Of the 32 NFL teams that were a part f the 2010 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos turned in my least favorite draft class. I think Josh McDaniels suffers from hoodie-itis, and tries to be the smartest guy in the room. I am not saying what they did won’t work, but I am pretty skeptical about it.
Let me start with the big miss. This is a team that wants to run the 3-4 defense, but does not have the personnel to do so. They did not draft one true LB prospect in this draft. That seems like a big mistake, and that is before we got to some of the controversial decisions made by McDaniels in this draft.
It seems clear to me that McDaniels is in over his head. They have traded away a ton of talent, and while their first pick at 22nd overall makes sense. I don’t like how this team is being rebuilt.
Taking Demaryius Thomas is a sound decision. He is a Brandon Marshall kind of player, and that seemed to be a big need for this club. I think Thomas will do well, and may even become a Calvin Johnson kind of wide out in the NFL.
After wheeling and dealing all over the first round, ala Bill Belichick, they ended up taking QB Tim Tebow with the 25th overall pick. Say what you well about this kid, I think he has a lot to prove and we can postpone judgment on him until we see him play some NFL games.
The problem with that is this is a team that had bigger needs. I think they could have found a serviceable QB in free agency and used this pick to get talent for their 3-4 defense.
In the second and the third round the Broncos worked on their Offensive line. They selected OT Zane Beadles and C JD Walton. This is a solid strategy as the broncos needed to move away from the kinds of O lineman Mike Shanahan liked to draft.
With a second third round pick they went after WR Erik Decker. Sure this offense needs some pop, but I have to question again why this team did not add a LB prospect with one of these middle round picks.
In the fifth they selected CB Perrish Cox, and we can find now fault there, as the defensive secondary is critically important in today’s NFL. In the sixth they selected another center in Eric Olsen, and see my argument against this above.
In the seventh round they took CB Syd’Quan Thompson and again CB prospects are always a priority and finally a DE prospect in Jammie Kirlew. He will likely play OLB in their 3-4 system, but why they waited this long to improve an area of need is very puzzling.
Here is a more complete look at the 2010 Broncos draft class:
Round One (22)- WR Demaryius Thomas Georgia Tech
Round One (25)- QB Tim Tebow Florida
Round Two (45)- OT Zane Beadles Utah
Round Three (80)- C JD Walton Baylor
Round Three (87)- WR Erik Decker Minnesota
Round Five (137)- CB Perrish Cox Oklahoma State
Round Six (183)- C Eric Olsen Notre Dame
Round Seven (225)- CB Syd’Quan Thompson Cal
Round Seven (232)- DE Jammie Kirlew
Related Links:
• Denver Broncos news and notes
• 2010 NFL Draft initial team grades
• The Business of the NFL
• MTR Football.com
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