Which Player Gives The Denver Broncos The Best Value From The 2010 Draft

As you can imagine, Gators fans are ecstatic about Tim Tebow landing on a team whose colors are orange and blue.

And as you can imagine, the Broncos no doubt received a steal for Tebow at the 25th selection according to Gators fans.

But some Broncos fans are skeptical.

Is Tebow worth one half of Brandon Marshall, one third of Jay Cutler and someone from everyone selected just after former Gators Aaron Hernandez was taken with the 113th selection in the 2010 NFL Draft?

Who knew the value of the 25th selection in the 2010 draft?

Then you have Georgia Tech's Wide Receiver Demaryius Thomas being picked three selections prior at the 22nd selection to consider.

The Broncos had to give up a fourth round selection in order to move up there. The player picked in the selection given was none other than Gators Aaron Hernandez himself.

Interestingly enough Florida Gator Percy Harvin, the Offensive Rookie of the Year, was picked at the 22nd selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.

It's never an easy task to try and determine how successful your draft class is, let alone which player possess the most value at the position he was drafted, but it has never stopped us before.

This is a much harder question than trying to determine what are the top ten questions that the Denver Broncos face heading into training camp. Especially with the issues the former rookie head coach is dealing with in his attempt to bring this team up to elite speed in this league.

So who is the man?

In this slide show we will attempt to answer that as I am looking forward to the discussion this ought to arouse.

Is Demaryius Thomas the Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 22?

The Broncos did not leave Eddie Royal stranded out in left field to fill the void left by Marshall. With the 22nd pick of the draft, the Broncos traded up to pick up Demaryius Thomas. He had posted career highs in 46 receptions, for 1,154 yards, and eight touchdowns.

Demaryius Thomas, the 6-foot-3 229 pound WR, has a strong stiff arm that makes him hard for a cornerback to bring him down. The unique combination of size, body control, and speed has scouts hopeful of Thomas being able to make a smooth transition to the NFL.

Thomas broke the school and ACC record, and his 25.1 yards per reception was second in the nation.

"He's [Thomas] doing great," said McDaniels. "In terms of trying to get better at the things that he has struggled with or made an error with - he has really worked hard to try to fix those.

"He's had a great attitude and approach. He hasn't made the same error a lot. You know, he's dropped a couple balls - I think that everyone has seen this guy make tremendous catches and then there's been some other ones that he's dropped.

"I think that comes with playing and knocking off some of the rust and you know, it's only his fourth or fifth practice where he's been out there against NFL caliber defensive backs. Like I said, he'll only get better every day and today was better than yesterday."

With Brandon Marshall gone, there is a lot of expectations for the Broncos No. 1 pick in the draft to step up to being the No. 1 receiver, especially considering how bad of a performance Eddie Royal put on last season in his sophomore slump.

"I hope we have a lot of guys that become our No. 1 receiver at different times," McDaniels said. "We're not looking for it to be predictable or throw it to only one or two players."

If Thomas can step up to the No.1 WR position, it would dramatically impact his value at the 22nd selection in the first round.

Is Tim Tebow the Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 25?

If it was not enough that Tim Tebow broke the standing career record for the SEC's career efficiency passer rating, not to mention a few other dozen SEC and NCAA records, Tebow may have yet broken another record.

As the most unwarranted criticized player in the history of sports.

Now that the notion of mobility at the quarterback position trumps the attributes of being a pure pocket passer have all but been put to bed, there is a new fad in the NFL.

It seems as though everyone, fans and journalists alike, have emerged to being an expert in the mechanics of throwing motion of the quarterback, in regards to what works at this level and what does not.

It is as if the views regarding what the prototypical mechanics trump unconventional mechanics. This of course ignores arguably the greatest QB to ever play the game, the legendary Brett Favre.

The debate regarding conventional and unconventional mechanics ought to be a dead horse issue by now, considering the success that has often been possessed while using unorthodox methods at the profession level.

Success ought not to be measured by methods of convention or unorthodox mechanics but rather by results.

Take golf for instance.

Jim Furyk has ranked in the top 10 for over 300 weeks between 1999 and 2009.

Furyk's biggest win to date came on June 16, 2003, when he tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score in U.S. Open history to win his first major championship.

Here are a few other tidbits I picked up from Wikipedia regarding the unconventional mechanics of Furyk along with the unconventional mechanics of Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus of all people.

