We’ve given you arguments for drafting a defensive end in round one.  We’ve also explored why we shouldn’t.  Now you tell us: Should the Broncos draft a defensive end in the first round of the draft?

The results of each day’s poll will be tallied and compared, with final results to be reported Friday, April 25, the day before the 2008 NFL Draft!

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Part two of today’s position breakdown: why the Denver Broncos should NOT choose a defensive end in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

No area has been addressed as heavily in the past two years of the draft as the defensive line. The Denver Broncos found a diamond in the rough in Elvis Dumervil in the 4th round of the 2006 draft. If you consider the 3rd round pick they used to trade up last year, three day one picks were used at the same position in 2007. Will the Broncos really be using consecutive first rounders at the same position? It’s not impossible, but at face value seems unlikely.

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Peter King‘s latest edition of MMQB has a nice little nugget (one of the “Quotes of the Week”):

“JaMarcus has been able to play at a big weight. He really has phenomenal feet for that size, to be able to move around for that size. You’re never going to play with him at 260 or 255. If you think that’s impossible, that’s not his body. I think as long as you’re around 270 [with him], you’re doing really well.”

–Oakland coach Lane Kiffin, on his hefty second-year quarterback, JaMarcus Russell.

Whatever you say, coach.

Indeed, Mr. Kiffin. It’s funny: every time you hear rumors that Russell is putting on weight, the Raiders suddenly raise their “desired weight” for him by a few pounds.

Every weekday leading up to the draft, BroncoTalk will break down a position, and whether or not using our first round pick in that area is a good idea. We’ll break it into 3 posts each day – arguments FOR, arguments AGAINST, and then a fan poll where we let you tell us. We hope you enjoy.

The Denver Broncos were so close to the Super Bowl in 2005, but one of the team’s big struggles was putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. No player on the team had more than 4 sacks, with safety John Lynch being among those with the total. The defense used a blitz-heavy scheme to compensate for the lack of natural pass rushers, and it worked well enough until the AFC Championship game. While other factors obviously contributed to that heartbreaker, the lack of pressure was the most obvious weakness on the defensive side of the ball.

Since then, the roster has been completely overhauled at the position, including the use of three draft selections in 2006 and 2007 (effectively four if you count the third rounder used to trade up for Jarvis Moss). While the pass rush has gotten better, the Broncos still have room for improvement. With 33 sacks in 2007, the Broncos tied for a middle-of-the-pack 16th in the league.

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• The Denver Broncos are looking at K Mike Vanderjagt and P Mitch Berger, as well as P Mike Barr.  [Denver Post]
• Exploring and dissecting the pass protection the Broncos offered Jay Cutler in 2007.  [Rocky Mountain Fever]
• Cutler goes 10th overall and the Broncos select Jared Allen with the 12th pick in this meaningless “Ultimate Mock Draft,” where every player in the NFL is up for grabs.  [Yahoo! Sports]
• Raiders beat writer interviews OT Jake Long and RB Darren McFadden.  [Inside the Oakland Raiders]
• MLB: After a disappointing game Saturday, the Rockies strike back with a 13-5 victory of the Diamondbacks, ending Arizona’s 8-game win streak.  [Yahoo! Sports]
• NBA: The Nuggets have a firm hold of a playoff spot, especially after beating the Rockets handily last night.  [Yahoo! Sports]

The Denver Broncos are in serious discussions with two free agent wide receivers, the Denver Post reports. The Broncos could sign either of them in the extremely near future.

Darrell Jackson, 29, played for the Seattle Seahawks for 7 years before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2007. In San Fran, Jackson failed to make the splash many, including myself, felt he would. (At the time I’ll admit I thought SF got a better deal than NE for Randy Moss – both teams gave up 4th rounders. Obviously I was very, very wrong). Jackson measures in at 5-11 and 206 lbs., and has three 1,000 yard seasons on his resume. As recently as 2006, Jackson was very productive, tallying 63 receptions for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Broncos are said to be in deep discussions with Jackson.

Samie Parker, 27, was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 4th round of the 2004 draft. He was the Chiefs’ #2 receiver in 2005 and 2006, averaging 38.5 catches and 547 yards. In 2007 he had 24 receptions for 298 receptions and 2 touchdowns, one shy of his career best 3 TDs in 2005. The Broncos are said to be in final talks with Parker, hoping to hammer out a contract in the near future.

The prospect of Jackson in orange and blue excites me. I’d love the Broncos to sign him to the deal they gave Keary Colbert, and feel he could be a much better #2 receiver than Colbert. Parker is considerably less exciting, and I honestly don’t think he’d have much of an impact. I couldn’t see him beating out Brandon Stokley for the #3 spot, so I scratch my head at what kind of impact the Broncos were hoping Parker would have on the offense.

On another note, does anyone else consider this more of an indictment on Brandon Marshall‘s health by training camp? The Broncos may just be looking for bodies to get by.

The Denver Broncos and New York Jets have been working out the details of a trade to send Dewayne Robertson to the Broncos for weeks. Several league sources have confirmed that a trade for Robertson is almost complete, and that the Broncos are willing to give two of their draft picks between the fourth and sixth rounds to finish the deal. Scout.com report

According to the report, the trade would be finalized on the condition that the Broncos sign the defensive tackle to a new contract before the draft.

Hopefully this thing is almost over. But two picks? Really? For a defensive tackle suffering from a knee with bone-on-bone, who is going to be released anyway? It doesn’t make any sense to me.

According to the Denver Post, Denver’s former defensive captain and middle linebacker, Al Wilson, has refused an offer from the Browns. The Browns offered him $730k (which is practically the veteran minimum). And although he has failed physicals from several teams and interest in him from teams has been relatively low this off-season, Wilson still believes his five Pro Bowl nominations and leadership experience is worth more than that.

This might answer the questions many Bronco fans have asked about why Al doesn’t come home to Denver. If he is unwilling to accept a very incentive-heavy lower-pay one year contract just to prove he’s back and playing at a high level, I would seriously doubt Shanahan would be interested. On the other hand, if no other team takes a chance on Big Al this off-season, it’s not entirely crazy to think that Wilson could give Denver a call. I would certainly like to see him back in uniform somewhere and if we’re overhauling our MIKE LB slot anyway, why not have him compete for it (as long as we’re not risking too much on the deal).

For anyone out there who is a draft junkie like myself, a great resource to check out is the 2008 NFL Draft Wikipedia page.  They have a great way to see which team is drafting in what spot and how they received extra picks if they have any.  The editors on the page have really done their home work.  Details include:

• Changes for 2008
• How Draft Order is Determined
• Current Draft Order for Rounds 1-5
• A running tally of all trades involving 2008 picks
• Picks Forfeited
• An extensive list of prospects with links

In case you were hoping to catch Jay Cutler and the Harlem Globetrotters yesterday on NFL Network’s Total Access… sorry. We reported earlier that it was going to air Thursday… as many of you found, that wasn’t the case.  According to the ticker at the bottom of the NFLN, the story on his charity work is now set to appear on Friday (today).

Sorry for the mixup.  We’re especially sorry for forcing you to watch Deion Sanders and his wife banter about their favorite TV shows.