How could the Denver Broncos have done better in the 2017 NFL Draft? Re-picking their draft class for better results.
The Denver Broncos came away from the 2017 NFL Draft filling a lot of needs on their roster in hopes to elevate the talent level and boost the team into a perennial playoff contender. The team addressed offensive line, defensive line, special teams, tight end and wide receiver in this year's draft.
Not every draft pick is perfect and sometimes teams simply draft the wrong guy leaving a talented prospect on the board. Teams will also refrain from addressing a particular need that could very well increase the talent level of the roster. With that being said, it's a great exercise to comb through the draft and see whether or not the Broncos lost value by reaching on a player or quite simply selected the wrong player with any of their draft picks.
It's hard to know why a team passed on certain players even though some of the players being passed on seem like perfect fits. Character concerns, injuries and off the field issues are things that don't always get released to the public and are sometimes a main reason why a player will fall in the draft. Scouts, coaches and front office executive all have their "guys" and will take full advantage of selecting a player in the draft that they are infatuated and sometimes this results in reaching on a player.
Predicting the future outcome for prospects is hard and is a skill set that not many people have, making the draft a risky endeavor for general managers, coaches and scouts as it can effect the future outcome of their jobs. The draft can be considered a crap-shoot, because prominent players can easily bust while less talented prospects could develop into tangible assets for their franchise.
If anything, reviewing the Broncos draft and determining what other possibilities they could've went with, is a good activity to do to figure out what direction the team is wanting to go with their roster.
Jan 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Ryan Ramczyk (65) blocks Western Michigan Broncos defensive end Keion Adams (1) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. The Badgers won 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Round 1, Pick 20: Ryan Ramczyk, OT – Wisconsin
The Broncos originally drafted Garett Bolles, offensive tackle from Utah with their first-round pick. This wasn't a horrible selection, due to the fact that the Broncos needed to add talent to the offensive line. Boles can generally step in and contribute right away at either guard or tackle.
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Bolles was selected as the first offensive lineman off the board, which was a surprise to many draft enthusiasts, considering many people had Cam Robinson and Ryan Ramczyk as the two best tackles in the draft. Bolles was slotted to fall into the second round of the draft due to his age and character issues, making this pick a bit of a reach for the Broncos.
Denver could've traded back into the second round and still would have been able to draft Bolles. The main issue with this pick, is that he wasn't the best prospect on the board at his position when the Broncos drafted him.
Ramczyk is a more talented prospect without the headaches. He doesn't have massive red flags in his profile due to character concerns and has the ability to play just about every position on the offensive line. He's a rock solid prospect who can develop into one of the best offensive linemen in the league. Ramczyk isn't bust-proof, but he's a very safe selection and should be able to contribute in the league for years to come.
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Round 2, Pick 51: DeShone Kizer, QB – Notre Dame
DeMarcus Walker, defensive end from Florida State was the original pick for the Broncos in the second-round. This was actually a great pick. He's a safe prospect who was very productive in college. Walker will fill a void and provide depth for the defensive line while being one of the team's rotational pass rushers.
It's not a secret, the quarterback position is the Achilles heel of this team. The Broncos have two inexperienced quarterbacks dueling it out for the starting job in Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. What if both quarterbacks fail and the team is left spending another first-round pick or utilizing a lot of capital in the trademarked to acquire a suitable starter? Kicking the tires at other options might be a good idea, especially when a talented developmental prospect falls to you at a discounted rate in the draft.
Kizer was projected as a first-round pick by many draft analysts and his fall in the draft was mostly due to him being a developmental prospect who needs a few years to develop. Talented quarterback prospects don't normally fall to you in the second round like this, and at this price point it's more than palatable to take a risk on Kizer. There's not much of a drop off in talent between him and the other three quarterbacks who was drafted in the first-round.
Walker is a safer option for this draft pick, because he should contribute to the team in one way or another, while Kizer could become a journeyman backup quarterback. But if both Siemian and Lynch don't pan out, the team will need to spend another first-round pick on a quarterback, which will be a bitter pill to swallow when they just passed on a first-round caliber quarterback in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Round 3, Pick 82: Antonio Garcia, OT – Troy
Carlos Henderson, wide receiver from Louisiana Tech, was Denver's pick in the third-round. He was one of my favorite wide receiver prospects going into the draft. I think he will develop into an excellent player and has the skill set to take over as one of the top receiving assets in the offense.
However, wide receiver isn't a pressing need for the Broncos and drafting one in the third-round doesn't make sense when there are plenty of talented prospects available that can plug the holes on the roster.
I decided to go back to the offensive tackle well with this pick, because the offensive line needs as much talent as possible and Antonio Garcia is talented enough to contribute to the team within the first couple seasons of his career. Many draft analysts had him pegged as a second-round pick in this draft. The third-round price tag would've made him a steal for the Broncos. By adding him and Ryan Ramczyk, the Denver Broncos have the potential to develop one of the toughest offensive lines in the NFL.
Denver should've took the opportunity to stock up on offensive linemen in this draft in hopes they can develop a few of them into perennial starters. The team is more than likely going to start an inexperienced quarterback going into the season and by adding talent the offensive line, the team has a better chance preventing their young quarterbacks from getting sacked by the opposing defense.
