A Delayed Broncos Draft Analysis

It has taken me a few weeks to write about the Bronco's draft, as it was another confusing draft, and I kept procrastinating.  Mainly, I have been trying to put my head around the Denver Broncos drafting Tim Tebow in the first round.  This move will probably define Josh McDaniels' career as the Bronco's Head Coach more than his two other controversial decisions - the trades of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. 

 

Tebow brings strong athleticism and leadership skills to the Broncos, although I have no idea if he will be able to adapt to the Pros.  I obviously want him to be successful, as that will mean good things for the Broncos.  Tebow has an enthusiasm and energy level that is captivating to many, while off putting to others.  His mannerisms, positivity, and speech remind me a lot of a friend of mine, who is liked by almost everyone, which does endear Tebow to me.  I am sure these are some of the qualities that help Tebow lead his teammates on the field.

 

A lot has been made of Tebow's faith, but I really don't give a crap about it.   Does the Iranian National Soccer team's Islamic faith make them a better soccer team?  Did Lance Armstrong's absence of faith in a higher being affect his ability to win multiple Tour De France titles?  As long as he doesn't proselytize in the locker room and create a negative environment, I don't think it matters.  I do not agree with him doing an ad for Focus on the Family, as I personally perceive FoF as being a divisive, hypocritical, and overtly political religious group.  But, I don't hold that against him.  We are all free to have our own beliefs.  Just don't let it negatively affect the huddle.
 

I am almost as puzzled with this year's draft as I was with last year's.  As you may recall, last year, I thought the Broncos should have taken Brian Orakpo with the 12th pick of the first round.  During his rookie season, Orakpo was selected to the Pro Bowl, placed fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for week 14.  This year, I thought the Broncos should have drafted C Maurkice Pouncey or OG Mike Iupati due to issues with their offensive line.  However, with all of the trades that the Broncos did, it is hard to tell who they could have taken where and when.  I really liked how they moved up and down the draft board with the trades, but am not certain they took the right players. 

 

I also thought I would also try to summarize the results of the Cutler and Marshall trades.  It was a rather tricky task, but try to follow this (players selected with draft pick and pick number are in parenthesis):

 

The Broncos traded Jay Cutler and 2009 5th round draft pick (WR Johnny Knox, 140) to the Chicago Bears for their 2009 1st round draft pick (DE Robert Ayers, 18), 2010 1st round draft pick, and Bears 2009 3rd round draft pick.  Subsequently, traded Bears 2009 3rd round draft pick (WR Mike Wallace, 84) and Broncos 2009 3rd round draft pick (OT Kraig Urbik, 79) to the Steelers for a 2009 second round draft pick (TE Richard Quinn, 64) and 2009 4th round pick (OG Seth Olsen, 132).  Since the Broncos had two first round picks in 2010, they traded their own 1st round pick (S Earl Thomas, 14) to the Seahawks for a 2009 2nd round draft pick (CB Alphonso Smith, 37). 

 

The Broncos kept the Bears 2010 1st round draft pick.  They then traded this pick (OT Anthony Davis, 11) to the 49ers for the 49ers' 2010 1st round draft pick and 2010 fourth round draft pick.  They then traded the 49ers 1st round pick (DE Brandon Graham, 13) to Philly for their 2010 1st round, 2010 3rd round (WR Eric Decker, 87), and 2010 3rd round draft picks.  The Broncos then traded the 1st round pick acquired from Philly (WR Dez Bryant, 24) and 4th round pick acquired from the 49ers (TE Aaron Hernandez, 113) to the Pats for their 1st round pick (WR Demaryius Thomas, 22). 

 

Before the 2010 draft, the Broncos traded Brandon Marshall to Miami for a 2010 2nd round pick and a 2011 2nd round pick.  The Broncos traded the 2nd round pick (LB Sergio Kindle, 43) acquired from Miami, one of the 3rd round picks (TE Ed Dickson, 70) acquired from the Eagles, and their own 4th round pick (TE Dennis Pitta, 114) to Baltimore for their 2010 1st round draft pick (QB Tim Tebow, 25). 

 

So, to sum it up, the Broncos gave up QB Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall along with the following players drafted with picks that were traded WR Johnny Knox, WR Mike Wallace, OT Kraig Urbik, S Earl Thomas, OT Anthony Davis, DE Brandon Graham, WR Dez Bryant, LB Sergio Kindle, TE Aaron Hernandez, TE Ed Dickson, and TE Dennis Pitta (obviously, there is no way they could have drafted all of these players, but these are the guys who were eventually drafted with picks that dealt in trades).  

 

In return, the Broncos got QB Kyle Orton, DE Robert Ayers, TE Richard Quinn, OG Seth Olsen, CB Alphonso Smith, WR Demaryius Thomas, QB Tim Tebow, and a 2011 2nd round pick.

 

I think I would have rather taken the offensive lineman mentioned earlier or kept the two picks in the first round that the Broncos would have had if they hadn't done so much maneuvering.  The players selected in those spots were OT Anthony Davis and S Earl Thomas.  Only time will tell if they made the right moves.