MVN: Most Valuable Network

As stated earlier in the week, the 2009 Broncos draft class should focus on defense. Taking one step away from that broad step, the following five positions are what I see as places that should be addressed with youth:

--Nose tackle
--Defensive end
--Outside linebacker
--Safety
--Cornerback

The Broncos happen to have five picks in the first 84 picks of the draft. One ideal scenario would be to have each of these five spots filled with one pick each in the first three rounds. Of course, the talent at the time of each pick may not warrant such a strategy. Furthermore, of those five positions, nose tackle is the only one that I would place at a different priority. As such, the Broncos may have some flexibility to utilize the "best player available" approach, especially in the first round.

So, where do the Broncos start off? Here is a rough hierarchy of who I'd like the team to target, as well as when.

The following players would be the best at #12:
--BJ Raji
--Brian Orakpo
--Everette Brown
(I assume that there's no way Aaron Curry will be available.)

The following players would be preferable at #18, or a trade down from #12 to picks around #18 (I could see teams like the Jets, Bucs, or Lions wanting to trade up for the right player):
--Any of the USC linebackers (Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, or Clay Matthews
--Connor Barwin
--Vontae Davis
--Tyson Jackson

I add Jackson with trepidation, however, as I'd rather get him in the second round, but that simply will not be possible. Jackson reminds me of another LSU alumnus, Marcus Spears. While he's had a solid career in Dallas, he hasn't quite performed to the point where he has justified his first round status.

I should also point out that the one player that I hope the Broncos do not draft is Aaron Maybin. I have the worst feeling of "workout warrior" when I read upon his history.

The direction to go in the second round is contingent upon whether or not the Broncos get Raji in the first. If they do not, then it should be their priority to get a nose tackle with this pick, with one of these two:
--Ron Brace
--Fili Moala

Otherwise, here are a handful of players that would work well:
--Larry English
--Sean Smith
--William Moore
--Patrick Chung
--Rashad Johnson

You'll notice the heavy emphasis on DBs in this section. One or two of them might fall into the third round, but I'm not counting on it.

Finally, some good players to look at in the third would be among the following:
--Chip Vaughn
--Asher Allen
--Scott McKillop
--Jairus Byrd
--Keenan Lewis

To wrap it up, here are two examples of draft classes that I would be delighted with. One of them has Raji at #12, the other does not:

#12: BJ Raji, DT, Boston College
#18: Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
#48: Rashad Johnson, S, Alabama
#79: Asher Allen, CB, Georgia
#84: Alex Magee, DE, Purdue
#114: Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M
#149: Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa
#185: Ian Johnson, RB, Boise State
#225: Chris Clemons, S, Clemson
#235: Brian Hartline, WR, Ohio State

====

#12: Everette Brown, LB, Florida State
#18: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
#48: Ron Brace, DT, Boston College
#79: Chip Vaughn, S, Wake Forest
#84: Corvey Irvin, DE, Georgia
#114: Austin Collie, WR, BYU
#149: Jeremiah Johnson, RB, Oregon
#185: Terrance Knighton, DT, Temple
#225: Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri
#235: Wopamo Osaisai, CB, Stanford

The Denver Post has reported that USC's Mark Sanchez will be getting a private workout with the Broncos this upcoming Tuesday. Given my opinion on the quarterback situation in Denver right now (that is, to not draft one except for in the late rounds), this is very encouraging news. Why do I say that, you may ask? The period before the draft is always filled with plenty of smoke blown in an attempt to deceive opposing teams. No front office wants anyone to know their true intentions. As such, if one team is paying extra attention to a player, it may mean that that player is not truly on their draft radar, and vice versa. Jay Cutler was an excellent example. Absolutely no one (myself included) thought the Broncos would even consider a quarterback in the first round after Jake Plummer took the team to the AFC Championship Game.... Read more

When I had listed my requirements for what I would demand in the Cutler trade, I had implied that it was necessary to obtain the equivalent of more than one player in such a transaction, as a suitable replacement for Cutler would be necessary, as well as receiving additional appropriate compensation for a Pro Bowl quarterback. Little did I know that my expectations would be more than exceeded, courtesy of the Chicago Bears, and perhaps the Washington Redskins for also allegedly upping the bid. If we excuse the Keary Colbert fifth round pick that was traded to the Bears, the Broncos have the potential to receive four players in exchange for Cutler. One of those is not only a quarterback, but one with a solid base of playing experience. I was ecstatic to hear that Kyle Orton was part of the package, as I have regarded him as an underrated... Read more

As nice as it would be to have this headline be more appropriate for its date, it's no joking matter when the highest member of the Denver Broncos confirms what many were predicting. Pat Bowlen announced that the Broncos will shop Jay Cutler. It is still hard to imagine what could have gotten Cutler so upset with the change in regime. It's understandable to be disappointed when your favorite coaches leave, which seems to have caused the whole tension in the first place. However, as any veteran would tell you (and surely Cutler), the NFL is a business, and people come and go. Did Josh McDaniels do anything wrong? It's hard to say. If it's true that the losses of Mike Shanahan and Jeremy Bates made up Cutler's mind, then just the mere presence of McDaniels was enough to irk Cutler, which is hardly fair. Now McDaniels may not have... Read more

