SPEAK UP: Select at two or trade down?

If you want to run the “Pikes Peak Hill Climb” in 2011 and you have the choice between driving a Porsche 911 or choosing between two Nash Ramblers… what are ya gonna do? How often do we get to choose from the “real” elite?

Pick second!

After seeing Von Miller in the senior bowl, I would not mind a playmaker like that helping on the front 7 no matter which front (4 or 3) that we use. He could use some bulk, but if he playing with leverage can make a real difference….aka DOOM!

Usually I'd agree with you, but there isn't a whole lot of depth this draft. I think Denver is better off playing it safe in the draft this year.

At this point, I'm all about trying something DIFFERENT, because clearly, what we've been doing for the past decade hasn't exactly worked out as planned. With that principle in mind, let's PICK SECOND, dammit. I know there is no such thing as a sure thing in the draft, but presumably (except when we're talking quarterbacks) we'll get a lot closer to a “sure thing” at #2 than lower down. And we need to be sure that we get at least one sure-fire up-front starter to build around. My ambitions are small, I know, but we have to start somewhere…

Trade…Denver isn't one pick away from being a contender and the draft is a crap shoot anyhow.

1st Round picks are usually 50/50 on turning out to be anything.

Look at the last 10 years #2 … I'd say Suh, Johnson, and Peppers worth it…they other 7?

2010 Ndamukong Suh
2009 Jason Smith
2008 Chris Long
2007 Calvin Johnson
2006 Reggie Bush
2005 Ronnie Brown
2004 Robert Gallery
2003 Charles Rogers
2002 Julius Peppers
2001 Leonard Davis

I don't blindly follow Mel Kiper or the likes of anyone (possibly with the exception of Mayock). It's ridiculous to think that there's players that can match the quality of Bradford, Suh, Berry, and Thomas alone. Rahim Moore is the top safety in the class and he may be a day two guy. The depth is not like last year's.

pick at #2 and then hope that someone with a first round grade falls to 36. Our Broncos need help and ref put it right – you gotta pick a porsche if you get the chance.

Reggie Bush was something to not be passed on too. I think in hindsight that NO would have rather had a few extra draft picks.

Only 1 of those four #2 prospects actually looks to be worth the #2 pick and that's Peterson. “Inconsistent” “one year wonder” and “character issues” and “undersized” are all big risks for that slot. Maybe later in the first round, sure.

I'm not sure taking a monster CB is really what we need, either, especially because we're short on picks this draft. I'd still love to turn that #2 pick into 4 picks (probably at least 1 of them next year) but deals for the #2 pick are so hard to swing because draft values have gone crazy.

Still, I won't be disappointed if we pick Peterson. I think I'd be disappointed if we pick anyone else. Mmmmmaybe Fairley but that's a pretty big risk.

If they don't have faith in their scouting, they should replace it.

After watching highlights of Peterson on YouTube I've become a believer. The guy is a freak and could easily be the next Ed Reed or Polamalu if we moved him to safety. I think we can still pick up a couple of quality defensive lineman/linebackers with our two second round picks and can probably get another contributor with our early 3rd round pick. If we can move Orton we might get another 3rd round pick as well. 3 picks in the top 2 rounds and 2 picks in the 3rd round would go a long ways towards shoring up the D. After all there is nearly as much risk in a mid-first round pick as there is in an early second round pick so it probably makes sense to stay at #2 and get as close to a “sure thing” player as there is.

Finally a subject worth talking about! personally i think the only way denver should pick peterson is if the trade back down into the firat round with one of their 2nd rounders to make up for not taking a Dlineman. other wise i say grab a Dlineman. bowers is good and fairley would do too but i'm mnore interested in von miller. to me he just fits what we need more then any other player. he's versitile enough to put his hand in the dirt or drop back and cover and he can shadow a running QB all day. he was all over kaepernick in the senior bowl. he is well worth a #2 piick IMO. but he'd probably be there in the middle of the 1st also say 12-15. maybe we denver should take peterson and trade back down into the teens and try to grab miller. That scenario would be IDEAL! we'd pick p the best 2 of THE best players in the draft. some one like ryan kerrigan or sam acho, who both had a great senior bowl, could be hangin around in the second. and if we want to pick up some extra depth at DB cedric burney out of north carolina or shareece wright out of USC. Wright looks very baileyish and both are great in the press. i dont know where you get that this draft doesn'thave depth but most of those guys are just the seniors available. theres even more junior talent coming out. it's not just the scouting but the right coaching that make these kids superstars. it seems like some of you have forgotten about the coaching aspect of player turn around. mayock is the best talent analyst on tv. ayers was and still is one of the best that came out that draft. the broblem was the coaching. he started under nolan then switched to wink now hes learning dennis allen. 3 different coordinators in his first 3 seasons. no wonder he hasn't panned out. mayock wasn't wrong, he just couldn't predict coaching. plus he was coming from a 4-3 scheme and had to learn a 3-4 from the beginning. he can still pan out.

and the 10 years before that?
2000 LaVar Arrington
1999 Donovan McNabb
1998 Ryan Leaf
1997 Darrell Russell
1996 Kevin Hardy
1995 Tony Boselli
1994 Marshall Faulk
1993 Rick Mirer
1992 Quentin Coryatt
1991 Eric Turner

Crapshoot… I'd trade any pick in the top 5.

