There are many holes the Denver Broncos should try to fill on draft day.  Even though most people believe the Broncos should fill out their defensive line, I think the Broncos should go for a quarterback with their 12th overall pick.

Why do I think this?  The city of Denver is blood thirsty for a quarterback who can win playoff games.  Since the end of the John Elway era, the Broncos have only made the playoffs four times, three of those being wildcard births.  Of those four playoff births, the Broncos have only won a single game, versus the Patriots in 2005.

Fans thought Jay Cutler would be the answer.  After a promising start to a career, the city icon wanted out, and the Broncos traded him and a fifth- round pick for the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft, a third-round draft pick, and Kyle Orton.

Now I really don’t think Orton will be the answer to our quarterback woes.  He’s thrown 30 touchdowns versus 27 interceptions, which really isn’t bad when you play in the Windy City.   But in 2005, after starting the year 1-3 with the Bears, and having a quarterback rating of 59.7, lowest in the NFL, Orton got benched.

Since then, Orton had been struggling to stay a consistent starter in Chicago. Competing with Rex Grossman for a starting position really doesn’t leave me convinced that Orton is ready to play under center for the Broncos.

So, when April 25 comes around, I think that the Denver Broncos should take Mark Sanchez, a junior quarterback out of USC with their 12th overall pick.

Sanchez, one of the most highly anticipated quarterbacks coming out of Mission Viejo High School in California, has only played one full season as a starter at USC.

However, in that season, and only 16 games overall, Sanchez has dazzled.  Sanchez has thrown for just under 4,000 yards, has 41 touchdowns at USC, and has only lost two games.

He’s also shown he can play in the clutch.  Sanchez, in his first Bowl game starting opportunity, showed how good he was in the Rose Bowl against Penn State, as he threw for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Penn State cornerback Lydell Sargeant said after the game, “I think that a 4-foot-10 guy could catch some of the passes that Mark was throwing.”

Sanchez played under one of the best college coaches in the game, Pete Carroll.  Carroll once said, “Mark [Sanchez] really has the eyes for getting the ball down the field.”

Sanchez is used to playing under pressure, too.  Something that he’ll have to play with when playing with Denver.  Playing college football in the City of Angels is tough, but when you have the pressure of leading a team to a National Championship and undefeated season on your shoulders, it gets even tougher.

I think Sanchez is a great prospect for Denver.  Even though Carroll thought he should play one more year of college football, he seems ready for the job at hand.  He already has an NFL-ready arm, and can pick up blitzes very well.  For his size, 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, Sanchez is very mobile, which will help when Denver runs their play action.

Even though Sanchez has played just six games out of the state of California, posting a record of 4-2, Sanchez appears to be NFL-ready.

Sanchez has the competitive blood that Denver fans want.  He also has the attitude, but not cockiness, that Jay Cutler possessed.  When asked if Sanchez thinks he should go before Stafford in the draft, Sanchez shook his head and said, “Absolutely. I’d better think that. And I think he should think that, too. That’s what we’ve got to think. As a competitor, that’s all I want to do is be the best that I can be. And the best you can do in this draft is be No. 1.”

Sanchez seems like the guy knows the limit between being confident, and being arrogant.  Maybe he could teach Jay Cutler a thing or two?

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