The Monday Mommy: Depth is the Takeaway from Broncos’ Draft
” What we can tell from this draft is that Denver wants to be prepared for anything this season. Depth at every position is crucial down the stretch and into the postseason if a team wants the best chance at hoisting that elusive Lombardi Trophy. “
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This article will not contain any type of score assigned for the results of Denver’s 2013 NFL draft. Because grades are just plain ridiculous, totally subjective and they fall into the same category as the mock draft which is a complete waste of time as shown by the results of this year’s draft. Folks who worked so hard on making those little mock drafts were forced to attempt their best trash can jump shot with them shortly after the very first pick.
Instead we will focus on the gist of the draft and what needs were met by John Elway and the coaching staff of the Denver Broncos.
Heading into this off season, Denver was a relatively complete football team on both sides of the ball and there were no huge, glaring holes that needed to be filled as in previous years. Instead the Broncos were looking at tweaking a few positions and bringing in some guys to provide competition for the current squad. During the free agent process, the Broncos addressed some of those issues by bringing in a new slot receiver in Wes Welker and defensive guys Terrance Knighton, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and most recently, Shaun Phillips.
Entering the draft, there was wide speculation about what direction the Broncos would decide to go. We were subjected to endless chatter on both the national and local level about the different avenues Denver could take. Was finding a replacement for the departed defensive end Elvis Dumervil, their top priority? Could they possibly go after a running back in the early rounds?
We finally got our answers this past weekend and one thing stood out: depth.
The Broncos are gearing up for a Super Bowl or bust season and having as many high caliber players on your roster as possible is certainly a good start. After all was said and done and Radio City Music Hall turned off the lights on the 2013 NFL draft, Denver came out with a total of seven draft picks and signed 15 college free agents after the fact. In case you missed the draft completely, failed to see a few picks or need a refresher here’s a list of guys taken by Denver in the 2013 NFL draft.
Round 1 (28 )- Sylvester Williams, DT North Carolina
Round 2 (56) – Montee Ball, RB Wisconsin
Round 3 (90) – Kayvon Webster, CB South Florida
Round 5 (146) – QUanterus Smith, DE Western Kentucky
Round 5 (161) – Tavarres King, WR Georgia
Round 6 (173) – Vinston Painter, OT Virginia Tech
Round 7 (234) – Zac Dysert QB Miami (Ohio)
No matter what folks say about the level of talent acquired in the draft, there is no arguing that the Broncos certainly have an interesting assortment of names amongst this year’s class.
This list of undrafted free agents rookies is impressive. And whether any of these rookies will actually be in a starting role for the Broncos next season still remains to be seen. However, some of them have a decent chance, given they work hard and prove themselves in training camp. The list is as follows:
C.J. Anderson, RB, California
Kemonte’ Bateman WR New Mexico St.
Ryan Doerr, P, Kansas State
Manase Foketi, OL, West Texas A&M
Aaron Hester, CB, UCLA
Ryan Katz, QB, San Diego State
Uona Kaveinga, LB, BYU
Gary Mason Jr., DE, Baylor
Lerentee McCray, LB, Florida
Quincy McDuffie, WR, UCF
Ross Rasner, S, Arkansas
Lucas Reed, TE, New Mexico
Douglas Rippy, LB, Colorado
Lamar Thomas, WR, New Mexico
John Youboty, DE, Temple
What we can tell from this draft is that Denver wants to be prepared for anything this season. Depth at every position is crucial down the stretch and into the postseason if a team wants the best chance at hoisting that elusive Lombardi Trophy.
Before the draft, the Broncos had only two quarterbacks on their roster: veteran head honcho Peyton Manning and upcoming sophomore Brock Osweiler. Post draft, Denver’s squad now contains four signal-callers. Barring a crazy injury to Manning,( I know, hush my mouth), rookies Zac Dysert and Ryan Katz will be competing for Osweiler’s backup role or an actual roster spot if Denver decides to roll with only two guys again this season.
The Broncos also added some security for Manning by both the selection of an offensive tackle, Vinston Painter in the sixth round, as well as the acquisition of undrafted guard, Manese Foketi. The O-line took a beating last season and protecting one of the team’s most valuable assets should indeed be a priority.
The line for running back just got a bit longer and begins to almost wrap around the field with the selection of Wisconsin’s Montee Ball in the second round. With Lance Ball already on the roster, let’s all get it out of our systems. Yes, Denver is now two Balls deep in the backfield. (Insert another two balls joke here). Ok, I think we’re good. Of course, I am a woman so I get over those jokes much quicker than my male counterparts.
The bulk of the draft was spent on defensive players – as it should have been. Making sure the Broncos have solid, quality guys that can step in and make plays was obviously a priority for Elway and his staff. Every aspect of the defense was covered; from the line to the secondary.
If depth was the name of the game, the Broncos won.
Depth at the corner is extremely important in the success of a defense. A team needs to have at least five high caliber guys that can make big plays in the secondary. The addition of Rodgers-Cromartie and selection of Kayvon Webster in the third round certainly helps the cause.
Denver also added volume to the linebacker corps by not only signing three undrafted college free agents but also acquiring former Charger linebacker Shaun Phillips in the middle of the draft. The D-line also grew with Denver’s first pick Sylvester Williams and fifth-rounder Quanterus Smith.
Of course, we never know what will happen until these guys get onto the football field. Sometimes greatness in college translates to mediocrity in the NFL. But these players were all scouted heavily by the Broncos and the current staff has proven to be excellent at their jobs.
Hopefully within this draft class lie some excellent franchise players for the Broncos. Some will help them win right away, while others are the future of this team. Either way, the depth that these guys will provide for the 2013 squad should be a major factor in its role down the stretch and hopefully through the post season.
Now we just have to wait another four months until there’s any more football action. And that’s a set of balls we can’t wait to drop.
Follow Jennifer on Twitter @themondaymommy.
