . . . . T

  • Dan Myers

    Kyle, most of the Bronco fans probably fell the same as you. I do not.
    See, I have meet Pat Bowlen and know he is not a dumb business man. I believe if he did not like the direction of the draft he would have jumped in. These 10 players are smart, athletic, and tough. Some are at the top of their position.
    Here is where I think the NEW organization slipped; they picked up three RB’s in FA (I think they ONLY wanted one but the JJ contract forced their hand) and then took Moreno first. Now Moreno will be a star and the biggest benefit is SD did not get LT replacement.
    My second point is the defensive line. Coach Nunnley and Martindale have to comfortable with the players they have to start with, else a couple of DT’s would have been targeted.
    Remember McDaniels on Friday said “mini camp has helped the direction in the draft” (something like that). Maybe he was talking about the linemen.

  • http://broncotalk.net Ian Henson

    Sorry don’t have time to read through all the comments, but I made this point during the podcast last night- if we wanted Raji, we would have gotten him. The Broncos had no problem dropping lesser picks for a worse draft choice ie: a 1st round for a 2nd round.

    McDaniels/Xanders/Nolan must not have been that high up on these guys. I thought Sen’Derrick was the answer later, but whatever. It’s done, to me it’s obvious we didn’t like the talent available at DT.

  • http://broncotalk.net Ian Henson

    The other thing is that 2nd round that we traded up for was a 1st round prospect. So we basically traded a 1st next year for a 1st round prospect this year. McDaniels knows secondary as well as anything else…

  • OC Bronco

    It’s obvious to me that McDaniel’s thinks we need to rebuild this team. Of course he will try to win now but he is looking 3-5 years for us to truly be competitive. We will get our NT next year or the year after.

    We sucked bad last year. And not just on Defense and Special Teams. Our Offense was simply mediocre – ok points and high turnovers. We couldn’t score when we needed it. Our schedule is brutal next year. He stocked up on positions we have great leadership that can pass the torch (and Smith will be good).

    It’s very clear. We are officially in rebuilding mode. Face it.

  • Jose

    So about Knowshon Moreno, and why I’m not in love with this pick: Football Outsiders found a stat that is a pretty good (though not perfect) indicator of runningback success, called the ’speed score’, which is essentially a ratio of weight to 40 time. Very, very few runningbacks have been picked in the first round with a speed score as low as Moreno’s — and the names that come up include Ron Dayne.

    Now, in the article Tanier wrote about this, he caveated that Moreno is a better athlete than almost everyone else who was picked with that speed score, and in McDaniel’s system the elite speed may not be as big of a deal because he’ll be used more as a blocker and short range wideout like, say, Kevin Faulk is used.

    Still, he lacks the elite speed of a proper first round NFL runningback and this means he’ll always have issues getting to the corner and getting behind the secondary even if he does hit the hole and burst through. That could be a problem.

    That only leaves 1 pick I truly like: Ayers, and 1 pick I’m curious about: Smith. But Smith has to surprise the same way Eddie Royal surprised to make him worth it, because as far as I’m concerned he needs to be worth around pick #10 in next year’s draft to have been value.

    Aren’t you forgetting About freakin T.D? 40 speed of 4.6 and looked how great he was! All I’m saying is great vision, intellegence, and patience can lead to amazing things. Not to mention having the Best O-Line in the NFL.

  • BroncoinVA9986

    jose, they probably said TD couldn’t do it .also i Agree best O line in football

  • DC

    the FA list is missing 3. I can’t find the others. Can anyone else?

  • Mike T

    I think we’re gonna’ love Moreno. I picked him way back. I’m not as sold on Raji as everyone else seems to be. I also wouldn’t be suprised to see a trade involving Champ for a veteran nose tackle. My only gripe is wasting next year’s 1st

  • Moose

    Hey people relax. Every draft is unknown until three years down the road. The Broncos may get six starters out of this or none. The only two guys they got that will start are Moreno and Ayers but even that isn’t a given. And from everything I say and read this was one of the weakest drafts in terms of talent on defense in years so if Josh says he saw better value in what he picked then I will trust him. He knows a hell of alot more about talent than any of us weekend draft hackers do. And maybe just maybe the defensive front seven talent we have, Mike Nolan, thinks is better than they have played as Shannie never cared enough about defense to keep any continuity. Three D coor. in three years, Four in five and boatloads of free agents. None of these guys have ever been given a chance to succeed under Shannies tutelage. You have to remember fellas that this defense the last three years was the worst in Broncos history and that all goes under Shannies watch. It may take two ro three years to rebuild and this draft just wasn’t the one to do that. Don’t discount how great Moreno will be he is a complete back running, catching and blocking and he is very coachable. With one of the best lines in football and one of the most talent laden young offenses in football he will be a difference maker. Finally this team wasn’t going to win a Super Bowl this year or next with the piss poor defense any way so lets give Josh and Xanders a couple of years to mold this team in their own way. Why is it no one wants to give them a chance. It seems everyone is writing them off before they have even coached these guys or played a meaningful game. Shannie and JayC are still here we are looking at another 7-9 season with no upside. I beleive they may be 8-8 this year but the upside will be enormous. Have faith fellas!!!!

