I had incorrectly included Eddie Royal in this group—while he did participate in the Senior Bowl practices, he did not play in the actual game.  It’s only proper to correct the record at this point.

We’ll begin with linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who despite having a tremendously productive career at Kentucky that included three triple-tackle seasons, still went undrafted for one glaring negative—size.  When you go to the next level, the unfortunate reality is that the players are a lot bigger.  Nevertheless, three teams come to mind that can be a haven for small but athletic LBs: Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, and of course Denver, featuring the likes of the recently cut Ian Gold.  I’m glad Woodyard chose the Broncos, because as the tape shows, there’s a lot to like about this kid.

The first thing that strikes you is field presence.  The 49ers’ coaches used Woodyard a lot in the open field in a “read and react” type placement, and it was clear that the reason is because he can quickly zero in onto where the ball is going.  For starters, he was able to start in the middle of the field yet still hunt down running backs when it was clear they were getting the ball.

On the second play of the game, he began a few steps to the right before noticing it was a play action fake, and was able to sprint far to the left to meet the recipient of the pass (USC’s Chauncey Washington) just a couple yards past the line of scrimmage.  With about 2:30 left in the first half, Woodyard again was not fooled by a pitch to Cal’s Justin Forsett, and although he failed to prevent a first down, the gain was about as minimum as it gets.

Woodyard was also able to drop into coverage with ease.  On yet another bootleg by Trojan John David Booty on his first snap of the game, Woodyard was able to retreat far into the secondary to help cover Purdue’s Dorian Bryant.  This coverage as a safety allowed Bryant’s initial cover, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, to jump the route and deflect Booty’s pass away.  A few plays later on the same drive, Woodyard was sprinting to the sideline again to assist Cromartie on a quick pass to Adarius Bowman (although Cromartie needed no help as he made a textbook tackle).

Woodyard was also used on the line a few times, where he was able to use his speed to track down running backs on the back side.  That’s a trait that will fit in very well in Denver, as Gold used to specialize in such plays.

It was clear, however, that Woodyard’s lack of size was giving him some troubles.  To negate some of Woodyard’s early successes, the North offense starting sending the fullback directly at him, and he had difficulty shedding the blocks.  His tackling wasn’t also as clean as hoped for.  In one instance at 6:40 left in the 4th quarter, while Woodyard once again met the running back, he was only able to land an arm tackle, and needed Cromartie to come in and finish him off. A couple plays later, Forsett slipped a tackle from Woodyard, resulting in a first down that a mic-ed up Mike Nolan could be heard showing despair in.

To end on a positive note, there are two intangibles about Woodyard that I really like.  The first is that he has a high motor, and was near the ball on nearly every snap he played.  Proof of that was evident in that he had one of the dirtiest jerseys on at the end of the game.  The second is that he was constantly giving props to his teammates for making big plays (Cromartie in particular) and was clearly having fun playing the game.  I interpret that as Woodyard being a good locker room presence, and that makes a big difference when you’re trying to fit in with the pros.

Nevertheless, I hope that Thomas has learned a few lessons from this ordeal.  First and foremost, the people that you hang out with can mean a lot in how your life goes down, and considering that his former high school teammate was charged with a crime in this case, he may need to reconsider who and what he is around.  Second, I hope he realizes that he is in a privileged position as a professional football player, and it can be easier to squander that position than one might think.

That notion is heightened when you look at the current depth chart at defensive tackle.  Thomas and Alvin McKinley are the only two players at that position that had a full season of service with the team in 2007.  It’s safe to say that the Broncos need a positive path from Thomas as much as he needs it.  I’ll end the lecture here by saying that I’m glad we can put this episode in the rearview mirror, and that it allows Thomas and the team to concentrate on football.

–Nick

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OK, we both know that this is odd, an Oakland Raiders writer doing a positive story on a Denver Broncos quarterback. Jay Cutler’s recent admission of his diagnosis of type one diabetes caught my attention as someone has several diabetics in my family.

When most people hear diabetes they think of it is an old person’s disease, but the prevailiance is growing in younger people. Most of the discussion of diabetes in the young by the talking heads with simple minds that populate the cable news channels talk about it in terms of obesity or the bad eating habits of the youth. But with Culter receiving this diagnosis, he shows that a physically fit 25 year old can come down with this disease.

With Cutler going public, then taking the field next season, he will be showing that the diagnosis of diabetes is not a death sentence. He will still be out there throwing interceptions to Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall, sorry sidetracked for just a moment, he will be out on the field among some of the elite athletes in the United States playing at a high level. He will be a testament to the fact that diabetics can do anything as long as they treat it and follow their doctor’s orders.

