Denver Broncos 2012 Mock Draft: Buying or Selling Matt Miller's Latest Picks

There have been a lot of solid mocks on the Denver Broncos page, and each one has interesting rationale and reasoning for its picks.

However, Bleacher Report is lucky to boast a resident draft expert in Matt Miller, whose job is to follow nothing but NFL draft banter and employ his own unique brand of player evaluation to help inform the mock drafts that he creates.

I have the upmost respect for Matt, and am in awe of the amount of time and energy he dedicates to research but just for fun, let's take a look at the picks he has for Denver in his most recent complete mock draft.

We'll go though it pick by pick and determine if he is seeing things the way that I (in my most humble opinion) see it. Please join in the debate using the comments section and tell Matt, myself, or both of us how right or wrong we are.

Matt's No. 25 Overall: DT Fletcher Cox Mississippi St.

Matt went with the conventional wisdom here and slotted Denver with the best defensive lineman left on the board. A lot of fans liked what they saw, or heard about Dontari Poe, but I agree with Matt that his draft stock just jumped out of Denver's range.

I can see why Matt, and others, like matching Denver with a d-lineman here but with draft history littered with many failed first round defensive linemen, it is one of the riskiest positions a team can draft in round 1.

I have been speaking highly of Dont'a Hightower, but according to Matt's mock he has Hightower long gone by the time Denver is on the clock. In that case, looking at players that Matt thinks will still be available at 25, I would advise that Denver drafts CB Dre' Kirkpatrick from Alabama.

Taking a cornerback who many believe could be the second best cover man in the draft, will do more for Denver than Cox. Traditionally, defensive linemen have a long learning curve whereas Kirkpatrick could come in and maybe play opposite Champ Bailey right away and eventually take No. 1 corner spot on the depth chart for years to come.

BUY or SELL? SELL

Matt's No 57 Overall: Kevin Zeitler G Wisconsin

I think Matt is reaching quite a bit here in terms of taking a player that likely will not challenge Chris Kuper or Zane Beadles for a starting spot. Zeitler is a strong prospect but this seems extremely early to be taking a player that can offer the same kind of depth that a free agent can.

Based on players still available in Matt's mock, there is an interesting choice to be made here. David Wilson, the running back from Virginia Tech, and Jared Crick, the DL from Nebraska, are both still on the board. 

I like the idea of taking Crick because his versatility allows him to be able to contribute inside on the defensive line as well as possibly line up at end if the situation calls for it. He is not the player that Ndamukong Suh was coming out of Nebraska, but he was a "Blackshirt" and Denver could use that kind of grit in the trenches.

BUY OR SELL? SELL

Matt's No. 89 Overall: Jayron Hosley CB Virginia Tech

I actually love this pick, even if we assumed that Denver took a CB in the first round. I know Matt made this pick thinking that Denver would have not tried to fill this need, but the truth is that CB is a position with serious depth issues for the Broncos.

Andre' Goodman and Champ Bailey are both into their 30's, so bringing in the younger guard makes sense. The other benefit of taking Hosley is that he has a great background in special teams which is another need for Denver.

BUY OR SELL? BUY

Matt's No. 121 Overall: Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin

So here is a situation where Matt and I agree on the position to be taken but not necessarily the player, but that is only because I was hoping a different player would still be on the board here in Nick Foles from Arizona.

Matt is probably right in assuming that Foles' stock rose as a result of his combine performance but looking at Russell Wilson here is a really intriguing proposition.

Wilson is a strong leader with a great mix of skills. He is a proficient passer with a strong arm, honed during his time pursuing baseball. In fact, this wouldn't be the first Colorado team to draft Wilson, the Rockies took Wilson in the 4th round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

He could fit the system being developed for Tim Tebow in a lot of ways, even though he isn't the same ball carrier that Tebow is.

BUY OR SELL? BUY 

Matt's No. 130 Overall (From St. Louis): Cyrus Gray RB Texas A&M

Yet again, Mr. Miller and I are in agreement on which position to focus on here but not the player. It is easy to see why Cyrus Gray is an impressive athlete based on his 40 yard dash time, but if you dig a little deeper you see that Gray may be a combine darling. In a pure test of speed he can get it going but he decided not to partake in the shuttle drills.

Dan Herron, the running back from Ohio State, did partake in the shuttle drills and even though his 40 yard dash was a step slower than Gray he seems to have a better ability to accelerate after changing direction. That could make him a better match for the one cut and go mentality that Broncos running backs can be successful with.

BUY OR SELL? SELL 

Matt's No. 153 Overall: David Molk C Michigan

This is a much better place to seek depth at the offensive line than the second round and Molk is a great find at the Center position. He gave a very gutsy performance in the Sugar Bowl coming back from injury and leading his offensive line to an eventual victory.

Molk is strong, smart and could end up being a starter at the Center position in the NFL.

BUY OR SELL? BUY

Matt's No. 217 Overall: Lennon Creer RB Louisiana Tech

Despite the woes of Knowshon Moreno, the situation at running back is not dire enough for the Broncos to select two ball carriers in the draft. In fact, most people forget that Denver still has Mario Fannin from Auburn under contract and he may have been on the roster last year were it not for his injury. Creer may be a intriguing pick, but there are other positions who could use a chance at this point.

There are not many players left here but some players in the neighborhood, either before or after Denver's choice, could include WR Marquize Maze, who was positioning himself to have a huge National Championship performance before injury slowed him down. Speed and return ability could make him a roster player out of the seventh round which is great value to find here.

BUY OR SELL? SELL