• Klis answers readers questions, including the renewed focus on character in Denver and our 2007 draft.  [Denver Post]
• Nice story of a Cherry Creek high school football player who has been winning his personal struggle with diabetes.  [Denver Post]
• It seems like the walls are caving in on Marvin Harrison.  [Denver Post]
• MLB: Rockies let one go to the Cardinals in the 9th inning.  [Yahoo! Sports]

A couple of our readers suggested looking back at past drafts to see both what we said at the time and what we thought now. Unfortunately, Kyle and I weren’t blogging before late 2006 (at least not on fancy sites like this one!). So, the only draft it would be fair to review would be last year’s. We have our first impressions of each of our draft picks last year as well as an overview of what they did their first season on the team. I know this isn’t ancient history, but it’s as good as it gets for a site as young as ours. Feel free to add feedback about our 2007 draft picks – both your first thoughts and your opinion today!

Our biggest need heading into the draft was definitely along the defensive line (sound familiar). Remember, Bates had just come on board and he was going to reshape our defense. So, our first round draft pick last year was DE Jarvis Moss. Denver traded up from 21 to 17 to get Moss. Both Kyle and I liked the pick, but questioned the need/cost for the move.

Here are some of the things we said after the draft last year…

JON 2007: Well, with both of these issues [his one-game suspension and his battle with a pelvic infection] scaring off the interest from other teams I think Denver would have ended up with a real steal at their original pick. However, the trade up was costly and may not have been necessary. Regardless, we got a talented Defensive End that will push Lang, Dumervil and Ekuban this year.

KYLE 2007: I don’t know if we needed to trade up, but it’s a solid pick and the (2nd) best defensive lineman available at the time, in my opinion.

Always a thorough researcher, Kyle changed his opinion upon further review…

KYLE 2007: Jacksonville could have taken him right there at 17, and rather than calling their bluff, we moved up and got the guy we wanted. In between 17 and 21 sat Cincinnatti, Tennessee, and the New York Giants. I think possibly the Bengals and DEFINITELY the Titans would have had a serious interest in Moss (most mock drafts, including mine, would disagree with the Titans, but remember they went defense anyways with Michael Griffin. If Moss were there they could have gone that route instead of WR too). It’s obvious our coach wasn’t interested in “settling” for Anthony Spencer, the next-ranked DE. Considering Shanahan’s history with Florida, the move makes sense all around, and Moss will fight for a starting spot.

Without much knowledge of the draftees, I think that’s pretty sound logic. And I’m not sure Anthony Spender would have faired any better in our Bates Defense than Moss did; however, playing OLB for Dallas last year he did put up more than twice Moss’s tackles (36), 2 more sacks (3) and an extra forced fumble (2). I know that’s comparing apples to oranges, but what the heck we have the time to digress – it’s the off-season for goodness sake. :)
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Three players who were 2007 Broncos have moved on to other pasteurs today.  Safety Steve Cargile signed with his hometown Cleveland Browns. Cargile was a local football and basketball star in the Cleveland area before he became an undrafted free agent with Dallas and Denver.  Many suspected Cargile would sign with the Browns out of college, then head coach Butch Davis wasn’t high on Cargile at the time.  The Seahawks have reacquired linebacker D.D. Lewis after the Broncos borrowed his services for one season.  He sounds happy to be back in the Emerald City after his stint in Denver.  Things just didn’t seem to feel right with the Broncos, Lewis said, as he had a hard time getting used to their defense after spending so much time in Seattle’s. He was released in mid-October. The Bengals also awarded defensive tackle Antwon Burton a contract today while they worked out their new rookies fresh off the draft.

The Denver Broncos will be holding only one mandatory mini camp this year, scheduled for June 11-13.  They will also be holding a voluntary (basically mandatory) mini camp in late May.

The past few years have seen the Broncos remain the last team to hold their last mini camp, and this remains true this season. In 2006 and 2007 the Broncos mini camp was held just a few weeks before training camp (the only team to plan it that way). This season the Broncos are still the last team to meet, but they’re several weeks ahead compared to those years, giving the players about a month between mini camp and training camp.

Within the division, the Chargers just completed their only mini camp this past weekend; their players don’t have to return to San Diego until their training camp opens in July. The Chiefs held a rookie mini camp this past weekend; the Raiders have a similar event planned this coming weekend. Both will also meet up for their respective mandatory mini camps in early June.

• Is it that time of the year already (meaningless power rankings time)?  According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, yes, in fact, it is.  [Sports Illustrated]
• The best thing Woody Paige has written in recent memory.  [Denver Post]
• I heartily disagree with this article by Bernie Linicome saying Jay Cutler will be judged by his diabetes.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• A look back at Broncos fans over the years. [Mile High Report]
• 100 days after ACL surgery, Philip Rivers returned to the practice field. [ESPN]
• Really?  Marvin Harrison?  Really?! [AP]
• MLB: Don’t give up on the Rockies yet.  Colorado 7, Los Angeles 2.  [Denver Post]

The above video is a pre-draft interview Josina Anderson did with Ryan Clady for MyFox Colorado a week before the draft. My apologies if this is a little mind numbing, her crack reporting typically comes off more like Extra or Entertainment Tonight rather than the nightly news or even Sportscenter. Clady goes over topics such as how he would fit in to a role in Denver, what defensive lineman in the league does he respect most and how he would handle a city like Denver.

I dug up some additional news on what Jay Cutler has been going through since last season before it was discovered he has Type I Diabetes.  These are tidbits from an AP article I found on the Boston Herald of all places.  Jay says that he had all the classic signs of diabetes and ignored them: unexplained weight loss, frequent urination, constant thirst, lack of energy.  He had no family history of the disease so never thought it was diabetes.  He started to notice something different last season, but couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I had no energy,” the Denver Broncos’ third-year quarterback said Friday. “We thought it might be stress and the grind of going through a whole season. But once I got back here and started working out again, I just wasn’t making any improvement. I wasn’t getting any stronger. I was still losing weight.”

He couldn’t pinpoint the the problem until he was given the required blood test for the team’s offseason strength and conditioning program.  The test revealed that his blood sugars were 5 times higher than normal.  This prompted a meeting with doctors last month and they informed him that was in fact an insulin dependent diabetic.  He never was worried about his career through the process.

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I’ve set up an e-mail interview with new Denver Broncos defensive tackle Carlton Powell. Drop any questions here in the comments, and I’ll be sure to shoot along the best ones for the Q&A session. Thanks!

The BroncoTalk Draft Roundtable series has been fun, but we’re ready to say goodbye to the 2008 draft with these last notes and our grades. So, gentlemen, what were your final thoughts after the draft?

Josh: I’m more than satisfied with Clady as our first pick. I’m not as excited as Kyle, but anytime you beef up either of your lines in the first round it’s huge. The game is won in the trenches. As I said above, Clady is a beast and once he gets some NFL coaching could develop the technique to match or be better than Jake Long. I would bet that the war room was nervous taking a LT after the Foster debacle, but this guy will be keeping Cutler’s backside clean for years to come.

As seen above I’m not that thrilled with our second pick but I hope he explodes on the scene. I’m a little surprised we didn’t try to get in the third round somehow. I also thought this was one of the more complete second day drafts Denver has had in some time. I think they could have possibly filled a need with every single pick, whether it be special teams or just depth to a hurting position.

Earl: Reading the draft grades, I feel a little gypped. Drafts are truly made in the middle rounds — 3, 4, 5 — and finding a gem in rounds 6 and 7 make drafts that much sweeter. Clady is a really safe pick. Dr. Z, whom I ordinarily love, gives us a bad grade because we didn’t target run stoppers, but if we had targetted run stoppers we would have gotten a worse grade, because there just wasn’t a lot of quality available until late. I do feel we could’ve gotten one more run-stopping DT instead of Larsen, (and I’m watching your career, Rubin. I still think we should’ve picked you) but all that does is play into my least favorite pick anyway. And other draft graders? It seems all I read is that Royal was a reach. Why didn’t we get Sweed? (Devin Hester). Why didn’t we get Jackson? (character).

Much more, including grades, after the jump »

The picture on the left is of Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler from Week 1 of 2007. The picture on the right is from Week 17. The weight loss is noticeable by itself, but take a close look at his legs, shoulders, and waist to really see the difference the disease caused.

Cutler lost 32 lbs. by season’s end.  His weight loss led to testing, and Jay has now been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.