The most important aspect of Cutler’s being willing to be open about his diabetes is that having an NFL star quarterback who is a diabetic removes some of the stigma that exits about it being somehow caused in younger people by obesity. People in the younger generation who don’t have it in their family see guys like Wilfred Brimley, everyone’s grandpa, and blues legend BB King as spokesmen for diabetes products. They are OLD. It’s just a fact, BB can still rock on the guitar like few others, but he is old. Just about every kid in America wants to grow up and play QB in the NFL at some point in their lives, so with that he can be a powerful voice.

Especially if you have a family history of diabetes, if you have the following symptoms see a doctor:

• increased thirst
• increased hunger
• frequent trips to the restroom
• blurred vision
• feeling tired most of the time
• frequent and/or slow healing infections

It’s better to get checked out by a doctor and get the treatment started early, rather than what happened to my brother who no one knew was a diabetic until he was in a diabetic coma at 15. Fortunately, he is fine now and will continue to be fine as long as he takes care of himself.

For more information on diabetes, please go to dlife.com.

Patrick Patterson covers the Oakland Raiders for MVN’s Thoughts from the Dark Side.

The first is linebacker Wesley Woodyard out of Kentucky.  Woodyard was a group of three linebackers that (unjustly, in my opinion) went undrafted due to concerns about size and durability.  The other two were linebackers that I had my eye on as possible Broncos draftees—Ali Highsmith of LSU (who signed with the Cardinals) and Erin Henderson of Maryland (who joined his brother EJ in Minnesota).

Keep in mind, however, that the Broncos value athleticism over size not only on the offensive line, but with linebackers as well.  Ian Gold is a prominent example.  Thus it was a good sign that Denver was able to convince Woodyard to come to town, as other strong teams like skills that linebackers like Woodyard bring. (The Indianapolis Colts is an excellent example.)  Look for Woodyard to compete for a weakside linebacker spot on the depth chart.

The other rookie signee of intrigue is Houston’s Anthony Alridge.  While his more heralded teammates have had more prominent arrivals to the NFL (Kevin Kolb was the Eagles’ first draft choice last year, and Donnie Avery was (shockingly) the first wide receiver taken in this year’s draft), Alridge made a name of his own due to outstanding speed and quickness.  Those attributes immediately make you think that he could play into the returner mix that’s so badly needed in Denver.  Second round selection Eddie Royal has to have the inside track both the kick and punt jobs, but Alridge may be able to snag one of the two jobs if he works hard.

The slate of undrafted free agents also include a kicker and a punter.  Oklahoma’s Garrett Hartley will compete with Matt Hartley to succeed Jason Elam.  His positive is a strong leg (stronger when entering Denver), his negative is accuracy.  He was also injured in his last season, so there may be room to pull the aberration card.  At the very least, he may be able to help out on kickoffs if the Broncos want to donate a roster spot to that role.  Toledo’s Brett Kern will compete with Sam Paulescu for the punter’s job, and like Hartley, he has a strong leg.  It will be intriguing to see if either of the youngsters can claim a spot in training camp.

Two other rookies signed include offensive linemen Mitch Erickson from South Dakota State (tapping the Dakotas once again after netting Chris Kuper) and Tyler Polumbus of Colorado (trying to become the next Lepsis?)  The group is rounded out with wide receiver Lorne Sam from UTEP.

To make room for the rookies, the Broncos cut several veterans.  The two of most notice are Steve Cargile and Paul Smith.  Both of the two players made a decent contribution to special teams in their tenure in Denver, so hopefully their releases speak numbers about the special teams potential of the rookies in hand.

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)

Dan Connor, LB, Penn State – How does a guy who wins the 2007 Chuck Bednarik Award and the 2008 Senior Bowl MVP from Linebacker U not get selected in the first two rounds?  I had preferred Trevor Laws from Notre Dame with #42, but was telling myself that Connor would be more than worth it at that position in the draft.  He is the one player that I would have no problem with an extreme trade up into the third round to grab.

Early Doucet, WR, USC – I love the physical type of game that Doucet plays at receiver, having witnessed the previous Broncos greats like Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey, and current ones like Brandon Marshall.  Doucet would continue to fill that role and compliment Marshall well.

Reggie Smith, S, Oklahoma – I figured that Smith would be the second safety off the board after Kenny Phillips of Miami, who saved the Hurricanes’ impressive streak of consecutive players in the first round at the 11th hour.  Instead, the only other safety taken today was Tyrell Johnson of Arkansas State.  If Smith were to somehow last to the fourth round, he would be an unbelievable steal.

Charles Godfrey, CB, Iowa – ESPN’s Mel Kiper was extremely high on Godfrey, and mentioned him as his top player left on the board after two rounds.  I can’t disagree with the notion, as he is the kind of player that the Broncos could use as a hedge in case any of Domonique Foxworth, Hamza Abdullah, or Karl Paymah leave in 2009 as free agents.

Mike Hart, RB, Michigan – Likewise, ESPN’s Chris Berman mentioned Hart as his top player left on the board, citing his production in his favor against his measurables. When you combine that production with his leadership and his natural fit for a zone blocking system, and I would really stress that the Broncos select him with a fourth round pick if he’s available.

Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt – Another solid possession receiver that should treat some team well.  You have to imagine that Jay Cutler may be piping in a little opinion into the Denver war room in favor of the receiver to who he threw a 100% completion rate to in workouts.

Phillip Wheeler, LB, Georgia Tech, and Cliff Avril, LB, Purdue.  Neither of these players would fit the Broncos perfectly, but both would be outstanding on teams that run a 3-4 defense.  I could see a team like the Patriots picking one of these two with the pick that they got from the Raiders last year in the Mario Henderson trade.

While Scheffler has been a fine addition to the Broncos, we all know how Hester has turned the league upside down—from running the opening kick of the Super Bowl back for a touchdown to single handedly embarrassing Todd Sauerbrun.  Denver has obviously not ended their quest for an electrifying returner, and that’s where Virginia Tech’s Eddie Royal enters the picture in Denver, as he was selected with the 42nd overall pick. 

Personally, I’m a bit unsettled with selecting a player this high for the primary purpose of special teams, which is what I interpret from this pick.  Yes, Hester has proven his worth when he was selected at #57, but Hester is also a rare find that I could not imagine happening again any time soon.  Of course, Broncos fans should hope that Royal can prove that sentiment wrong—yet my skepticism still remains.

Let’s not get too unhappy about this pick, however.  The worse-case scenario in my opinion would have been if the Broncos had instead drafted California’s DeSean Jackson with #42 instead of Royal, who was picked by the Eagles seven picks later.  Jackson was considered by many pundits as a first round talent, but his extreme light weight at around 165 pounds make me skeptical that he could be anything more than a returner at the next level.  At least Royal, who tips the scales at 184 pounds on a 5’9” frame (not a bad ratio at all), has some hopes of being able to shed some of the more physical cornerbacks more successfully.

Aside from the return game, I am not getting my hopes up for Royal contributing to the offense in a significant way any time soon. If he can produce even a fraction of what Hester did as a returner, the investment of #42 will be worth it.  However, if the Broncos were looking for a true receiver, I would have preferred Malcolm Kelly, Early Doucet, Earl Bennett, and probably others, over Royal.

I’ll obviously comment on Clady plenty in the future, but I’d also like to make some general points about the draft:

–The Raiders’ selection of Darren McFadden was a tough pill to swallow, but at least I was prepared for it.  Remember, I also thought that the Raiders got an absolute steal last year in Michael Bush.  Putting those two in a running back by committee is going to be a challenge to stop.  At least the Broncos have to be prepared to stop the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson, anyway.

–The Chiefs have also made themselves much better with the two picks they’ve made so far—Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert.  They are currently a disaster on both lines, and players that that will bring them back to respectability sooner.

The bottom line is that in only fifteen picks, three of the four AFC West teams have gotten decently better.

–You have to love the New York Jets fans showing their displeasure on draft day, and this day it all went towards the Patriots.  I can’t remember a draft pick that has been booed that loudly, both before and after the pick happened.  Jets fans also have to enjoy at least the notion that their team selected a player (Vernon Gholston) right before their rival, who everyone thought would be a great fit for the Patriots.

–The only real “bad” pick that I’ve seen thus for was the Jaguars’ huge trade up to get Derrick Harvey from Florida.  I thought that the Broncos paid too much to trade up for fellow Gator Jarivs Moss last year, but this one takes the cake.

Glenn Dorsey
Sedrick Ellis
Chris Long
Darren McFadden
Ryan Clady
Chris Williams

I will also add Branden Albert of Virginia to this list, as there is word that he might enter the Broncos’ desires. He played guard as a Cavalier but in Denver he could easily shift to tackle and most likely not lose a step in the process.

We’ll be realistic and declare that there is no way that any of the non-offensive linemen are falling out of the top ten. Dorsey and Ellis aren’t likely to fall past the Bengals and Saints, McFadden seems like the fallback plan for the Jets at #6, and you have to think that Al Davis is going to indulge in Chris Long if he’s available at #4.

