2012 NFL Mock Draft: Denver Broncos to Take a Defensive Tackle in First Round?

With free agency just around the corner and the 2012 NFL draft nearly 60 days away, the Denver Broncos are preparing to embark on what should be an interesting offseason.

There will certainly be plenty of discussion about how John Elway and Co. want to improve the Broncos offense. Whether or not they continue to build around quarterback Tim Tebow will be one story line, and drafting a quarterback high could be another story line, especially if they took a player at that position with their first-round pick. Some have had the Broncos taking Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill at No. 25.

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, the Broncos should have a pretty good idea of what positions they are looking for in April. Quarterback isn't one of them.

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Cornerback, defensive tackle, running back. In that order. The Broncos are expected to address all three of those positions of need through the draft. John Elway didn't play any of those positions during his Hall of Fame career with the Broncos. But he is evaluating players at those positions as the team's front-office boss. "We have a lot of high priorities," Elway said Friday during an NFL scouting combine news conference. 

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Klis specifically points out defensive tackle as a top option for the Broncos at No. 25. 

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With the way the talent is lining up and the Broncos not picking until No. 25, there's a decent chance the team may use its first-round draft choice on a defensive tackle for the first time since — gulp! — Ted Gregory in 1988. Gregory became one of the franchise's most infamous disappointments, and it's only a slight exaggeration to say the Broncos have been looking for a defensive tackle ever since.

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Considering where the Broncos draft, they should be able to find a top defensive tackle that has first-round value. The 2012 draft is plump full of talented big men up front on defense in the early rounds.

At No. 25, Devon Still (Penn State), Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State), Jerel Worthy (Michigan State) and Kendall Reyes (Connecticut) are just a few names the Broncos may have the option of drafting. 

Klis does give an alternate scenario where the Broncos don't take a defensive tackle, however, and it involves a pair of Alabama prospects.

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It appears the only way the Broncos would not take a defensive tackle at No. 25 is if somehow Alabama running back Trent Richardson or cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick fall that far. Both are considered top-10 talents, so such a scenario is unlikely.

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Kirkpatrick has the best chance of reaching the Broncos late in the first round, but even that scenario seems remote at this point. Richardson is the top running back in the class and should be gone within the first 20 picks.

That reality should leave defensive tackle as the likely avenue for Elway and the Broncos at No. 25. 

Mock Draft:

1.  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  Cleveland Browns – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (via trade with St. Louis Rams)

3.  Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4.  St. Louis Rams – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (via trade with Cleveland Browns)

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

6. Washington Redskins – Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa 

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars – Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

8.  Miami Dolphins – Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

9.  Carolina Panthers – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

10.  Buffalo Bills – Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

11.  Kansas City Chiefs – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

12.  Seattle Seahawks – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

13.  Arizona Cardinals – Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

14.  Dallas Cowboys – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

15.  Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

16.  New York Jets – Nick Perry, OLB, USC

17.  Cincinnati Bengals – David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

18.  San Diego Chargers – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

19.  Chicago Bears – Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

20.  Tennessee Titans – Zach Brown, OLB, UNC

21.  Cincinnati Bengals – Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

22.  St. Louis Rams – Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama 

23.  Detroit Lions – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia

25.  Denver Broncos – Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

26.  Houston Texans – Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

27.  New England Patriots – Mark Barron, S, Alabama

28.  Green Bay Packers – Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

29.  Baltimore Ravens – Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

30.  San Francisco 49ers – Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

31.  New England Patriots – Devon Still, DT, Penn State

32.  New York Giants – Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama