The Denver Broncos shocked the NFL world today by selecting Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft today.

Moreno, a former sophomore running back out of the University of Georgia, rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his two seasons against the tough SEC defenses, and scored 33 touchdowns in 26 games at the collegiate level.  Even though he’s under six feet tall, he weighs 207 pounds, and is a very explosive runner.

In a win against Florida in 2007 as a freshman, Moreno rushed for 188 yards, and three touchdowns against the Gators.  With that game, Moreno shows he can perform under pressure, and against good defenses, like that of the Gators. 

If Moreno can transfer the explosiveness that he possessed in college into the NFL, he should have a very successful career.

Broncos fans wanted Moreno, but thought he would be a long shot selection, since the Broncos are mainly going for defense in this year’s draft. 

Moreno was a Heisman Trophy candidate entering his sophomore season, and won the Georgia Bulldogs’ Offensive MVP, finished second in the Doak Walker award voting, which is college football’s award for the best running back, and was All-SEC for the second time in two years.

I really like the pick of Knowshon Moreno.  With the Broncos finishing the year 8-8, and having seven running backs finish the year on the injured reserve, we needed a durable running back to get the job done. 

Moreno, who hasn’t missed a game in his college career, seems to be the guy who can carry the work force for the Broncos.

Entering the season, other than Moreno, the starting running back position could’ve been up for grabs.  With many “average” running backs, anyone could’ve won the job.  However I think Moreno will sweep up the Broncos’ running back mess, and could star under the Broncos’ running system.

Our second pick of the day, and 18th overall in the draft, was Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers.

Ayers, who played in the SEC with Moreno, has had 112 tackles in his collegiate career.  Even though he’s never forced a fumble, Ayers has recorded nine sacks, despite barely playing in his freshman year.

Ayers, a senior, weighs 272 pounds, but Denver Broncos’ head coach Josh McDaniels likes the fact he can perform just as well if he weighed 292 pounds, which means the Broncos might try to bulk up the defensive end. 

Ayers’ best game probably came in his second to last game of his career, against Kentucky.  He recorded six tackles, and two sacks, en route to a 20-10 win over the Wildcats.

The Broncos also selected corner back Alphonso Smith out of Wake Forest, and safety Darcel McBath out of Texas Tech.  Picking up two hard hitters out of two conferences should really help the Broncos’ secondary this year.  And with the last pick of the day, the Broncos picked up tight end Richard Quinn out of North Carolina.

Overall we picked up two players from the SEC, two from the ACC, and one from the Big 12 conference.  All big conferences that know how to play football and should offer a little more experience than other conferences.

Overall, I really like what the Denver Broncos did with the 12th and 18th overall picks in the draft.  Even though I would’ve rather had the Broncos pick Southern California inside linebacker Rey Muauluga instead of Robert Ayers, I can’t be complaining.  They picked up the big defensive end that they needed, without having to trade up for Boston College end B.J. Raji.

Denver Broncos First Day Draft Grade:  B+

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