As Mike Furyk describes in a Golf Digest issue in 2001, Jim Furyk's hips "underturn" during the backswing and "overturn" coming down.

On the downswing, he draws the club in a large arc behind his body (viewing from his right hand side), then pastes his elbow against his right hip at impact. Commentator Gary McCord, said it looked like Furyk was trying to swing inside a phone booth.

Commentator David Feherty memorably described Furyk's swing as "an octopus falling out of a tree," Others have noted that it reminds them of "a one-armed golfer using an axe to kill a snake in a telephone booth [4]."

This move was controversial during Jim Furyk's early career; however, his father never forced him to change what came naturally to him. Jim Furyk's well-known ball-striking precision is now serving him well on the professional tour.

Furyk, however, isn't the first professional golfer to show us a swing that defies convention can be successful. Nicklaus' swing was upright, with a flying elbow, and one of the biggest loopers of all time was Lee Trevino.

Having seen Tebow's phenomenal results transcend from high school to college, there is really no reason other than so-called experts like Mel Hyper to believe otherwise.

How many other players has Kiper hyped out of proportion to the point of making them out to be something they are not?

Jamarcus Russell happens to be king of them. If Mel and so many other so-called experts managed to whiff so badly on Russell, how can we trust their quarterback analysis On Tim Tebow?

Could all this anti-Tebow propaganda be nothing more than the so-called experts attempt to save face for their past mistakes?

Is it their attempt to make a wrong a right? I can't tell, but what I can tell them is that two absolutely atrocious wrongs don't make a right!

Is Zane Beadles, Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 45

The Broncos managed to land another beast of a man in one Zane Beadles, a vocal leader from Utah with the second round selection.

The left guard spot will likely be manned by Denver's third pick of the 2010 draft. The 6-4, 310 offensive tackle, who started at left tackle in his last three years after moving from the guard position, Beadles has recently been seen taking reps with the first team at left guard.

Beadles is regarded as one of the elite offensive tackles in college football. His experience at tackle ought to give the Broncos more depth at the line, and that’s a bonus with the rookie especially with both tackles recovering from injuries.

Beadles had been working at right tackle before Ryan Harris came back on a limited basis at right tackle during mini camp. This caused Seth Olsen to be relocated to the second-team offense at guard.

Whether Beadles or Walton sticks it out at guard or center is dependent on how the competition between them and 6'4 305 pound C/G veteran Russ Hochstein works out.

Beadles has a knack for clearing throwing lanes for the quarterback by his ability to manhandle defenders. The man is a beast, and McDaniels has not ruled out any notion of playing him at tackle.

"He's shown the ability to handle and process the different information on both sides, one time inside, one time outside," McDaniels said. "At some point we'll make a determination of where he has to stay in training camp."

Is J.D. Walton Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 80?

J.D. Walton was one of, if not the best, centers in college last season.

The Broncos 2010 third round pick, J.D. Walton, the 6'3 305 pound center from Baylor, has been taking first team reps in minicamp in his attempt to replace 6'2 285 pound 36 year old veteran center Casey Weigmann.

"[J.D. Walton is] kind of a nasty guy, not personally, but on the football field, which is kind of a good attitude to have for an interior lineman," McDaniels said.

"We're mean guys, so you've just got to take pride in that and just have fun with it," Walton said.

Despite losing some veterans, McDaniels has managed to keep the competitive edge to the grindstone with this offensive line, especially the interior. Nothing is a given and the players know it.

"I've got to earn that position, you know. Ain't nothing given to you. So I've got to come out here and learn this offense as quick as I can and bust my butt," Walton said. "It's a detailed offense and it's going to take time to learn it."

Is Eric Decker Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 87?

Eric Decker is Minnesota's all-time leader in receptions.

"I think he's the best wide receiver in college football, period," said Tim Brewster, Minnesota head coach.

Decker's college career came to a premature end with a Lisfranc foot injury last season. This allowed him to be a steal in this year’s draft.

Decker only dropped three balls his whole college career. One can't help but wonder if Decker could wind up being the next Eddie McCaffrey.

“I enjoy (film study) a lot,” Decker said. “I think over the last couple years I’ve had a great relationship with my quarterback. So I went into a lot of meetings with him and our offensive coordinator.

