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Denver remains intrigued by Calvin Johnson
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
The Denver PostArticle Last Updated:04/23/2007 12:01:22 AM MDT
Among the many paradoxes associated with the NFL is the more a team tries to keep matters secret, the more opinions people seem to have on team matters.
It's a wonder why the Broncos insist on draping their figurative blue and orange shroud over their Dove Valley headquarters when the overwhelming consensus already is they must use the NFL draft this weekend to address three areas: defense, defense and defense.
More specifically, linebacker, defensive line and safety.
Yet to date, the only known draft play by the Broncos' three-headed think tank of Mike Shanahan, Ted Sundquist and Jim Goodman has been to seek receiver Calvin Johnson through the No. 2 draft pick held by the Detroit Lions. And not just once did the Broncos go after Johnson, but twice.
The first time, the Broncos proposed adding middle linebacker Al Wilson and their No. 21 overall pick as an extension to finalize a deal that sent Tatum Bell and George Foster to the Lions in exchange for Dré Bly. The second time, the Broncos offered picks in the first, second and third rounds, plus their first-round pick in 2008, for the Lions' No. 2 selection, a trade contingent on the Oakland Raiders not taking Johnson with their No. 1 choice.
In one sense, the flirtation with Johnson followed form. In recent years, the Broncos have approached the early rounds by taking the best available player, first; a position of need, second.
But from another viewpoint, Johnson would seem counterintuitive. Do the Broncos dare strengthen a strength when they appear to have more pressing concerns? There is a hole at middle linebacker following Wilson's eventual release. The safety position has an alarming mix of 30-somethings and knee surgeries. The front four must no longer conjure up images of old Cleveland Browns, but match the vision of new defensive boss Jim Bates.
A fourth need, which arguably could be the first, is a return specialist.
Which of the three phases will the Broncos address first come Saturday? Perhaps the only way the Broncos could pull a surprise is if they sit still with their No. 21 pick.
"That's a tough spot because usually everyone you really love is gone by 20," said Jeffrey Foster, president of the NFL scouting service. "After that you have a good chance of getting that same value in the second round."
If it's determined Johnson is unreachable, the Broncos have enough to move up as high as the 10th overall pick, presently held by their good friends Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith in Houston. But even then, the NFL draft-value point system would require the Broncos to essentially mortgage the rest of their 2007 draft to get one player.
The Broncos also are discussing whether it's best to trade down so they can at least partially fill their sizable draft voids in the fourth and fifth rounds. As an example, the Broncos could give their No. 21 pick to the Chicago Bears, who in conformance of the value chart would surrender their No. 31 overall pick, plus their selections in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Not that value charts always equal common sense.
Besides, it's not necessarily where the Broncos pick, but whom. As a possible replacement for Wilson, a five-time Pro Bowl player, the Broncos have expressed strong interest in David Harris, a projected second-round inside linebacker from Michigan.
Mel Kiper Jr., the draft guru with ESPN, sees the Broncos taking Arkansas defensive end Jamaal Anderson, who bypassed his senior season to turn pro.
"He's lost a little momentum because at his workout, he didn't run that well," Kiper said. "But again he's 285, 290 pounds. He's not 260, 255. With another year at Arkansas he probably would have been a guaranteed top five or top seven pick."
Mike Mayock, who analyzes the draft for the NFL Network, sees the logic in the Broncos taking a pass-rushing end.
"But I think they need a safety who can run," Mayock said.
His recommendation, after LSU's LaRon Landry is long gone, would be Miami's Brandon Meriweather.
The idea of further bolstering Jay Cutler's side of the ball, though, doesn't vanish with the once-every-decade receiver talent in Johnson. Jamie Dukes, the former Atlanta Falcons guard who is now an NFL analyst, believes the Broncos would be wise to take a large, athletic offensive tackle like Joe Staley of Central Michigan.
To wit: If a franchise is going to build around a second-year quarterback, it might as well build him a fortress. "Every Pro Bowl quarterback has a Pro Bowl lineman," Dukes said. "That's how it works. Cutler's a mobile guy but at the same time you want him standing back in that hole and firing that ball. Don't make him think about anything else." For the Broncos, the choices come Saturday are many.