Top 5 picks to make the playoffs this year with the team that drafted them…

Manning, Bush, Hawk, Ryan, Dorsey, Tyson Jackson, and Sanchez. Not sure if I missed any…but other than a QB, I trade.

I think a lot of teams would too, but trading a top 5 pick is hard to do until a rookie wage scale happens.

I like those moves. But if raheem Moore is available in the second were not gonna pass him up. then you keep champ at corner.

has any one considered a possible Albert haynesworth Trade??

Hes a beast in the 4-3

Mayock did say “within three years.” Also, Mayock was imaging him going to a 4-3 team.

I understand the thought, but but Haynesworth's contract is crazy, he's either all-in or all-out, and he can be a huge distraction in the locker room.

The issue is the cost. Why pay ridiculous amount of money to an unproven player because of their 40 time or potential. No guarantees, weather it be the 2nd pick or the 25th pick. So why not get as many picks as possible?

My preference would be trade down and pick up a high motor guy like Watt or Kerrigan, and get a couple extra picks.

Revis, Patrick Willis, Clay Matthews, Mangold, Aaron Rodgers, Roddy White, Logan Mankins, Roethlisberger, Wilfork, Polamalu, Asomugha, and Ed Reed,were all picked after the first 10 picks of their drafts.

I'm just hoping we don't trade our 1st round for 2nd, or trade up in the 2nd round for a blocking TE.

Yeah, obvious and things, like recent history shows that the first few guys taken are far from locks to be studs, and maybe just maybe it is worth considering not placing all one's eggs in the same basket.
You prefer the safety of the echo-chamber who all agree on the best three guys in the draft.

which is also why it is very difficult to trade out of a top 3 pick. the team trading in has to be willing to spend big bucks, be willing to give up other high round pick or picks, and have a player available that they feel they cannot live without. i just dont see that happening with the players available in this draft. maybe if there were two sure fire qb prospects that would go one and two, but i dont see anyone moving up to #2 to take any of the qb's, and certainly not one of the defensive guys. someone may move into the top 10 if someone slides, or one of their target qb's is there, but two is too high.

Yes, all of those players were past the top 10, but that was in a much deeper drafts. I would like to trade out if the value is good and the players are there, but their just not. Fairley, Bowers, and Quinn really look like highly potential busts. I would be more comfortable with trading a few spots down for Marcell Dareus or even deeper for Cam Jordan or Ryan Kerrigan. I just don't see teams wanting to trade up for any of the top 5 ranked players, especially Peterson because Prince A and Brandon Harris are viable options.

The question wasn't if Denver could trade down, but should they trade down. Of course I understand the logistics would be difficult.

Look at the history of the draft…how many CB's and DL were drafted in the top 5 and actually were worth it?

Besides Denver has had a stud CB for seven years and what has that accomplished?

If the value isn't there for this draft, find a fool to trade a second rd for 1st round next year. (Rams?)

wow i didn't know miller was a free agent! look i could handle taking peterson cuz of his freakishness but i dont think they should get carried away with CB's. contorlling the middle of the field is not the way to win games, developing a pass rush is, by far, more important. i know the draft is deep at DL but i would much rather get one of the top five DL's in the country then the scraps, so if we get peterson we should try and snag kerrigan, dareus, von miller etc. not a late round guy so i think moore should be left out. we'll be just fine with peterson. theres a few other late round corners to who can be very effective if they are coached right and i think we all agree that allen has a nack for coaching CB's. we need more at DL then at corner so id rather take a late round corner and try and develop him then a late round DL. The front & is and always will be the cornerstone of a D.

I definitely agree when it comes down to top 5 DL, but it's a little harder at corner because most are taken after 5 with the exception of Charles Woodson. The way I see it is that if Denver isn't sold on Peterson they should move down, but not out of the first round. I really don't like the “top” DL/DE available in this draft.

Sadly yes. Mayock did also say that Chris Johnson was too fragile for the NFL. However, he did go back and look at Chris Johnson college tape and pointed out where he was wrong and how the Titans did a great job of using his best skills.

What't there to write about? Waiting to see if Tebow wins the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year … will post about that if he wins.