John Fox – Denver Broncos draft quotes

Denver Broncos coach John Fox talks about picking Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller as the team's first-round pick in the NFL football draft, at the team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Thursday, April 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Head Coach John Fox discusses the Denver Broncos‘ first-round selection of Von Miller Thursday.

On whether LB Von Miller was the player Denver had targeted going into the draft

“First of all, there were a lot of good players that we could have chosen from. I think at the end of the day for what we’re looking for was a need to create pressure on the passer, and he was the No. 1 defensive guy we had on the board. We had to wait for Carolina and then once they turned their pick in, he was pretty much our guy.”

On whether any teams inquired about trading for the No. 2 pick

“No, a lot of that stuff—you hear rumors early on, but we had no calls at pick No. 2 to move back…It has not been done in 11 years and there was a lot of talk of it. I never really thought it would happen and it did not.”

On comparing LB Von Miller to DL Marcell Dareus

“Well if we had a couple of picks, we might have picked both of them. But, the reason we decided to go the way of Von Miller was that I think his explosiveness both in coverage and as a pass rusher—he did play in a 3-4 defense in college and was utilized primarily as a rusher. I think he had 35 sacks and he was in coverage, but he has the speed—he is a sub-4.5 guy that weighs close to 250 lbs—he’ll be at that by the time he shows up. He was just a little bit more explosive and a definite three-down player. He can also be a four-down player and play on special teams.”

On LB Von Miller’s coverage skills

“He is the type of guy that his strength is the rush. So, I could understand fully why he didn’t get to cover very much (at Texas A&M). It is not a matter of him not being capable; they just didn’t ask him to do it very much. That is an area that he will need to work on, but he is very strong at the point of attack, he has 35-inch arms, so he avoids blocks very well. He is very powerful over a tight end in an under defense. So, he can be a great value as a fifth rusher, on third down as a fourth rusher and he has the quickness and ability to cover. We did not think that was a deficiency at all.”

On whether he talked to LB Von Miller today

“Well in the process, we spent a lot of time with him. We talked to him on the phone (today).”

On LB Von Miller’s emotion after being drafted

“I think this is every guy’s dream, to play in the National Football League. They are the best in the world and it is the ultimate in their profession. So, they have worked long and hard on that. Some guys have been playing—they are in their 20s and they have been playing for 10 or 11 years. This is the ultimate goal, so you see a lot of emotion. You saw it from a lot of guys, as well as Von.”

On comparing LB Von Miller to DE Julius Peppers

“Well, they both are dynamic, big-play players. They are different positions, No. 1, but they have the ability to make impact plays and that is what you need. Negative plays are very important, playing defense. He has shown the ability to do that. Again, it is a level jump coming to this league, so there are going to be things that he has to learn, but he has the things that you cannot coach.”

On whether the difference between the No. 1 and No. 2 linebackers was bigger than that gap for the top two defensive tackles

“I think a little bit, but not enough to really change our mind. The thing that was unique—when you hear linebacker, you think of putting the guy in coverage, playing the run—this guy is a little bit different in that he is a very explosive pass rusher. I think that increases the value of a linebacker.”

On whether he is excited to see players at the facility tomorrow

“Well, I think we have been working very hard on the draft – probably harder than we have ever worked, just because you could not spend time with your players. But, we are very excited – we have been on the phone with them all day, trying to collect them and get them here. We have had a great response. I think they are excited to get here and we are excited to have them here.”

On how the first round played out compared to the team’s mock drafts

“It pretty much has gone like our mocks. We’ve got a lot of options. We’ll have a lot of time tonight and, of course, tomorrow. I’m sure there is going to be more movement now, typically this day—especially if you have a high pick in the second round, much like we do. We’ll field a lot of calls, and there will be options there, whether it’s to move up or move down. This is like a whole other draft the next day, and we treat it much the same. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of options.”

On the decision to draft Miller

“In any evaluation process, I’ve always been of the belief that six eyes are better than two. We had a lot of scouts here; we had the heads of our college scouting department and our pro department involved. A lot of people were involved in the decision, and I think you want to go with the group decision. At the end of the day, we were all involved in this decision, and we got our guy.”

On whether Denver would consider trading down to acquire more picks

“A lot of it is based on your board. We’ve got two seconds and a high third. If you can parlay that in to a fourth and fifth-rounder, we would do that, but not at the expense of letting good players get away. We went into this with four picks in the first three rounds, and you’d like to come out with starters in those spots. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s our goal, and that’s what we like to do. If they’re all there, the guys that we liked, then we won’t move back. It’s hard to predict right now; it’s pretty fluid, but if there are good enough players there that warrant a trade to get a fourth-rounder, say— there has to be a clump of players there that we’d comfortable with at the spot we move back to.”

On whether there is a sense of urgency to draft a defensive tackle

“I don’t think you ever go at it quite like that. We will have, at some point, another clump of players to choose from in free agency. Who that is is even hard to predict, but there will be some quality players when we get to that phase. At the end of the draft, it’s not the end. We still have some other options. As far as the draft goes, we’re going to take the best available player. We won’t take a guy we have graded in the fifth round in the second just because he is a defensive tackle.”

On whether he considers LB Von Miller a game-changing talent

“He is a rare talent, there is no doubt. I have been doing this—this is my 23rd draft—and he has those rare abilities, the things you cannot coach. He has a lot to learn—this is a level jump. It is a different game at this level as far as the type of plays you see and the types of offenses that you see. But, he has a lot of ability. It is not just the speed, it is the quickness, the explosion, the lengthy arms and his first step is as good as I have seen. So, (he has) a lot of tools that we can work with and he seems to have that uncommon ability to be great. As far as the want-to, he is a great young man and we feel like he will represent our organization very well. Those of you that have heard you speak and will get to know him will see what we are referring to. We are excited to have him and feel great about his abilities both on and off the field.”

On whether he talked to QB Tim Tebow today and whether he will be at the facility tomorrow

“He will be here tomorrow and I have talked to him.”

On the team’s pass rush with the addition of LB Von Miller and a healthy DE Elvis Dumervil

“I feel much better. Obviously just injecting Elvis back into the defense, who missed the last season, and then the addition of Von Miller—we still have a lot of moving parts to get fixed, but I think we made a big step today to help our cause.”

On DE Jason Hunter’s condition

“From what I understand, (his injury) will not affect his season and he is doing fine. It is a minor injury, so I do not think it will have any long-term effects.”