MVN - Most Valuable Network

A “Special” Second Day

One thing that I have repeatedly harped on in pre-draft analysis was that the Broncos needed to invest several of their later round picks in players that can impact on special teams right away.  As pick by pick came and went on Sunday, the first reaction was one of slight confusion because none of the names were particularly familiar.  Some cursory research caused me to infer a double edged sword.  The bad news is that most of the second day picks did not strike me as players that could immediately be starters.  The good news, however, is that most of them look to be ready to contribute to special teams—quickly.

One interesting fact that needs to be said: amongst all nine picks that the Broncos made, not one of them shares a unique position with another.  That’s even eerier when you consider that neither a kicker nor a punter were drafted by the team.

Here is a recap of the picks made, with very brief thoughts on how they will fit the puzzle:

Kory Lichtensteiger, C, Bowling Green – This pick proves that the Broncos were indeed concerned with the future of the center position after the departures of Chris Myers and Greg Eslinger.  If he is not ready to take Tom Nalen’s place when that time comes, it will be interesting to see if he can play guard in the meantime.  He may need to bulk up from his weight of 298, however.

Jack Williams, CB, Kent State – This kid’s talent reminds me of a lot of the late Darrent Williams from profiles, and if he could come anywhere close to impacting the way Williams did as a rookie, it would be huge.  More realistically, this looks like a good hedge pick to protect the possible departures of Domonique Foxworth or Karl Paymah next season.

Ryan Torain, RB, Arizona State – The classic late round Broncos running back pick that everyone will keep their eyes on.  The major concern is he is recovering from a Lisfranc sprain, and while not as serious as, say, the fracture that the Lions’ Kevin Jones suffered, it still has me worried that his rookie season may be a recovery one.  Then again, surprises are abundant in Denver with players like this.

Carlton Powell, DT, Virginia Tech – At least the Broncos got one extra DT in this draft—it was painful to see the Saints trade ahead of the Broncos to get DeMario Pressley, even if the war room didn’t want him.  By pure lack of competition, he may have a good chance to start if Dewayne Robertson doesn’t work out or Marcus Thomas still needs to mature.  At the very least, he should be involved in some D-line rotation.

Spencer Larsen, LB, Arizona - Looks to be a prototypical MLB backup to Niko Koutouvides.  He’s the kind of guy that I’d love to see make some jarring hits on special teams plays and could make a name for himself there.

Josh Barrett, S, Arizona State – Apparently Barrett was a high riser before a disappointing senior season, and you hope it’s an aberration.  His good size at 223 leads me to believe he will be on the depth chart as a strong safety, and again he’s another player that looks to make his name on special teams.

Peyton Hillis, FB, Arkansas – Out of all of the second day picks Hillis, the last pick, may have the best chance to make it into the starting lineup.  If he doesn’t this year, it could be next season as Cecil Sapp only signed a one year contract.  Apparently the one thing that scouts rave about Hillis is his hands, and it just struck me that Sapp has not been known for catching out of the backfield, a usual trademark of Broncos fullbacks.  Finally, you have to love the fact that he was the lead blocker for Darren McFadden and Felix Jones—maybe the coaches can pick his brains on McFadden now that he’s with the Raiders…

On tap in the upcoming days will be reviews of the incoming undrafted free agents, followed by an overview of how well the Broncos managed the draft.  As we enter the doldrums of the NFL in May through mid July, I’ll also focus on reviewing the tape of the Senior Bowl game, which is the closest postseason event that mimics what college players may do in the pros.  If I can track down any other games (Virginia Tech would obviously be nice), I’ll add to the knowledge base.

The following rookies of the Broncos appeared at the Senior Bowl:

Eddie Royal
Kory Lichtensteiger
Peyton Hillis
Wesley Woodyard (undrafted)

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 7:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.