Previous Five Picks

7) NFL-New_England_Patriots-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_New_England_Patriots-100208">New England Patriots: Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State

8) NFL-Baltimore_<a%20href=">Ravens-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_Baltimore_Ravens-120208">Baltimore Ravens: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State 

9) Bengals-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_Cincinnati_Bengals-150208">Cincinnati Bengals: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC 

10) Saints-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_New_Orleans_Saints-170208">New Orleans Saints: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy 

11) Bills-2008_NFL_Mock_Draft_Buffalo_Bills-180208">Buffalo Bills: Dan Connor, LB, Penn State 

Click here to see the entire Mock Draft. 

 

The Longest Mock Draft in NFL History Continues...

Haven’t written anything since Monday, which for me is some kind of record.

I owed Sports-Central, which is the other site I write for, an article on Thursday.  They’re a little more structured, with deadlines and all.

The problem is, deadlines tend to give me writer's block.  This effectively destroyed me for the entire week.

I did spit out this, but that’s about all I could muster.

Two straight nights of boozing and a 60-hour work week later and I’m ready to go again.  And not a moment too soon, as my following of Anonymous commenters were running out of things to say.

 

The Great Rod Smith

Before we talk about the Denver Broncos’ draft needs, I want to take a few paragraphs to talk about the (probably) retiring Rod Smith.

Rod Smith was one of those guys I hated seeing on an opposing offense.  He was a playmaker. He was always open and always dangerous.  When Ty Law was in his prime with the Patriots, Rod Smith ate him for lunch.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of another receiver who gave Law problems consistently when he was with the Patriots.  Law was great; Smith was better.

He’s the perfect example of why the draft is such an imperfect art.

Rod Smith was an undrafted free agent in 1994.  That year, Derrick Alexander, Thomas Lewis, Johnnie Morton and Charles Johnson were all selected in the first round. 

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Rod Smith was a better wide receiver than any of those guys.  As a matter of fact, the only wide receiver drafted in 1994 who even compares to Rod Smith is Isaac Bruce, who was selected in the second round (after all those guys I listed above).

Rod Smith was the greatest wide receiver the Denver Broncos have ever had.  Smith holds franchise records for career receptions (849), receiving yards (11,389), touchdown catches (68), touchdowns (71) and 100-yard games (31).

If Smith’s body can’t recover and he never plays again, he should be remembered as one of the best ever, not only for the Broncos, but in NFL history.

I’m not sure what the official definition of “NFL Hall of Famer” is—but whatever that definition is, it’s flawed if it doesn’t include Rod Smith.

Not bad for an undrafted free agent.

 

Pick No. 12: Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos need help on defense, and they need it desperately.

They were a living, breathing cure for whatever ailed their opponent’s running game.  You could call them Swiss Cheese, but even Swiss Cheese doesn’t have holes that big. 

They had an open-door policy on defense.  Anyone and everyone was allowed to run right through.

The Broncos invested heavily in the defensive line in last year’s draft, taking Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder with their first two picks. 

The goal for 2008 isn’t to improve the defensive line through the draft, it’s to improve the guys they drafted last year.

If there were a huge defensive tackle who could step right in, they might make a play for him.  But I’m not sure that player exists where they’re picking.

Kentwan Balmer is an option, but as good of a prospect as he is, I can’t see him going this high.   He might be an option if Denver decides to trade down a few spots.

One thing’s for sure, the Broncos need to address the defense here.

 

The Pick: Kenny Phillips, S, Miami

I’ve gone back and forth a few times between Keith Rivers and Kenny Phillips for this pick.

In Rivers, they would get a guy who could step right in and improve a front seven that was extremely subpar in 2007. 

But in Kenny Phillips they get a playmaker who can hit, cover, and dominate in their secondary the way John Lynch did in his prime.

Phillips is just the dominating force they need covering Champ Bailey and Dre Bly’s back.  With him trolling the secondary, wide receivers will proceed with caution when going over the middle. 

He can also provide run support—and God knows they need a little more support against the run.

While I can see them going with Keith Rivers here, I’m not sure you can pass up on a potential game changer, especially when he plays a position of need. 

I’m SeanMC.

 

SeanMC is a Columnist at Bleacher Report. His archive can be found here. You can find everything he writes, including articles for other publications, here.