Broncos 2011 Draft Review

The Broncos concluded their draft on Friday and Saturday night. Here is a look at the Broncos 2011 Draft class and my thoughts on each selection.

Round 2
(Denver traded back from number 36 overall and picked up San Francisco's fourth and fifth round pick)
-Rahim Moore: Free Safety, UCLA (#45 overall)
-Orlando Franklin: Offensive Tackle, Miami (#46 overall)

Round 3
-Nate Irving: LB, NC State (#67 overall)

Round 4
(Denver traded their fifth round pick to get into the fourth round and ended up with two 4th round selections)
-Quinton Carter: SS, Oklahoma (#108 overall)
-Julius Thomas: TE, Portland State (#129 overall)

Round 6
-Mike Mohamed: LB, California (#189 overall)

Round 7
-Virgil Green: TE, Nevada (#204 overall)
-Jeremy Beal: DE, Oklahoma (#244 overall)

Thoughts and Opinions:
-I obviously did like the Von Miller pick in round 1 because of the impact that Miller can bring.
-I really liked the Rahim Moore pick in the second round because he was the best safety on the board, and Denver desperately needed a new FS. Moore could start from day one, but I also liked how Denver traded back and acquired San Francisco's fourth and fifth round picks, which they didn't have before the draft began.
-I was surprised that Denver took Franklin with their other second round pick. Some sites had him ranked as the 16th best offensive tackle in the draft. I thought Denver could have taken Marvin Austin or Stephen Paea at that point, but they didn't. Hopefully, Franklin comes in and replaces Ryan Harris at RT and produces.
-I was surprised that Denver went linebacker again when they took Nate Irving in round three. I do love the fact that Denver completely revamped their linebacker corps. The LBs have been a weakpoint in Denver since 2006. It looks like Irving could step in a start right away too. If that happens, then this was a great pick.
-I have no problem with Denver taking Carter in the fourth round, but I was hoping they would have addressed their DTs in this round. They didn't and Carter could eventually replace Brian Dawkins at SS, and he could help on special teams.
-I was surprised to see the Broncos trade up and grab Julius Thomas, who is a project at TE. I hope he doesn't turn out to be the second version of Wesley Duke.
-Mike Mohamed in round six adds more LB depth and can help on special teams.
-The Virgil Green pick was applauded by many of the draft experts. I saw some mock drafts that had Green going in the fourth round, so to get him in round seven it was considered a steal. He might end up a better player than Thomas.
-Jeremy Beal was going in the third and fourth round of some other mock drafts, and the fact that Denver got him in the seventh round was a steal. Hopefully, he will make the team and contribute in some way.
-Overall, I hate draft grades, but I would have to say that Denver did well. They add at least 3 and probably four new starters. They totally revamped their LB unit and added some youth to their secondary. I'm happy with most of the picks, and I think this was a nice first draft for the Elway, Fox, and Xanders trio.

Here are my other thoughts and opinions on the rest of the 2011 NFL Draft:
-There is always a shocker in the top 10, and the first shock came when the Titans selected Jake Locker at number eight.
-The buzz was still there for Locker, but it kept going when Jacksonville traded up and took Blaine Gabbert. I thought it was a smart move by the Jags, and you can't win the division with David Garrard. Good job by Jacksonville looking towards the future.
-The buzz was still going when the biggest surprise happened next: The Vikings selecting Christian Ponder at number 12. The response from the crowd was hilarious, and even Jon Gruden got caught shaking his head on ESPN's telecast.
-The first seven picks were not surprising, but as soon as the Titans picked Locker, the draft started to gain some steam.
-The fact that Nick Fairley fell to the middle of the first round is really shocking. Fairley was going in the top three from about December all the way to the end of March. Fairley, Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vandenbosch pose a nice trio upfront for the Lions in 2011.
-How about Da'quan Bowers falling all the way to the second round? Amazing that a month ago he was considered a top five pick.
-I love the Giants pick of Prince Amukamara at number 19. Not one mock draft dating back to October had him going past 10. You can never have enough corners in today's NFL.
-The Saints made a great move by trading up for Mark Ingram late in the 1st round. They got the best RB in the draft. Is Reggie Bush's days in New Orleans over?
-The Pats needed to get an impact WR or DE and they got neither. Stop blowing smoke up Bill Belichick's ass for the way he manipulates the draft. This was the perfect opportunity for the Pats to trade up and get A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Aldon Smith, or even Robert Quinn. They didn't do that, and I don't think they widened the gap between them and the Jets in the AFC East. Plus, everyone loves the Ryan Mallett pick in round three, but when is he going to contribute?
-The Browns followed the Belichick formula, and recouped a lot of picks, but where is their impact player? Phil Taylor, Jaball Sheard, and Greg Little are nice picks, but none of them is the impact or blue-chip player the Browns desperately need.
-The same teams always draft well and this year was no exception. The Giants got Amukamara and had Marvin Austin fall to them. The Packers nabbed Randal Cobb in round two. The Ravens got Jimmy Smith at the end of round one, and the Steelers got Cameron Heyward in round one. Also, the Eagles did well once again. The same teams do well every year.
-The networks have to stop showing the players on the cell phones before the picks get announced. It ruins the suspense of the announcement of the picks. Just wait until after Roger Goodell announces the picks to show the player's reaction.
-The Draft should be set up as follows: Rounds 1 and 2 on Friday, Rounds 3 and 4 on Saturday, and Rounds 5 through 7 on Sunday.