John Elway Won't Let Position Needs Dictate Broncos' Draft Strategy
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has a proven track record when it comes to finding impact starters throughout the NFL draft. Elway knows the best teams go into the draft with few needs to prevent mistakes in the selection process. He’s been able to snare quality starters and Pro Bowl players from the early, mid and late rounds and even undrafted players entering the league each year.
While other teams let the needs of the roster dictate and influence their draft board, the Broncos take a different approach. Elway has proved through five drafts that he’s going to take the best player available in the first round. Team need is important, but Elway trusts in taking the most talented football players regardless of position.
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“A lot of times when you get in trouble is when you reach," Elway stated. "As long as you take what we feel is the best player available at the time—now if it falls into a position of need, then it’s all the better. Our thought process is to make sure that we’re drafting people that are going to have good careers in the NFL.”
On Thursday, the Broncos held a predraft press conference where Elway discussed the most pressing issues with the team. The Hall of Fame quarterback turned top executive has built a Super Bowl champion in the Mile High City with a simple philosophy.
“Everybody has needs," Elway said. "I think the most important thing is to hit on your draft picks. We’ll continue with the philosophy of trying to build through the draft and add free agents that we think can help us.”
He didn’t reveal much, but we can gather more clues about the Broncos' plans in the draft—and more—based on what Elway did say at team headquarters on Thursday.
Von Miller, Broncos Apart in Talks
Earlier this year, the Broncos placed the exclusive franchise tag on linebacker Von Miller. That gives the superstar a one-year, fully guaranteed salary around $14 million in 2016, but Miller is seeking a long-term deal from the franchise that selected him second overall in the 2011 NFL draft.
Per NFL rules, the two sides have until July 15th to work out a new contract. The past few times the Broncos have used the franchise tag (Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Clady, Matt Prater), it usually takes them close to the deadline before an agreement can be reached. Elway doesn’t know if things will go right up to the deadline again with Miller.
“I don’t know," Elway said. "I would hope not but we’ll see. I think that it’s not nearly as bad as people have it portrayed at being out there.”
Elway praised the Super Bowl 50 MVP. “I know what I think of Von Miller and I know what this organization thinks of Von Miller. He is very important to us, and we’re going to work our tails off to try and get something done with him.”
Like most players not under contract, Miller is avoiding the offseason workouts going on this week at Dove Valley. That’s not a problem with Elway.
“This is all voluntary," he explained. "If Von chooses to be here then great. You always hope that everybody is here but players have different things they have going on in the offseason. It’s a voluntary session.”
At this time there has been an offer and a counteroffer with Miller, according to Elway. He honestly talked about the distance between the two and expressed hope for progress in negotiations.
“You would like to be a little bit closer but that’s where you start," Elway noted. "We’ll continue to work on it and hopefully be able to get something done.”
Comfortable with Quarterback Options
Broncos fans may be in a panic over the current state of the quarterback position in the Mile High City, but Elway preached patience when considering the team’s options. With Mark Sanchez as the top passer on the depth chart, fans are longing for something more. Elway is comfortable with where they’re at in regard to quarterback.
“First of all, we feel good with Mark. But you also know that there are going to be a lot of different things that happen," Elway said. "To really have to rush into a decision, we didn’t want to have to do that. Because if you run into one and all of a sudden here falls another one, another apple over there that you kind of like—I just didn’t want to get us to where we were going down one road and didn’t have the option to look at all of the others. That’s why we’ve stayed patient. Again, what’s helped is having Mark. [He’s] a guy that we feel like has got the experience in the league and can play in this league. That’s why we’ve been patient.”
Elway did admit the team is going to look to add competition at quarterback. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos add not one, but two quarterbacks to the roster in some way, shape or form in the next couple of weeks.
“Hopefully we can get somebody in here. That’s why we took our time," Elway noted. "You never know how this thing is going to fall. There have been a lot of twists and turns already at this point in time. We’ll just kind of wait and see and we’re going to continue to wait and see how it falls out.”
Depending on what happens in the draft, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Broncos take a quarterback in Round 1. With all the movement at the top of the draft, the chances of Paxton Lynch (Memphis) falling to within the Broncos' range is slim. Even someone like Connor Cook (Michigan State) may be off the board when Denver picks at the end of the first.
However, they won’t reach for a passer at that point in the draft, and could wait until the mid-rounds to find a rookie quarterback. Players like Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) or Kevin Hogan (Stanford) could be on the team’s radar in the mid-rounds of the draft.
Kaepernick Talks at a Standstill
There is no doubt that quarterback is the biggest concern for the Broncos at this time. One player fans are waiting on is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Broncos may be interested in trading for him, but with a guaranteed salary of $11.9 million in 2016, a trade has not yet come to fruition.
The Broncos would like to pay a lower price, and that additional money needs to either be forfeited by the quarterback or paid by the 49ers. According to Mindi Bach, from CSNBayArea.com, the Broncos would like to get Kaepernick for $7 million in 2016 and another $7 million 2017 while keeping the rest of his contract after that in place. Kaepernick is signed through the 2020 season, but his cap hit jumps to $19.9 million in 2018.
Elway succinctly described where trade talks are right now with the 49ers.
“It’s dormant," Elway said. "He’s been working out [with San Francisco] from what I understand so that’s all I can really say.”
The executive did admit a deal was still on the table for Kaepernick. “It’s never been [dismissed]. Everything is right there, so that’s kind of where it is.”
With the draft less than a week away, it will be interesting to see if the two sides get this trade done.
O-Line Depth Intriguing
This is a deep draft at multiple positions, and the Broncos could get more than a few key contributors—for now and the future—from this draft. Elway has made moves to improve the team’s offensive line this offseason, adding two veteran tackles—Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson—in free agency.
Broncos fans shouldn’t be surprised if the team addresses the position at some point in the draft as well. “There are a lot of good football players in this draft. I think offensive line is one area [where] there is a lot of depth,” Elway admitted.
Offensive guard is a position that has seen some turnover this offseason, and it could be a spot the team addresses early in the draft. With left guard Evan Mathis and right guard Louis Vasquez no longer with the team, the Broncos may target a guard early to fill one of those starting jobs.
A player like Cody Whitehair (Kansas State) could be an option for the Broncos at the end of the first round if he’s on the board. Whitehair has vise-like hands and can control his man at the point of attack. He plays with the savvy of a 10-year veteran and does a good job of recognizing stunts and blitzes before the snap. Adding a player like Whitehair in the draft would be a strong move to shore up the interior of the offensive line.
Elway has built the foundation of the Broncos through the draft while filling holes on the roster in free agency. It’s a formula that has made Denver the city of champions once again. As a former player turned executive, Elway understands the importance of the draft.
“That’s why these drafts are so important because you know you’re going to have turnover," he noted. "You have to have the young guys and draft well to where they can step up for the guys when they do leave. We feel great.”
Broncos fans hope they feel great too after the draft is over next week.
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