"I got to understand the philosophy of our offense and understand how to read coverage’s and how to make adjustments when you see certain things. I really enjoy it because it gives you an advantage.”

Decker, having played Division I, shared his views with how his skill set in baseball translates over to football.

“The biggest thing for me was the mental aspect. Baseball being kind of that roller coaster, when you fail seven out of 10 times, you’re still a Hall of Famer.

“A lot of it is understanding how to control your emotions and being consistent with that. And also I think the physical attributes, the hand-eye coordination at the plate, centerfield, tracking the ball over the shoulder and tracking the ball in the gaps.”

“I wake up and I love football,” Decker told Buffalobills.com. “I’m fortunate to say that when I wake up I love what I do, and that’s play football, preparing for football. I’ll get my opportunity this fall and I’m excited about it.”

Is Perrish Cox, Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 137

The Broncos, with the 137th selection, made Cox the first defensive selection with the 2010 draft.

With the fifth round pick of the 2010 draft, the Broncos managed to snatch what could indeed wind up being the biggest steal in the draft. Oklahoma State Cowboy Perrish Cox is a cornerback and a return specialist on special teams.

The explosive field speed possessed by Perrish Cox makes him even more dangerous, when rather than going out of bounds, he will attempt to break tackles and get that extra inch. This is what allowed him to finished with the third-most kickoff return yards (2,804) in NCAA history.

The All-America scored six return touchdowns on four kickoffs and two punts.

"That's the main goal," Cox said with a smile. "I'm always looking for that end zone."

Cox as of minicamp has yet to lock down the return specialist position. It appears he may be having a rough time adjusting to the Mile High altitude.

“There are a lot of days left for him to improve in that regard before we would stick him out there and trust him with the football at this point," said McDaniels. "But he really works hard every day after practice catching the ball and really has improved since he got here.”

Is Eric Olsen Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 183?

6-foot-4 306 pound Eric Olsen is an intelligent player who is familiar with the system McDaniels plays, having played in Charlie Weis’ offense at Notre Dame.

Charlie Weis called Olsen the line's "heart and soul."

Olsen has a reputation for possessing a nasty mean streak and he is highly underrated at both guard and center positions.

During his junior and senior years combined, he only allowed four quarterbacks sacks. That is one sack in 450 pass attempts!

He has a phenomenal combine numbers, and he is a dark horse to make the team.

Is Jammie Kirlew Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 232

The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the last six out of nine Super Bowls, winning five of them.

The Steelers mirrored McDaniels offense when he was with the Patriots. They did so by transforming themselves from delivering the scores by bus, since Jerome Bettis retired, to doing so through the air with future hall of famer Ben Roethlisberger.

Ben, became one of only three quarterbacks in the history of the league to throw for over 500 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in December while playing the formidable Packers defense.

Just like Tomlin, it is no coincidence to see McDaniels taking his queues from a Steelers page when it comes to defense by not only switching to a 3-4 but by adding a converted college defensive end to his linebacking corps.

Five whopping pro bowlers make up the Steelers front seven. McDaniels has completely revamped his entire starting defensive line by adding some whopper Pro bowlers of his own to the front seven.

Whether Indiana Hoosier Jammie Kirlew emerges as a pro bowl caliber player at this level remains to be seen, but building a team through the draft is a signature of a Dynasty in the making.

Building through the draft with a signing bonus of roughly only $50,000, the Broncos signed 6-foot-1 260 pound Jammie Kirlew of Indiana.

The Hoosier was tied for second in the schools all-time tackles for loss list with 52 1/2, and was third on the school’s all-time sacks list with 23 sacks. With five forced fumbles, Kirlew tied for sixth in the nation.

Kirlew received Hoosiers outstanding defensive lineman award; he also happened to be the team’s defensive player of the year.

Kirlew’s 19.5 tackles for loss is the most by a Hoosier since current Chicago Bear Adewale Ogunleye's 21.0 in 1997.

He was all Big Ten defensive linemen in tackles, and rated the eighth-best defensive end in the country by Lindy's. His non-stop motor turned into an All-America season in 2008, and the Junior finished the season with 10.5 sacks.

The four year starter is a great pass rusher and solid against the run. The accolades go on and on, and there is a reason why McDaniels chose to give up next season's fifth round pick to take a chance on this linebacking prospect.

I can't imagine him not making the 53-man roster...

