April 25, 2009, marks the busiest draft day in the history of the Denver Broncos.  Josh McDaniels and Co. were wheeling and dealing all day long, and Denver ended up with five picks in the first two rounds of the draft.  How did the Broncos fare given their extreme amount of picks?

 

1 (12) Knowshon Moreno; Running Back, Georgia

I absolutely love this pick.  Despite my “homerism” toward Shonn Greene out of Iowa, Denver came away with the very best running back in this year’s draft.

Josh McDaniels made it a priority to address the running back position this off-season, signing Correll Buckhalter, J.J. Arrington, LaMont Jordan, and now drafting Knowshon Moreno.

Despite Denver’s large group of backs, Moreno is the early and clear favorite to win the starting job.  He went into his redshirt sophomore season at Georgia at 207 pounds, and has bulked up to 217. 

While some are bashing this pick due to Denver’s strong need on the defensive side of the ball, I contend that this was the smartest pick McDaniels could have made given Denver’s top two defensive targets (B.J. Raji, Tyson Jackson) were long gone by now. 

In two seasons for Georgia, Moreno rushed for 2,734 yards and 30 touchdowns, and also caught 53 passes for 645 yards and two touchdowns. 

Josh McDaniels’ offensive scheme requires a running back that can run between the tackles, catch the ball, and block on third down.  Moreno can do every one of those things very effectively.

The Denver Broncos’ offense now features the likes of Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham, Jabar Gaffney, Peyton Hillis, and now Knowshon Moreno.  It’s a very dynamic, athletic group of players that forms one of the top young groups in the entire NFL.

 

1(18) Robert Ayers; Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Tennessee

If anyone has been keeping tabs, you know that I have strongly opposed the acquiring of Ayers throughout the “mocking” process. 

I didn’t really see a fit for the former Volunteer, and thought that the fact that he only had one really good year meant that he was a second round pick at best.

Now, I’m not so sure.  Ayers is widely considered to be one of the most athletic and versatile defensive linemen in the entire draft, and he looks like the next best alternative to Denver’s top target Tyson Jackson. 

Ayers is 6’3″, 275 pounds, and brings a very complete game to the defensive end position.  Some feel he would have been best fit for the 4-3 scheme as a defensive end, but Josh McDaniels feels that Ayers can stand up as a rush linebacker if needed, as well as dig his hand in the ground and stuff the run.

The key stat with Ayers is tackles for loss, of which he registered 15.5 in 2008.  Many experts feel he was playing his best ball at the end of his college career, and that he will continue to ascend heading into the NFL. 

“When Robert got here, he thought he was God’s gift to football,” former head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “He wouldn’t listen to the upperclassmen…not in a bad way, but he just didn’t take to coaching very well. (As a senior) he’s starving for coaching, and he’s giving great effort. He’s turned into a big-time SEC defensive end.”

Denver needed to upgrade their run defense in the first round, and they did that with Ayers.

 

2 (37) Alphonso Smith; Cornerback, Wake Forest

The Denver Broncos acquired the rights to the 37th overall pick in the second round by trading away their first round pick from 2010, and I doubt they will regret it. 

If not for his height (5-foot-9), Smith would have been a top five pick in this year’s draft.  He has undoubtedly been the most productive cornerback at the collegiate level over the last four years, and even in the past century.

In fact, Smith is only the third cornerback in the last 100 years to have ammassed over 20 interceptions for his career.  Smith’s 21 interceptions complemented his career 189 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and eight forced fumbles. 

Oh yeah, did I mention he was also a special teams ace?  Smith averaged 20.7 yards per kickoff return, and blocked five kicks in his career at Wake Forest.

The three time All-American will start his career in Denver as the nickel cornerback behind Champ Bailey and Andre’ Goodman, but make no mistake about it:  This kid intends on starting sooner rather than later. This was an excellent value pick by the Denver Broncos.

 

2 (48) Darcel McBath; Safety, Texas Tech

This pick really intrigued me.  I never really thought of McBath as a possibility for the Broncos, simply because nobody has him rated as a second-round prospect.  My question now, after doing a lot of research on him is, “Why?”

McBath is a converted cornerback, who at 6’0″ 198 pounds has excellent bulk and size for the free safety position.  He will benefit greatly from the tutelage of future Hall of Famers Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey as he hones his coverage and tackling skills. 

In three years as the starter, McBath registered 223 tackles, 12 interceptions, and became an All-Big 12 performer over that three year span.

McBath’s banner campaign came in his senior season, which he had 75 tackles, seven interceptions, and seven passes defensed. 

He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, and forced a fumble.  His stellar play garnered him first team All-Big 12 and All-American Honors.

I have no doubt that Denver made the correct choice with this pick.  I cannot wait to see these two ball-hawking defensive backs in McBath and Alphonso Smith take the field for the Broncos. 

 

2 (64) Richard Quinn; Tight End, North Carolina

This pick, acquired from Pittsburgh along with a fourth round pick in exchange for two third round picks was a head scratcher for many Denver fans. 

Quinn is a blocking specialist who, in his time as a Tar Heel, had only 12 receptions, two of which were touchdowns.

Head Coach Josh McDaniels insists this will have no effect on Tony Scheffler, and while I will believe that when I see it, I think this was probably Denver’s riskiest pick of the day. 

We cannot say Quinn would have been available at pick 79 or 84, but it is highly likely that he would have been.  Quinn himself was surprised that he received a day one call.

Quinn is in a similar mold to current Broncos’ tight end Daniel Graham, and while his receiving skills are not elite, his blocking skills are rivaled only by Brandon Pettigrew among the tight ends available in this draft.

A curious pick by the Broncos, which is sure to raise questions, but a solid player nonetheless.  Quinn is not great value here, but Denver probably would have picked him anyway, and they still have six picks on day two.

Overall, I felt it was a very productive day for the Denver Broncos, who addressed both offensive and defensive needs.

They found their star running back, run-stuffing defensive lineman, two ball-hawking defensive backs, and a blocking specialist at tight end. 

Day two is sure to bring more excitement, and the Broncos are in a good position to add more young talent to their squad.

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