Dirty Sanchez Not Needed in Denver!

All of today's buzz about the Denver Broncos wanting to trade up for Mark Sanchez has me in agony if there is a grain of truth to it.  Deep down I hope that it is all just fun and games to bait the NY Jets and the Redskins into trading into the top 10.

But that got me thinking what would be a great draft day trade?

In my opinion, the best way that we can improve our team is to improve our defense.   In order to help our defense, we need to get players that fit our new system.  The only way to do that is to trade out of our first, first round pick (#12) to collect multiple picks.  I don't think that B.J. Raji will be there and I don't think Tyson Jackson will be there either.  Those are the only two "perfect" fits to make an immediate impact on our defensive line.

First of all, in order to trade that pick we would need a partner.  My potential list of suitors would be:

NY Giants - their 1st (#29) and 2nd (#45).  They would still keep another 2nd rounder and could pickup an elite WR (Maclin or Crabtree could easily fall here, with Heyward-Bey also available).

NY Jets - their 1st (#17) and 2nd (#52).  This would only apply if Mark Sanchez fell here so I do not think the Broncos should draft him in that situation either, and with Washington sitting at #13 this would be the spot to trade up to.

Minnesota - their 1st (#22) and 2nd (#54).  Again, a "Mark Sanchez" situation as I don't see why the would not want to jump in to get a QB here.

Buffalo Bills - their 1st (#28) and 2nd (#42).  An easy spot for Buffalo to jump for consecutive picks at Offensive Tackle and for a rush 4-3 DE like Robert Ayers.

So, let's take a look at the players that can help us in our defensive front seven.

Quick Note: I think the Broncos are just fine at ILB this season with D.J. Williams (yes, I see him as the RILB filling the Patrick Willis/Karlos Dansby role of "cleanup" man), Andra Davis (as 2-down LILB "run stuffer"), Boss Bailey (when healthy, as the passing down LILB and backup RILB), with Spencer Larsen and Louis Green for depth.

Looking at the OLB's that might be available to us, there is a plethora of rush LB types in this draft so listing them is going to take all day.  Let's look at the players that could be available at #18 (if we traded away our #12 pick) that can fit a weakside OLB "rush" role for us:  Everette Brown (we would be lucky if he fell but it is possible), Larry English, Paul Kruger, and Michael Johnson. All of the group listed are projected to be 1st rounders, I am much higher on Everette Brown than the rest and would not want to see the Broncos reach for any of the other players at this draft pick, but would love to get them with a later pick if possible.

For a strong-side OLB there is a different set of skills as coverage responsibilities come into play, so the list here is different than the above list: Brian Cushing (I think he would be a better ILB but still very high on him anywhere if he falls to 18), Clay Matthews (hard to say if he will drop to here but you never know), Connor Barwin (he seems like a lock for an late 1st/early 2nd round pick since every comparison to him is to Vrabel), Clint Sintim (should be an early to mid 2nd rounder), Cody Brown (projects as a 3rd rounder).  If Everette Brown is not available with pick 18, then this position commands that pick especially if Cushing is available.  If they reached for Barwin I would not be disappointed as I doubt he makes it past New England, Miami, or Baltimore.

At NT, after B.J. Raji, only Ron Brace is projected to fit into the top 3 rounds, and originally he was projected as a 2nd/3rd rounder.  However, with more teams running the 3-4 this season I believe he will be drafted in the upper half of the 2nd round.  Terrance Taylor is described as a perfect plug NT for a 3-4 scheme but isn't expected to command anything higher than a 4th round pick due to work ethic/motivational issues.  Some late round/free agent developmental players could be: Roy Miller, Terrance Knighton, and Vaughn Martin.

As far as finding the next great 3-4 Defensive Ends, the benchmark was made in New England where Ty Warren and Richard Seymour set the standard.  Most coordinators like their DE's to be tall and powerful, regardless of the system, but it is even more important in the 3-4 scheme.  So, after pouring through every resource I could find to narrow down the list of candidates, we arrive with:

Jarron Gilbert from San Jose State.  He is projected anywhere from a late 1st to a 3rd round pick, and from what I can tell he is following in the coattails of Tyson Jackson's "rise to the top" lately.  I really like this kid and not just for the youtube video.  He is 6-5 and 288 pounds, played defensive tackle and strong-side end in college (where he played against our studly LT Ryan Clady), and can easily pack on 15 more pounds.  The available pool of candidates drops off severely after that, (Robert Ayers and Larry English are not 3-4 DE's and most college DTs cannot play the 5-technique end) with the only intriguing DE candidate being Fili Moala from USC.  In my opinion, he would be a solid LDE in the 3-4 but he might be valued higher as a 4-3 DT. In addition to the above players, there are some late round projects available (Pannel Egboh, Sammie Lee Hill, and Nader Abdallah) and we should definitely pickup one of them later in the draft.

Getting Everette Brown with our #18 overall pick, sliding into the late 1st to pick up Connor Barwin, followed by Ron Brace in the early 2nd and Jarron Gilbert in the middle 2nd would be such a huge first day haul for us that we could spend the two 3rd round picks on defensive backs and/or an interior offensive lineman, and the remaining picks on some developmental players that can grow into our system.

I am going to live in this fantasy world until tomorrow at 2:00 PM when I'm sure reality will come crashing down on my innocent dreams!