Is Syd'Quan Thompson Broncos Most Valued Player @ Selection No. 225?

"If you were to ask me the most important players on our team, I'd say Kevin Riley, Jahvid Best, Alex Mack, and Syd'Quan Thompson," said middle LB Worrell Williams. "Syd is the only guy I listed on defense, so what's that tell you?

"He's going to shut down one side of the field when he's out there."

Speed is a premium in this league, and too often it is substituted for phenomenal ability. And that is exactly what Syd possess.

Having 4.5 40 Mardy Gilyard blow by you in the Senior will make your stock drop like a rock. Syd injured his hamstring in January, the week of the Senior Bowl.

Syd was not able to run at all during the combine. Many of the scouts came to see Cal’s Pro Day 40 time, 19 teams attended, only to see Syd re-aggravate his hamstring in his 4.7 40 attempt.

"It's frustrating that I'm not 100 percent and able to run full speed," said Thompson.

"There are some guys who can cover well, execute assignments and grade out well when you watch the video, and you're happy when you find those guys," defensive backs coach Al Simmons said. "What Syd can do is a step above; he can make a play for you."

"When you've got a guy who can do all those things and make a play, it's something special."

"...there's not a receiver out there who can embarrass Syd. He's a shutdown corner with 1,000 pounds of heart."

Scouts had considered Syd, a potential first-round draft pick heading into the 2009 season.

Scout.com rated him the number-five player in its West Hot 100. Rivals.com rated him the 13th-ranked athlete in the nation and the 21st-ranked player in California.

ESPN assessed him as the 11th-ranked cornerback in the nation.

The hamstring injury plagued Syd’s stock, not to mention Cal being blown out in its last two games.

Syd’s lack of elite speed along with his 5-foot-9 193 pound size has a lot of folks thinking Syd may be forced to make a position change at the pro level. A switch to safety, where his ball hawk skills along with his sure handed tackling abilities could pay off with huge dividends.

Syd is a physical player who is known for being a good hitter, and his coverage instincts, return and open-field tackling ability ought to give him in advantage in making it on the team for the depth he adds both to the secondary as well as Special teams. Syd’s intelligence and instincts have been proven to more than make up for his lack of elite speed.

Syd said...

“Returning punts is a way to get my hands on the ball as a defender, I like to be on the field no matter what. I’ve always returned punts since I was a kid.”

“I’m always real critical about everything, even when someone says I do it well. I can always improve. I want to be the complete package,”

“I’m the most complete player. I’m tougher, I’m smarter. I’ll do anything to make the team successful.”

Keeping Up With The Bucking Broncos In The 2010 Draft Is Not Easy.

@ 11 Denver traded down to 13 for a fourth round selection (84). This was one of the selections Broncos got for Cutler.

@ 13 Broncos traded down to 24 for two third round selections (70 & 87).

@ 14 Broncos traded it back in 2009 for Alphonso Smith.

@ 22 Denver traded up from 24 and gave a fourth round selection (113) for moving to 24 from 11 for:

Demaryius Thomas WR Georgia Tech

@ 24 See 22

@ 25 Tim Tebow QB Florida Gators

Denver traded up from 43 and gave a fourth round selection it received for moving to (114), the third round selection (87) it got for moving down to 24 from 13 and one of the second round selections it acquired from Miami for Brandon Marshall for:

@ 43 see 25

@ 45 Zane Beadles OT Utah

@ 70 see 25

@ 80 J. D. Walton C Baylor

@ 87 Eric Decker WR Minnesota

Trade pick Denver acquired for trading down from 13 to 24

@ 113 see 25

@ 114 see 22

@ 137 Denver Broncos Cox, Perrish CB Oklahoma State

Denver traded Tony Scheffler and a seventh-round selection (220)

@ 158 Denver traded this selection it acquired from
Dallas to New England for defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith and a seventh-round selection it acquired from Philadelphia (231)

@ 183 Denver Broncos Olsen, Eric C

@ 220 See 137

@ 225 Thompson, Syd'QuanSyd'Quan Thompson CB California

@ 231 Denver traded this selection it acquired from New England back to New England see (231) for

Russ Hochstein offensive lineman

@ 232 Jammie Kirlew DE Indiana

Denver traded down from the fifth round pick of 2011 draft for 18th overall selection in the seventh round.