The Chiefs might take one of the three O-linemen at #5, but the remainder of the teams seem likely to pursue elsewhere. That should leave the Broncos at least one of Clady, Albert, or Williams to select. I’m sure several Broncos fans would love the team to trade down and pick up that third round pick that they lost, but the problem is that the next three teams at 13-15 (Panthers, Bears, Lions) are all in the market for O-linemen and the top three could all be gone after then. Therefore, my preference is to stay at #12. Ryan Clady gets the slight edge for me, but I’ll be perfect happy with Albert or Williams as well.

If the Broncos want to pick up a third rounder, the best tactic might be to instead trade their second round pick, and try to get a trade like when the Chargers gave up a bounty to the Bears to move from the late 2nd to the early 2nd to get Eric Weddle. However, if they stay at #42, I say they still need more help at defense tackle, and to go with Trevor Laws. If he is unavailable, then I would go the wide receiver route, with either Early Doucet or Earl Bennett.

Barring trades, the Broncos don’t pick again until #108 and #119 in the fourth round. I would take Mike Hart with one of those picks. Depending if the team went DT or WR in the second round, I would look for the opposite with the other pick—either DeMario Pressley or Lavelle Hawkins.

If either Pressley or Hawkins are available in the 5th (#139 and #148), then they should be selected. In the fifth, it also might be time to take a kicker. I could be way off here, but the best things I’ve heard from come from Brandon Coutu—and when in doubt with a Mike Shanahan draft, go to the SEC.

Going deeper than the 5th is pure guesswork, and I have no idea if the players I’m thinking of will be available. So I’ll just take a wild guess that will likely be far off, but there’s no harm in speculation and I’m far from the only one guilty of it. As such, my final preferred draft board:

#12: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
#42: Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame
#108: Lavelle Hawkins, WR, California
#119: Mike Hart, RB, Michigan
#139: DeMario Pressley, DT, North Carolina State
#148: Brandon Coutu, K, Georgia
#183: Johnny Dingle, DE, West Virginia
#220: Ben Moffitt, LB, South Florida
#227: The best punter available

Happy Draft Day to all! Keep an eye out both on this page and on MVN’s NFL Draft section, as I may be around to make comments on pick that the Broncos and other teams make.

Earlier in the offseason, I had lightly lobbied for the Broncos to look at acquiring another former Jet, Jonathan Vilma.  He had gone from being Defensive Player of the Year to an unlucky bad fit for a 3-4 defense that New York had changed to under Eric Mangini.  The same held true for Robertson, who wasn’t a good fit at the nose tackle position in the defense, despite the talent that he may have.  On that basis, I’m in favor of the trade, especially considering what appears to be for low compensation

I failed to mention Robertson as a possibility because of his contract situation, where he was due a roster bonus of $3 million by June in addition to a $6.8 million base salary.  The Jets had the same problem that the Broncos did in unloading a player via trade (swap Robertson for Javon Walker) because no team would want to take on that contract.  The Jets must have felt that they should get at least something for Robertson.  On that note, The Denver Post reports that Robertson’s contract will likely be restructured to about $4 million guaranteed, which is easier for the team to swallow.

With Robertson in the fold, he would be the presumed starter alongside Marcus Thomas.  However, aside from Alvin McKinley and perhaps Josh Mallard, depth is still scant at defensive tackle, and an additional rookie would be appreciated for at least comfort.  The good news about acquiring Robertson is that the pressure is lessened a little to use a first round pick on the position.  Emphasizing this is the fact that the clear top two of the class—Glenn Dorsey of LSU and Sedrick Ellis of USC—are almost certain to be long gone by #12, no matter how good they’d look in Denver.

Who would be decent alternatives?  I’m looking for defensive tackles that have high motors and the passion to continually make plays, even if they may be a little bit less talented.  Leading the pack is Trevor Laws from Notre Dame.  If anyone watched the Senior Bowl game, one can testify to the way Laws strived to get in the backfield—and this was an exhibition game at that.  Another player to consider later on might be DeMario Pressley of North Carolina State, who obviously has the pedigree from coming from the college of Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, and John McCargo but is a good athlete in his own right.

At defensive end, the Broncos may have no choice but to be patient for a year and see what they really have in Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder—and Elvis Dumervil is still there to be a solid pass rusher.  There could be some good depth padding picks in the second day such as Jeremy Thompson of Wake Forest, Jason Jones of Eastern Michigan, or Darrell Robertson of Georgia Tech that would do the trick.

With all the positions wrapped up, tomorrow I’ll give a preference on how I would like to see the Broncos draft go down as a whole.