The Broncos had a host of free agents that the new regime politely said that they were not interested in negotiating new contract with. I had no problem with separating paths with most of them. There was one I was disappointed that the team would not remain interested in, and that was Darrell Jackson. He definitely was not reliable enough to be a starter, nor even serve the valuable #3 slot role that Brandon Stokley plays so well. However, I felt that he was a solid role player that could be counted on for just that small handful of catches that would be expected out of a #4 receiver to spell Stokley, Brandon Marshall, or Eddie Royal. Fortunately, that concern has been obviated when Josh McDaniels found an alternative in his prior history: Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney. He never could catch on as a key player in New England, but... Read more

The Broncos went through a historical number of running backs in 2008. However, it had everything to do with injury and nothing to do a lack of pure talent. Out of all the players that graced the backfield, the following showed enough to warrant competition for extended duty for 2009: Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain, and finally Peyton Hillis. As such, it was a bit of a surprise when on the opening stroke of midnight for free agency, it was revealed that two running backs were being wooed to Denver: Correll Buckhalter from the Eagles, and JJ Arrington from the Cardinals. A deal with Buckhalter was consummated soon afterwards, but it appeared that the same for Arrington would fall through the cracks for a few days until a contract was eventually signed. In between the Buckhalter and Arrington signings, the Broncos also brought in Lamont Jordan from... Read more

Other teams such as the Cowboys or Redskins get most of the attention for making big splashes in free agency. The latter did so with the gigantic contract for the equally gigantic Albert Haynesworth. However, rarely is an offseason quiet with the Broncos, either. From the Bailey-Portis trade to the Browncos defensive line to the Jim Bates experiment, dull moments can be few and far between. The Broncos have elected to go with quantity rather than quality right off the gun. However, there's nothing wrong with that, as the dearth in talent on defense justified these moves. By my count, the following players have been acquired at this point: • Correll Buckhalter • Brian Dawkins • Jabar Gaffney • Renaldo Hill • Andre Goodman • Darrell Reid • Lonie Paxton JJ Arrington was also on the path to Denver, but apparently a snag was hit with his contract, and that... Read more

If the team is serious in its conversion to a 3-4 defense, nowhere will the conversion be more intense and difficult than with the down linemen. The type of players required are quite different from the 4-3 scheme, and it can be a challenge to convert veterans from one system to another. The most dire need would be the lacking of a true nose tackle. The anchor of the 3-4 usually weighs in excess of 320 pounds, a weight that no one on the roster is even close to. Nose tackles are also more of run stuffers and blocker absorbers, when in the previous scheme in Denver, the defensive tackles were designed more to disrupt the backfield. What should the Broncos do to fill the nose tackle position? As mentioned before, I would go with a technique that the New England Patriots utilized in 2004, when they brought in both... Read more

It became evident very quickly in the 2008 season that the largest need in the 2009 offseason would be safety. John Lynch had retired and Hamza Abdullah had been cut, forcing the team to start two players that were likely seen at the time as merely solid backups--Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel. Unfortunately, neither McCree nor Manuel proved to be even viable backups. The bad defensive play of the Broncos seemed to constantly center around this duo, with hardly any support in the run game, as well as poor angles and tackling in the passing game. Of course, this made things much tougher for the corners as far as coverage went. Thankfully, Manuel was cut not too long ago, and it appears highly unlikely that upcoming free agent McCree will be re-signed, either. The problem, of course, is that apart from the young Josh Barrett or the possible conversion of... Read more

While the Broncos' defense as a whole was weak in 2008, one section remained traditionally strong in respect until injuries plagued it. Denver has a history of outstanding linebackers, from pioneers Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson, and Karl Mecklenburg, to Shanahan-era athletes like Bill Romanowski, John Mobley, Al Wilson, and Ian Gold. The talent is definitely there as of present, but was hamstrung with the lengthy absences of DJ Williams and Boss Bailey. The rise of rookies Wesley Woodyard and Spencer Larsen didn't hurt, either. As the Broncos eventually transition into a 3-4 defense, the type of linebacker that they will look for will drastically change. Although that meant the releases of players like Jamie Winborn and Niko Koutouvides, that does not mean that the Broncos have to start completely over at the position. Middle linebacker is perhaps the easiest to fill. It seems almost certain that Williams will occupy one... Read more

In the first three offensive examinations, the conclusion was that there was very little that needed to be done to upgrade those position groups. Common wisdom suggests that this is not true for running backs, evidenced by the historical (even by Denver standards) amount of injuries that sidelined multiple running backs for the season. Some think that the situation is dire enough at running back that it warrants the Broncos using their first round pick on either Knowshon Moreno or Chris "Beanie" Wells. I am going to disagree with this notion. Who, then, is capable of being the Broncos' starter? The answer is Peyton Hillis. Out of all of the backs that got a shot at the position, I felt Hillis showed the most potential of the group. I loved the way that he was able to be very physical at the point of the cut, and move the pile.... Read more