Trisecting The Broncos Draft

Looking at the Bronco's 2010 draft, it separated itself into three parts for me. The first part was the Sexy. Three players taken with extra picks via Chicago and Miami acquired in the deals that sent Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall to those cities. DeMaryius Thomas in my eyes was the most naturally gifted offensive player in the draft. His combination of size (6-3+, 230), speed (4.38 40), and natural strength was unmatched. He is raw, but intelligent, humble, and focussed. The polish will come soon enough. Tim Tebow was THE player of the draft, if for many of the wrong reasons. Tebow is as good an athlete at the quarterback position as any since Michael Vick. He is considerable bigger and stronger than Vick was, however. Like Thomas, Tebow is a raw talent. All the tools are there but refinement is definitely in order. Eric Decker was the third player acquired as a result of the trades. He is the most refined talent of the three, but has the least upside. What Decker brings is a solid all round package at the WR position, blending above average size (6-3, 220), speed, and athletic talent. He tested at the top of the class on the mental tests and brings a strong work ethic and discipline.

The second layer of the draft was the Solid. The big uglys on the line who make everything else work. Zane Beadles led the way in the early part of the second round. Good size and measurables without exceptional athleticism, his intelligence and character stand out. The same could be said for fellow offensive linemen J.D. Walton a center, and guard Eric Olson, along with DE/OLB tweener Jammie Kimmel. No blow your socks off individual play from these guys, but the smarts and maturity to work together to form an effective five to seven man unit.

Finally the Sleeper section. This contains two contradictory cornerbacks in Perrish Cox and Syd'Quan Thompson. Both have been rated as high as the first round in the not too distant past, but both probably achieved do not draft status on some team's boards. Cox was a college star at a high level who showed a lack of maturity and discipline which led to several run ins with his coachs and the law. He was similar in some respects to teammate Dez Bryant, but while Bryant fell from the top of the first round to near the bottom, Cox slipped all the way into the fifth round. He was taken with the draft pick acquired for Tony Scheffler just prior to the draft. Thompson showed no character concerns, but had some physical difficulties post season and during the scouting process. He had problems at the Senior Bowl, physically and performance wise, then either was unable to test or tested terribly on all his tests during the off season. This sent his stock plummeting all the way to the end of the seventh round. Both players were top college performers at a very delicate position, showing durablility, production, and garnering many awards. If one of them can translate that to the next level, this will turn out to be an exceptional draft for the team.