Despite Rumors, Mark Sanchez Will Not Be Broncos' Draft Priority

Now that the Broncos have traded disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler away to the Bears, Denver has obtained five picks in the top 84 picks of this year's draft.

Numerous draft speculators, including DraftHeadquarters.com's Shawn Zobel, have indicated that the wise choice by Denver would be to trade up into the top three picks and draft USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

I respectfully disagree.

Go ahead, post a mock draft on a blog like MileHighReport.com that features a trade of the 12th and 18th picks for the third overall pick, and see how badly you get crushed by Denver fans.  While this trade seems good for a message board nerd, it is in fact the dumbest of trades the Broncos could ever make.

Not only are you mortgaging both of your first round picks in exchange for an unknown commodity at quarterback, but you are forfeiting the opportunity to greatly improve the true Achilles heel of your team: the defense.

We all know the saying, "Never say never," so I'll give Mark Sanchez to the Denver Broncos a one percent chance of actually happening.

Kyle Orton is a good quarterback, and behind Denver's line and with tons of weapons at his disposal, he could really flourish in his fifth year in the league.  I know he is not as good a quarterback as Jay Cutler, but who knows what he can do with all of those great receivers and backs in his arsenal.  In fact, I'll be willing to bet Denver's offense is better off without the erratic play of Cutler.

If there is one thing Kyle Orton is known for as a quarterback, it is that he doesn't force the issue.  He never tries to do too much and relies heavily on the talent around him.  Now that the guys he throws the ball too are legitimate NFL stars, I'll be willing to bet Denver's scoring offense gets a big boost from its 16th overall ranking from 2008.

That being said, Denver really has an opportunity to strike gold on the defensive side of the ball in the first round of this year's draft.

In my latest mock draft (which changes basically by the day), I have the Broncos selecting LSU defensive lineman Tyson Jackson and USC outside linebacker Brian Cushing.  Undoubtedly, both of those players would start in their first year in Denver, and I have stated before that I think Brian Cushing has a good chance of becoming the NFL's rookie of the year, and that he reminds me a lot of Chad Greenway.

In addition to those two defenders, the Broncos have been extremely active in working out other defensive prospects.  In the last month, Denver has held private workouts with B.J. Raji, James Laurinaitis, Cody Brown, Malcolm Jenkins, Lawrence Sidbury, Rashad Johnson, Kevin Barnes, Paul Kruger, Conor Barwin, Brian Orakpo, and Everette Brown, just to name a few. 

With 11 picks in the draft just 19 days away, the Broncos are primed to vastly improve their defense, not only for the future, but for the present.

In addition to superstars Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams, and Elvis Dumervil, the Broncos have added future Hall of Fame hopeful Brian Dawkins to complement Andre Goodman, Andra Davis, Renaldo Hill, Ronny Fields, and Darrell Reid.

Who knows, with a good draft, this team just may be all right after the Jay Cutler saga.