Super Bowl bound or bust — or just too early to tell?
A successful NFL team’s draft class can either catapult a team to becoming a Super Bowl contender and a bad draft can set a team back for years.
The Denver Broncos had nine picks during the 2009 NFL Draft held three mouths ago, and new Broncos head coach/puppet master-general manager Josh McDaniels made several questionable and controversial decisions.
Moreno
One of those decisions was drafting Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno with the 12th overall pick.
Moreno is regarded as the best running back in his draft class. However, running back did not seem to be a primary need for the Broncos. And considering the Broncos were one of the worst defensive units in the league last season, and considering the level of defensive talent when the Broncos selected at No. 12, the pick of Moreno could either make or break the future of the franchise.
“I think the Broncos made the right pick and I am happy to be a Denver Bronco. I am just going to continue to work hard and do what the coaches tell me,” Moreno recently told the Denver Daily News. “Guys like Lamont Jordan and [Correll] Buckhalter have been showing me how to be an NFL running back, and I believe I can be a big-time player in this league.”
Smith
Another surprising move the Broncos made on draft day was selecting 5-foot-9 (at best) cornerback Alphonso Smith from Wake Forest.
The pick wasn’t as much of a surprise as the fact that the Broncos traded a potentially very high first-round pick next year in order to draft Smith in the second round with the 37th overall pick.
“I am flattered Denver traded up for me, and I am going to do my best to prove to them they made the right decision,” Smith said.
The savvy and skillful Smith has said all the right things and has looked good so far during mini-camps — but the jury is still out if he can cover NFL receivers with size.
Ayers
The one “safe pick” the Broncos made was the selection of Robert Ayers with their other first round pick, taking him at No. 18.
Ayers was maybe the best defensive lineman in college football last year, but last year was also his only impact season he had while at Tennessee.
Some feel Ayers had a one-hit-wonder type of season, while others like the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock called Ayers “the best defensive player in the draft.”
The Broncos plan on using Ayers in a variety of different ways, and during mandatory mini-camp earlier this month the Broncos had Ayers lined up standing up on the outside as a pass rusher a la Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney.
“The coaches are seeing how versatile I am and how many things I can do,” Ayers said.
And at his size of 6-foot-3, 275 pounds and with his good speed, Ayers may be the league’s next great pass rusher.
Coach loves his draftees
McDaniels repeatedly said post-draft that he was extremely happy with the team’s selections, and he even went as far as calling the three players “the three best players at their positions in the draft class.”
If McDaniels’ statement holds true, the Broncos may be back on top in a short time.
However, if McDaniels misses on these rookies, the team will definitely be set back — maybe for years to come.
But then again, if McDaniels’ trio happens to rival the draft class of the 1985 Bills, which landed quality players in Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Frank Reich, or the 1989 Cowboys’ draft that netted four great players like Troy Aikman, Daryl Johnston, Mark Stepnoski and Tony Tolbert, or even the Patriots’ 2003 draft where they added Ty Warren, Asante Samuel, Eugene Wilson and Dan Koppen — the Broncos may be back on top sooner than later.
We will not know how Denver’s 2009 draft will shake out for some time, but this draft class definitely will make or break the Broncos for years to come.
