Breaking down the Broncos
National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
February 15, 2005
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: MadeMeBad@aol.com
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 10:47 PM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: Denver Broncos
Great Website, enjoy your insight. Need some help...What are the chances that the Broncos use either Trevor Pryce or Rueben Droughns or both to move up in the 1st round? I just heard today that Trevor is on the block. Is there anyway Denver could snag a Derrick Johnson to compliment the newly planned change over to the 3-4 defense? Or is Shawne Merriman a better prospect for the 3-4? I guess I really don't feel that Denver's d-line is a big weakness if we are moving to the 3-4, we just need to retain Reggie Hayward and sign a Pat Williams to stuff the middle. With that said, I would like to see Denver draft the likes of a Heath Miller, I don't remember this much hype about a TE since T Gonzales.
One glaring weakness all Broncos fans seem to notice is the lack of a return specialist. Is there anyone hidden gems that can be had in the 4th-5th round that would fit the bill?(Roscoe Parrish?) And last but not least, what round do you see UNC WR Vincent Jackson going in? I would love to see him as a Bronco, the dude is a freak, and would be a great replacement for an aging Rod Smith, plus he has a big fan following here in Denver.
Lou: Here's the scoop on Pryce: according to the Denver Post's Bill Williamson, the Broncos are looking to trade Pryce for a high to middle-round draft pick, presumably in the 2005 draft. At the moment they're testing the market for Pryce (29 years old), who is a four-time Pro Bowler. The reason is two-fold: Pryce's salary-cap number for next season is a staggering $9,166,000, and the Broncos are going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. The Broncos see Pryce as being much better suited for the 4-3 and feel that they can get some value from him in a trade and replace him with a DE who will be a better fit for the 3-4. That's in part why I have Denver slated to take Shawne Merriman at #25 in the first round, since Merriman could play either DE or OLB (and that kind of tweener capability would be nice to have in a player as the team makes that adjustment to the 3-4).
There hasn't been any indication that I've heard that the Broncos are looking to use Pryce or Reuben Droughns to trade up in the first round. Heath Miller would be a very nice fit for them, but there is way too much uncertainty on where Miller will go in the draft. You mentioned the hype on Miller, but I think the hype last year on Kellen Winslow was much higher. But believe me, Miller has the goods at his position (TE) just as much as anyone else coming out of college. He might lack Winslow's pedigree, but Miller did some amazing things while at Virginia.
Going back to Droughns, ESPN reports that the Broncos have given his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, permission to seek a trade with another team. The Broncos want even more for Droughns than they do for Pryce, reportedly a first rounder and a middle round pick. With the calibre of the RBs in this draft, I think any team picking in the top 25 would be crazy to make that trade with Denver. No disrespect to Droughns, but why take a castoff from the Broncos RB farm when you can instead get one of three highly regarded college talents in Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams or Ronnie Brown? But if any agent can figure out a plan to make it work, it's Rosenhaus. So we'll see.
Darren Sproles from Kansas State could be a fun return specialist to have on board in Denver. Not only does it add yet another RB to "the system", but it would let the little man have people chase him all around the field in that thin Mile High air (at least in home games). Justin Miller of Clemson probably has the best return skills of anyone who'll be taken in the first round, but if you're talking about hidden gems with return talent, WR Jerome Mathis of I-AA Hampton and WR Chad Owens of Hawaii are two guys to keep an eye on in the draft. Mathis in particular is impressive, having returned FIVE kickoffs for touchdowns (albiet against I-AA competition). I think the Tampa Bay Bucs (who have never returned a kickoff for a TD in their regular or post-season entire history) should draft him for that aspect alone.
As for Vincent Jackson, he's a unique player in that he's 6'5" 245 pounds but not a stick in the mud. He's a fast guy who also is a return threat, and like you mentioned he has local connections since he played ball at Northern Colorado. He might be a day one pick, especially if a team wants to turn him into a TE. The NFL is a copycat league, and the success by Atlanta and San Diego with their TEs will have teams looking to make similar advances with their tight ends. And given that Denver really needs a TE, it would all fit together nicely for the Broncos if they could land him. I'd be more inclined to look toward Ashlie Lelie and Darius Watts as the future of the receiving corps, but turn Jackson into a TE and suddenly Jake Plummer has one more option back there in the pocket (besides getting sacked).