  • Moose

    Who cares about “speed score” What does that even mean anyway. Another useless junk stat. Moreno is a great runningback who plays ball in all three phases of a runningbacks game. You can’t discount that. “Speed score” what a crock!

  • robtink242

    you guys are fools to think that the bronco are going to be a pass happy team this year. the team has all the pieces to become a solid rush team. i sorry i highly doubt there is going to be an air it out show. we have a solid bunch of nasty linemen on offense, we have a million backs, are old rush happy coaching staff, and three QB that needs a RB more than that back needs them.

  • MIAbronco

    you know what bugs the shit out of me about all the whiners on this website is the fact that NOBODY here has any idea about what denver has and where they want to go. what if raji wasnt even on our board for some reason. i believe in this coaching staff and i know they have a plan. STOP GIVING UP ON THIS TEAM BECAUSE THEY DID’NT PICK WHO YOU THOUGHT THEY NEEDED, because according to mcd, we’re good with what we have and i believe in him and this team. think, we may have the best offense in football if our qb’s can complete SOME of their passes, our offense is that scary, and you know what, our defense will be great next year, just wait and see!

  • MIAbronco

    Also, Alphonso Smith is a monster from a solid conference, that guy is a ball hawk, and in our system could be the nickel this year and the right side starter next year, HE IS THAT GOOD, i would gladly give up next years first for him (and i said use not waste). mcd, like myself, believes that we will have a great year and not pick high

  • http://BroncoTalk.net Mr.East

    JD,

    Raji is a fat tub of lard who sweats indoors. Did you not see it when he was drafted? The guy ballooned up to 360 pounds after he was academically suspended. He is a pretty big risk, but a lot people don’t think about it because of the hype.

    Knowshon Moreno is very little risk and huge reward. Robert Ayers has just as much risk as Raji and according to Mike Mayock is the best defensive player of the draft.

  • http://www.search-this.com mark

    I second Jonathan Douglas score-card on post 8. We gave up way too much for the return value…. Unless this McDaniels guy has some kind of crystal ball and can see what these guys will become…

  • broncoNM

    I jumped on this site saturday night ranting and raving about the draft. I have had a couple of days to think about it and sober up… I now have this draft rated a lot higher. We all know its impossible to grade a draft because it takes 3-4 yrs to see the outcome… but i give it a B. As most agree moreno is a stud and was good value at 12. Others have pointed out to me that there was no real D linemen that would fit a 34 scheme when it was our pick…The bronco brass probably wasnt high enough on tyson or bj to trade up. I love the moreno pick. I agree we paid too much for alphonso smith but this guy is 1st rd talent and is an absolute ballhawk. I have heard a few compare him to antoine winfield. Our nickel package is going to be unbelievable and i honestly think this is our safest pick in the draft. He is small but has instincts, anticipation, hands and speed. The only thing he needs work on is tackling but im sure champ (best tackling CB in league history) can show him some techniques. My perdiction is smith has 3-5 ints next yr. We had 6 as a team last year. If i had to watch karl paymeh get beat one more time on 3rd down i was gonna puke in my lap. Mcbath is another playmaker that goes after the ball…Our defense will not be scared on the back of their heels…These rookies with our vets (champ, dawkins) are going to go after the ball and will not sit back. Trading up for quinn still boggles me but i guess a blocking TE is needed for red zone and for moreno. Olsen is a great versatile pick for depth along with Bruton. Dont know much about Mckinley, brandstater, or schlueter but they seem alright to me. Bottom line is i believe we got 4 guys that will start either this year or next year. Thats fine by me. We also may of gotten a steal with chris baker… Some had predicted him a first day draft pick. Im offically drinking the McD kool aid. Bill Polian was on espn radio and he said this was a shallow draft for defense especially LB’s… He stated that the depth of talent was just not there this year. This guy is know for landing solid picks…

  • Bleading O&B

    I just watched the Alphonso’s interviewed he looks like a beauty. Reminds me of Asante Samuel I am excited to have him… The present value of a player is worth more today than next year. For those out there that don’t want the broncos to become like the Pats must not like winning… Please further explain? I am so pumped about the new broncos… All of our first four picks have great attitudes… Denver got rid of and drunk diabetic baby and have replaced him with character guys. The new team will work hard and compete. Denver has the toughest schedule in the league next year so a 7-9 season is what I am hoping for. However, I have a feeling Denver fans are in for an Atlanta like run.

