Take it away, La Voz. After the jump, I mean.
Thoughts? The Buffalo Bills, via nolander and dwalthall12, are now on the clock.The Broncos - Sorta similar to the Texans, good offense, terrible defense. Not quite the prolific offense (actually, it could be prolific, it's just not consistent) that the Texans possessed, but believe it or not, almost as terrible a defense.
Defense - Like the Texans, problems all over this side of the ball. And they're moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 (a lot of potential for deal-making between the Texans and Broncos). They did resign Champ Bailey, so whereas our secondary is atrocious, theirs is perhaps a semi-bright spot. Unfortunately, promising CB Perrish Cox attended the Roethlisberger School of Surprise Sex and could find himself in a world of legal trouble (unless, of course, he secures Kobe's dream legal team to make magic happen).
DL - They're converting from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and they released 2 of their defensive linemen, so they're in need of A LOT of players here. This is a great draft to need DL in though since it's so deep, especially at DT, where the Broncos have the greatest need. Elvis Dumervil will likely be moved to 4-3 DE. Addressing DT could very well be the #2 pick for the Broncos. Also, #1 pick from 2009 Robert Ayers, who has been playing 3-4 OLB and was considered possibly out of position, will likely be moved to 4-3 DE, which is where new Broncos coach John Fox thought he would play when evaluated a couple of years ago. Starting DTs will definitely be targeted, DE depth could be needed as well.
DB - The Broncos resigned Champ Bailey...bastards. As you recall, Champ was willing to convert to FS in the near future. He could very well do this for the Broncos, though the Broncos still have Brian Dawkins. They'll likely let Dawkins play FS for one more year before looking for someone else to play that position (though Dawkins did have a down year last year, so they might not wait). It seems like the perfect transition moment for the Broncos, but they'll need someone to fill Champ's shoes at CB. They had high hopes for Perrish Cox, a very talented DB who slipped in last year's draft due to character concerns. Unfortunately, it seems those character concerns were legitimate as he was arrested this past December for sexual assault...dumbass. Also on the roster is last year's 7th round pick, Syd'Quan Thompson. He will likely be a solid nickelback, but not expected to start as one of the main 2 guys. Andre Goodman is the other starting CB currently, serviceable but nothing special.
The Pick - Patrick Peterson, 6-0/219, Cornerback, LSU.
If it weren't for Patrick Peterson, who is being billed as the best CB prospect in many years, the Broncos would go DT here. Marcell Dareus would be the likely pick if they did go DT because he's a great prospect with low-risk (unlike Nick Fairley, who is also a great prospect but with more risk). Given the Perrish Cox issues, the Broncos are unlikely to go with any high-risk prospects. Still, Patrick Peterson is a sort of Ndamukong Suh talent, those once-in-every-5-to-10-years prospects. The fact that he's also a really good returner means he could contribute immediately in multiple ways. The Broncos weren't a terrible return team, but they could stand improvement and Peterson would do that. Peterson would also be able to learn from Champ Bailey and eventually allow Champ to move to FS to make sure the Broncos get the most out of the new contract they just gave him. Finally, as noted above, this is a really deep draft for DTs. They could find some solid values in rounds 2-4 to address the position. Also, they're likely going to have to look to existing players to address that need (Amobi Okoye trade, anyone?). That's why we have the Broncos taking Patrick Peterson with the #2 pick of the draft.
Alternatively, the Broncos could very likely trade out of this pick since they have SO many needs on defense. That would perhaps be the smart thing, but then again, picking the best CB talent in years isn't a stupid thing either.