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
The Denver PostArticle Last Updated:04/23/2007 12:01:22 AM MDT
Among the many paradoxes associated with the NFL is the more a team tries to keep matters secret, the more opinions people seem to have on team matters.
It's a wonder why the Broncos insist on draping their figurative blue and orange shroud over their Dove Valley headquarters when the overwhelming consensus already is they must use the NFL draft this weekend to address three areas: defense, defense and defense.
More specifically, linebacker, defensive line and safety.
Yet to date, the only known draft play by the Broncos' three-headed think tank of Mike Shanahan, Ted Sundquist and Jim Goodman has been to seek receiver Calvin Johnson through the No. 2 draft pick held by the Detroit Lions. And not just once did the Broncos go after Johnson, but twice.
The first time, the Broncos proposed adding middle linebacker Al Wilson and their No. 21 overall pick as an extension to finalize a deal that sent Tatum Bell and George Foster to the Lions in exchange for Dré Bly. The second time, the Broncos offered picks in the first, second and third rounds, plus their first-round pick in 2008, for the Lions' No. 2 selection, a trade contingent on the Oakland Raiders not taking Johnson with their No. 1 choice.
In one sense, the flirtation with Johnson followed form. In recent years, the Broncos have approached the early rounds by taking the best available player, first; a position of need, second.
But from another viewpoint, Johnson would seem counterintuitive. Do the Broncos dare strengthen a strength when they appear to have more pressing concerns? There is a hole at middle linebacker following Wilson's eventual release. The safety position has an alarming mix of 30-somethings and knee surgeries. The front four must no longer conjure up images of old Cleveland Browns, but match the vision of new defensive boss Jim Bates.
A fourth need, which arguably could be the first, is a return specialist.
Which of the three phases will the Broncos address first come Saturday? Perhaps the only way the Broncos could pull a surprise is if they sit still with their No. 21 pick.
"That's a tough spot because usually everyone you really love is gone by 20," said Jeffrey Foster, president of the NFL scouting service. "After that you have a good chance of getting that same value in the second round."
If it's determined Johnson is unreachable, the Broncos have enough to move up as high as the 10th overall pick, presently held by their good friends Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith in Houston. But even then, the NFL draft-value point system would require the Broncos to essentially mortgage the rest of their 2007 draft to get one player.
The Broncos also are discussing whether it's best to trade down so they can at least partially fill their sizable draft voids in the fourth and fifth rounds. As an example, the Broncos could give their No. 21 pick to the Chicago Bears, who in conformance of the value chart would surrender their No. 31 overall pick, plus their selections in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Not that value charts always equal common sense.
Besides, it's not necessarily where the Broncos pick, but whom. As a possible replacement for Wilson, a five-time Pro Bowl player, the Broncos have expressed strong interest in David Harris, a projected second-round inside linebacker from Michigan.
Mel Kiper Jr., the draft guru with ESPN, sees the Broncos taking Arkansas defensive end Jamaal Anderson, who bypassed his senior season to turn pro.
"He's lost a little momentum because at his workout, he didn't run that well," Kiper said. "But again he's 285, 290 pounds. He's not 260, 255. With another year at Arkansas he probably would have been a guaranteed top five or top seven pick."
Mike Mayock, who analyzes the draft for the NFL Network, sees the logic in the Broncos taking a pass-rushing end.
"But I think they need a safety who can run," Mayock said.
His recommendation, after LSU's LaRon Landry is long gone, would be Miami's Brandon Meriweather.
The idea of further bolstering Jay Cutler's side of the ball, though, doesn't vanish with the once-every-decade receiver talent in Johnson. Jamie Dukes, the former Atlanta Falcons guard who is now an NFL analyst, believes the Broncos would be wise to take a large, athletic offensive tackle like Joe Staley of Central Michigan.
To wit: If a franchise is going to build around a second-year quarterback, it might as well build him a fortress. "Every Pro Bowl quarterback has a Pro Bowl lineman," Dukes said. "That's how it works. Cutler's a mobile guy but at the same time you want him standing back in that hole and firing that ball. Don't make him think about anything else." For the Broncos, the choices come Saturday are many.
