As draft day approaches, BroncoTalk will be giving you game tape highlights of some of the bigger (and smaller) names around the draft. Today’s installment is the rising offensive tackle on draft boards with the funny name: Boston College Tackle Gosder Cherilus

*Note: there will be two prospect videos today to make up for the lack of one yesterday.

The first video is Gosder’s Sports Illustrated overview highlight reel.  Videos 2-4 are compressed full game highlights of the Boston College passing game showing Cherilus’ protection blocking.  The 5th and final video is the Fox Sports highlight reel on the offensive tackle.

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I can just see it now… the draft is falling perfectly into place for the Broncos to select my guy, Ryan Clady. Boston College QB Matt Ryan falls to the Ravens, who are the most likely to take Clady. It’s a straight shot from there through Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Buffalo. We’re home free! Clady’s going to fall to 12!

Swoop… out of nowhere, Commissioner Roger Goodell bellows these nightmarish words:
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Should the Denver Broncos select a wide receiver in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft?

We’ve given you the reasons they should… we’ve also told you why they shouldn’t… now you tell us.

Because of a poll error, please use the sidebar version on the upper left, or click through after the jump to vote.

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Part Two of today’s series explores why the Denver Broncos should not draft a wide receiver in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.  Enjoy!

I’m not sure if Darrell Jackson and Keary Colbert and Samie Parker will all turn into productive players with the Denver Broncos.  Chances are one or two of them won’t have a big impact.  Just the same, chances are good that one of these guys will break out with the Broncos.

And while the Broncos medical staff isn’t always reliable when it comes to player return timetables, it’s almost certain that Brandon Marshall will see the field at some point in the 2008 season, and I’m guessing earlier rather than later.  He’s a playmaker, and the Broncos will need to ensure his future in Denver longterm after this season.

With oft-forgotten playmakers Brandon Stokley and Tony Scheffler sure to get their fair share of catches, how would the Broncos justify adding a wide receiver in the first round?

It’s exam season for me, so a quick apology for the lack of depth on these this week.  But seriously… a WR?  Are you smoking something?

It’s amazing… two weeks ago, drafting a wide receiver in the first round was a “hot topic” among Broncos fans. I intentionally scheduled this discussion for near last for that reason. Needless to say, recent developments have rendered the conversation a little less engaging. But carry on I shall!

There isn’t a flashier position on the football field than wide receiver, and heading into last season, it looked like the Broncos finally had something going in the right direction. While no one was predicting Brandon Marshall would explode like he did, we still had Javon Walker as a solid #1, and great depth with Brandon Stokley and Rod Smith potentially returning.

For years that wasn’t the case. We’ve been looking for a #2 to complement Smith for years, even using a first round draft choice on Ashley Lelie. When those didn’t pan out, we traded for Walker and selected a gem in Marshall in the 4th round. Things were finally looking up at the wide receiver position, and then Mayor McCheese attacks and Javon’s er, well, Javon hits the fan. Now there are questions again. Do the Broncos have a healthy and capable #1 receiver?

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• Domonique Foxworth is excited about returning to the cornerback position. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Wait… this is news? [Denver Post]
• Jim Armstrong points out that making solid choices in the later rounds can be just as important as the first round choice. I just like this article because it looks like Mike Shanahan is either trying to show people how to knit or how he got in his latest car wreck. [Denver Post]
• Branden Albert‘s stock rise really has thrown the draft for a loop. [ProFootballTalk]
• The three draft picks wasn’t all the Vikings gave the Chiefs for Jared Allen. [ProFootballTalk]
• The two sides were reportedly unhappy with each other by the time it all went down. [Yahoo! Sports]
• MLB: Phillies 8, Rockies 6 [Yahoo! Sports]

And for that, we give a hearty “Thank you,” Minnesota.  Jared Allen has moved on to greener pastures (and a much, much fatter wallet) after the Vikings struck a deal with KC for three 2008 draft picks.  They gave Kansas City the 17th overall selection, as well as their two third rounders (with one of those third rounders originally belonging to Denver).  The Chiefs now own six picks in the first three rounds.

I said it when the rumors were first circulating – you have to keep the talent you find, too, Kansas City.  I think this was a plain horrible move for the Chiefs.

So yeah, I couldn’t be happier!

As draft day approaches, BroncoTalk will be giving you game tape highlights of some of the bigger (and smaller) names around the draft. Today’s installment: Oregon Ducks halfback Jonathan Stewart.

The first video is the Sports Illustrated highlight reel on Stewart with overview. The second video shows his tackle breaking ability. The third and final video is a well put together highlight video showing Stewart’s running and returning skills.
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“We will draft the best players that are available and I know the coaches and the scouts give a lot of thought to different positions, but basically we’ll take the best player available.” — Pat Bowlen

I can’t really claim to be a draft expert — heck, I know less than 10 of the available draft picks this year. So, instead of talking about any specific players that Denver might be interested in, I would rather focus for a second on the philosophy of drafting.

NEED vs BEST AVAILABLE

I think we can all agree that Bill Walsh was a fairly brilliant NFL mind. He ran the 49er’s drafts from ’79-’89 (with picks that included Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice). Walsh firmly believed in drafting the best available player rather than focusing on a specific need position. He coupled this strategy with the philosophy that a coach must draft players that ‘fit’ their team’s organization and coaching style.

Walsh didn’t specifically need a QB when he drafted Joe Montana in the third round of his first draft, but he was the perfect fit for Walsh’s West Coast Offense… And I think we’ll all agree it worked out pretty well for them. :)

As a side note, in 1997 Walsh actually suggested the 49ers take Jake Plummer. They ended up taking Jim Druckenmiller (a washout in 2 years). It makes me wonder what a young Plummer would have done in San Fran… anyway, I digress.

So, following in the footsteps of the great Bill Walsh, we would expect Shanahan’s Broncos to continue this drafting tradition. And for the most part, I think Shanahan’s team tries to draft according to Best Available.

“I think we approach the draft the same way every year. We look for the best football players to help our team if they’re available, regardless of what position they’re at. You’re always looking for every spot and not concentrating on just one spot – I don’t think we ever want to do that. We work hard at trying to find players at every position, not just one.” — Gary Kubiak (former Offensive Coordinator)

There are cases though where a team’s needs are SO great at a specific position that it can be tempting to make exceptions and draft according to the team’s biggest needs first.
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Should the Denver Broncos select a cornerback in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft?

We’ve given you reasons they should… we’ve given you reasons they shouldn’t. Now you decide.

Tomorrow: Wide Receiver

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