Oct 8, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) runs the ball against the Texas Longhorns in the second quarter at Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Round 3, Pick 101: Samaje Perine, RB – Oklahoma
The Broncos used their second third-round pick in the draft to select Brendan Langley, cornerback from Lamar. There are a lot of red flags with this pick. Langley originally signed his letter of intent with the University of Georgia coming out of high school, but had to transfer to Lamar because he wasn't getting enough playing time. In two season with the Bulldogs, he managed to play in just six games.
He's a small school prospect which is another glaring red flag on his profile, because he didn't play against top tier competition compared to many of the other draft prospects in this draft class. With that being said, there could be some developmental issues when it comes to grooming Langley as a potential starter for the defense.
Samaje Perine fell to the fourth-round of the NFL Draft. His talent or style of play wasn't the reason why he fell in the draft. This was the deepest running back class we've seen in a very long time and the infusion of running back talent caused the player pool to dilute with exceptional runners. The Broncos could've got a second-round caliber running back in the late third round.
Perine has the talent to take over as the lead back in this offense. He is better than both Devontae Booker and C.J. Anderson. Without a doubt he would have upgraded the offense's run game.
Jan 21, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; West Team defensive end Avery Moss (90) rushes as East Team offensive tackle Dan Skipper (70) blocks during the second quarter of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Round 5, Pick 145: Avery Moss, DE – Youngstown State
Jake Butt, tight end from Michigan was the Broncos selection for their fifth round pick. Honestly, I believe he was the best pick in the entire fifth round, because it's almost impossible to get a talented prospect like Butt to fall to you this late in the draft.
Butt fell in the draft due to an ACL injury that he suffered during his bowl game. Before the injury, he was considered a second-round pick and was one of the top tight end prospects in this draft. This pick is one of the biggest steals of the draft.
I don't really want to change this pick, but for the sake of this exercise I will. I went ahead and selected Avery Moss, defensive end from Youngstown State. The team needs extra depth on the defensive line and Moss adds an extra pass rusher to the team's rotation of edge rushers.
I'm not a big fan of small-school prospects, because there's a big learning curve when it comes to acclimating to playing against a higher level of competition. This later rounds are perfect for taking developmental or small-school prospects with high upside, because the team isn't really wasting much capital if the player busts.
Sep 17, 2016; Boone, NC, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Danny Isidora (63) lines up during the second quarter against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Miami defeated App State 45-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Round 5, Pick 172: Danny Isidora, G – Miami
The Broncos originally selected Isaiah McKenzie, wide receiver from Georgia with their second fifth-round selection. The team plans to use him on special teams as a kick returner. This pick wasn't a horrible idea, because having a specialty kick returner on the roster could provide a lot of versatility for the active roster on game days. The problem with this pick is that kick returners can be had for next to nothing and spending a fifth round pick kick on a player to just return kicks is a waste of draft capital.
Like I said previously, the Broncos have major issues with the offensive line. The unit allowed 40 sacks last season, ranking ninth worst in the league. Danny Isidora could possibly add depth to the offense line and could even develop into a starter in the future. The Broncos needs to add as many lottery tickets to the offensive line as possible in hopes that they can cash in on a perennial Pro Bowler on the cheap. If anything, the added depth could boost the talent level on the back-end of the Broncos' roster.
By adding prospects to the offensive line the team has a chance to make a quick turn around from having one of the worst offensive fronts in the league to having one of the top lines in the league.
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Round 6, Pick 203: Jeremiah Ledbetter, DE – Arkansas
De'Angelo Henderson, running back from Coastal Carolina was the original selection for the Broncos in the sixth round. He was drafted to provide competition in the backfield in training camp. He faces an uphill battle to make the team.
We've already re-drafted a Samaje Perine in the third-round and drafting another running would log jam the roster. You can never have enough pass-rushers and by drafting Jeremiah Ledbetter, defensive end from Arkansas could provide depth for the defensive line. Worst case scenario, he struggles in training camp and doesn't make the team. More than likely, he would make the team as a developmental prospect on the back-end of Denver's roster.
Most prospects that are on the board this late in the draft are more than likely going to be career back ups or journeyman players who struggle to find a home with an NFL team. The odds are greatly against every player being selected this late in the draft. With that being said, every player drafted in the sixth and seventh rounds are considered lottery tickets due to the sheer fact that most of the picks in this range of the draft are usually out of the league within three years.
Sep 26, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Ishmael Zamora (8) leaps for the end zone pylon and scores a touchdown against the Rice Owls during the third quarter at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Round 7, Pick 253: Ishmael Zamora, WR – Baylor
The Broncos had the last pick in the draft, which they used to draft Chad Kelly, quarterback from Mississippi. Kelly is an excellent pick, because he fills a need for the team and he's talented enough to claw his way up the depth chart to become the team's starting quarterback. Denver will at least have another arm in training camp to spread the ball around if he doesn't pan out.
Ishmael Zamora is a very interesting prospect, because he has the talent to be one of the top receivers in this draft class, but issues with his character caused him to slide down the draft board. He went undrafted and was picked up by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent. If it wasn't for his character concerns, he probably would have been drafted in the middle rounds of the draft.
I'm chasing talent and upside with this pick and Zamora has plenty of both. He is a very explosive player and could develop into a starting wide receiver in the league if he can keep his head on straight. There's nothing to lose here, considering that this is the last pick in the draft.
