2009 NFL Draft one year later: Denver Broncos
With five selections if the first two rounds of the 2009 NFL draft the Broncos should have been able to score a lot more talent than they did. I cannot believe that they had five of the first 64 picks in this draft, and they really only scored with the 12th overall pick. One year ago I had a hard time trying to figure out their overall strategy. While thy should have been using their draft picks to find players for their new 04 defense, they spent a lot of picks on defensive backs even though they had signed S Brian Dawkins in free agency.
A quick look at the Broncos 2009 draft class:
•Round One (12)- Knowshon Moreno RB
•Round One (18)- Robert Ayers DE
•Round Two (37)- Alphonso Smith CB
•Round Two (48)- Darcel McBath DB
•Round Two (64)- Richard Quinn TE
•Round Four (114)- David Bruton SS
•Round Four (132)- Seth Olsen OG
•Round Five (141)- Kenny McKinley WR
•Round Six (174)- Tom Brandstater QB
•Round Seven (225) Blake Schlueter C
No team made their front office staff work harder on draft day than the Broncos. They picked up an extra first round pick in the Jay Cutler trade, and then they traded away their first round pick in 2010 for a shot at drafting CB Alphonso Smith. They then traded away, both of their third round picks to move back into the second round and drafted TE Quinn. They continued making trades in the later rounds of the draft but did not come out of this draft with much to show for it.
This draft class would get a F rating one year out, if it were not for the play of Moreno. Ayers made just 19 tackles. The two DB’s taken in this draft combined for 20 tackles and two interceptions. Since one of them cost this team a first round pick that simply is not good enough. We could forgive the Ayers move, as one that did not pan out, but the rest of this draft makes no sense at all. A year ago I gave them high marks based on talent and up side, one year out I don’t see any of that, I see a failing draft class.
Related Links:
•2009 NFL Draft, one year later
•Denver Broncos news and notes
•2010 NFL mock drafts
•2010 NFL team needs
•MTR Football.com