  • 5280

    I assume everyone here was shocked that Orakpo was still on the board at #12. That’s the main reason you could here a pin drop at my draft party when they took Moreno. Did anyone else notice how quickly the skins snapped up Orakpo with the next pick. No trade discussions or head scratching there!

    I personally had a man crush on Maualuga (but not at #12). Obviously there are many of you who thought Ron (Back)Brace was the hunk o’meat we needed. And hey, you may be absolutely right. I liked him too but his back problems concerned me.

    When Maualuga was still on the board and we traded up and took Smith (with Maualuga going with the next selection) I took a big swig from the bottle of Petrone and decided what I needed to do. First, I wiped the spit off the TV and tossed my draft board in the trash. Then I watched the remainder of the draft without opinion or comment (accept for the TE trade at the end of the day of course). I basically had to come to grips with the fact that the Non-Player’s new job was pretty much on the line and mine was not. If he’s as stupid as he appears to me at this juncture, he won’t be around very long. On the other hand, if I’m the idiot…I mean if I’m misguided, I will still be allowed in Mile High without a body guard.

    I will be rating this draft in the coming years by comparing Moreno’s performance to Orakpo’s and Smith’s performance to Maualuga. In the meantime I reckon I have to give them the old wait and C score. But, I can take some solace in knowing that many folks in San Diego went flaccid when we drafted the running back they thought would be taken when they were on the clock.

  • kerry

    hilarious. the bashing of McDaniels is hilarious. now those that bash him feel my pain when i bashed Shanahan. i bashed Shanahan for his inability to build a defense and McDaniels is doing the EXACT same thing. except Shanahan would have never drafted Moreno because his ego wouldnt allow him to. he always thought he could turn bums into stars.

    im not sold on McDaniels at all and am even less after this. Jonathan i see where you are coming from about all of these picks. im gonna give my draft grade:

    Moreno- yeah ok sure. good RB who can play 3 downs and catch the ball. good pick but somewhat of a reach and not really a need at 12. i perfered Orakpo over him. grade: B-

    Ayers- where is he gonna play? too big for an OLB but too small for a 3-4 DE. does he bulk up or lose weight? no idea. has strength like Jarvis Moss, which isnt good. but he seems to be versatile. grade: C

    Smith: seriously WTF??!! a first rounder for a nickel corner. WTF??!! hello Ron Brace was available. i was down on Maualuga but would have taken him over a slow midget. grade: F-

    McBath: again a tweener. is he a safety or a CB?? no idea but maybe a decent ST’s player. grade: D+

    Quinn- paging Mr McDaniels, your padded room and straight jacket are ready. a blocking TE for 2 3rd rounders. um ok. bad pick. iam so super cereal right now. grade: F

    Bruton- um another safety. whatever. grade: D+

    Olsen- yeah O-line depth is always good. grade: C+

    McKinley- another WR. seems to be a good fit as a number 4 guy. grade: B

    Brandstater- ugh. i hate this pick. has a delivery like Phillip Rivers when he drops his arm low. better QB’s were available here. grade:F

    Schlueter- more O-line depth. always a plus. grade: C

    overall i say this draft was in the C-D range. the UFA’s were decent though. my prediction is still the same for the season with a 6-10 record.

  • broncoNM

    Im sure some of you have read this already… Its a really optimistic breakdown of the draft. Its very interesting but is a bit long…

    http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/4/27/855605/mhr-university-special-report-a

  • OC Bronco

    For those of you that haven’t watched the press conferences of Moreno, Ayers, and Smith on denverbroncos.com you should do so. They have a team first mentality, exude confidence, positive energy, and appear to have solid character. You will see what I mean.

    Nice to see some people being positive about the draft. The more I look at it, I love this draft. I think we got talent that will play. If not on O or D then Special Teams. We were dead last this past year in Ave Field Position!

    Alphonso Smith is intelligent, will learn from Champ, and can play the game. So what if we gave up next years pick. Does someone want to tell me that a nickel corner is not important? Is that more important than a Ron Brace getting pushed around the field (who knows?). And if he is good enough we could have a future starting corner.

    Richard Quinn – I remember someone else who was drafted last year that wasn’t a big pass catcher in College… Eddie Royal. EVERY expert said we reached here. EVERY ONE. More to that point, when was the last time Sheffler didn’t get hurt? And you don’t think we need another tight end? That’s ridiculous.

    Bruton is the one and only questionable pick to me. But at least he is known to be a leader and will hopefully help out on special teams. Brandstater may never pan out but who cares? How many QB’s pan out, much less in the 6th round? No harm done there and definite potential.

    I feel great about our rebuilding effort. We are no where near a Superbowl Team but definitely made steps toward the future last weekend with good players and good character. Sorry for the long rant…..

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