2011 NFL Mock Draft: Denver Broncos' 7-Round Mock Draft

With all the uncertainty with the CBA, a mock draft for our team, desperate for talent defensively (and lots of it), is very difficult. Under current conditions, there is only one way to turn for talent: the NFL Draft. It's tough; we have so many needs and a limited amount of picks. With that said, quantity is not as important as quality. It is essential we make the most of every pick, but that is obviously much easier said than done. Here is how I think we go about the draft.

1st Round, Pick No. 2: Patrick Peterson, DB, LSU

I have read a bunch of mocks, and there are multiple prospects I've seen here. There's been Dareus, Fairley, Peterson, Bowers, Robert Quinn and I've even seen Von Miller here. Not to say that I won't be happy with one of the other guys, but I will be ecstatic if we go with Patrick Peterson.

We've all seen his highlights, and I'm completely sold on the guy just like everyone else is, and I'd love to see "Peterson Island" in Orange and Blue. He's the best player in the draft, he fills a glaring need in the secondary (can play CB or S and I see the Bailey signing as a band-aid), he is the closest to a "can't miss" prospect in this year's draft, has been said to be a prospect you see once a decade (although I seem to hear that about some prospect every year), and the DL class is extremely deep this year so we can pick up first round talent in the later rounds. Peterson will have an immediate, Eric Berry-like impact on the defense that the Chiefs scored with last year, and Peterson will contribute on special teams as a dynamic return man if the Broncos choose to utilize him in that way.

2nd Round, Pick No. 36: Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State

Forget that Paea broke the record for bench press at the combine; just look at his tape and you can see that he is a beast. He was double-teamed almost every play of every game, yet look at his accolades listed at the beginning of the YouTube video: 2010 Pac-10 Defensive POY, 2010 concensus All-American, back-to-back Defensive Morris Trophy winner (best defensive lineman in Pac-10). Are you kidding? All while taking on double-teams? He is strong as an ox, has quicker feet than he's given credit for and he brings it on every play. If he falls out of the first round, which he may not as his stock continues to rise, Fox and company will gladly scoop him up here.

2nd Round, Pick. 46: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

Sheard is going to continue rising up draft boards. He has good size, shows good power and has an extremely high motor. He is great in pursuit, and he has a solid set of pass rush moves. He has some character concerns which hurts his stock, but those issues will be addressed and evaluated during interviews. Sheard would add some much needed depth at the DE position.

3rd Round, Pick No. 67: Drake Nevis, DT, LSU

I've seen him slipping into the third round in multiple mocks, and I think if he does fall to us here, he's going to prove that he was a huge steal. He has first round talent in my opinion, and if it weren't for Fairley, Drake Nevis would have been the most impressive DT in the SEC. The guy has a great first step, and has the strength to push the pocket as well as stuff the run. He and Paea will add youth and some serious talent to our struggling DL.

6th Round, Pick No. 188: Mike Mohamed, LB, California

I am hoping to attend Cal this coming Fall, and my dad is a Cal alum so I have a soft-spot for Cal players. Also, I have a friend on the team, so I have been following Cal football closely. I went up to visit the school as well as watch my friend play in the Oregon game, and he told me, even before mentioning Cameron Jordan, that I should keep an eye on Mohamed. He is a good player: has pretty good speed and instincts, and is a very good tackler. He has a bit of difficulty shedding blockers, but he is willing to engage even though he is undersized. On top of his on-field performance, the kid is a stud in the classroom, very high character, and well-liked by all his coaches and teammates. He will add some depth to our LB corps, and will contribute immediately on special teams much like Wesley Woodyard.

7th Round, Pick No. 194: Julius Thomas, TE, Portland State

We have a glaring need at tight end. I don't like giving up on players so quick (TE Richard Quinn) and we have far more pressing needs defensively, so that's why I decided to add late-round talent instead of a guy like Kyle Rudolph in the earlier rounds. Thomas is another riser who some team may decide to take earlier based off sheer potential. He is another basketball player converted TE who is extremely athletic and shows great ball skills, but is still a very raw prospect. He is a willing blocker, which is something you don't see often from these type of guys, but he will need to be coached up on blocking footwork, especially in a Fox scheme where the philosophy is run first. We can only hope he turns out as good as his basketball-player-converted-TE counterparts, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzales.

The Next Orange Crush?

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

DENVER - OCTOBER 04: Elivs Dumervil #92 of the Denver Broncos celebrates his sack of quarterback Tony Romo #9 of the Dallas Cowboys with teammates Darrell Reid #95 and Wesley Woodyard #59 during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on October 4, 2009

Since I went so defense heavy, here is my prediction for our starting defensive unit:

Defensive ends: Robert Ayers, Elvis Dumervil

Defensive tackles: Kevin Vickerson, Stephen Paea

Linebackers: D.J. Williams, Wesley Woodyard, Joe Mays

Secondary: Champ Bailey, Patrick Peterson, Brian Dawkins, Andre Goodman

I am still deciding whether Peterson plays safety or corner, but I think Goodman is better than Hill right now so Hill is odd man out. I would take Cox over Goodman, but uncertainty about his future keeps him out of the lineup. Regardless, they probably aren't the next Orange Crush, but we will see drastic improvement with this lineup, and with Fox running the show.

Wrap-Up

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

DENVER - SEPTEMBER 26: The helmets of the Denver Broncos were adorned with the #11 of recently deceased teammate Kenny McKinley as they face the Indianapolis Colts at INVESCO Field at Mile High on September 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Colts defeate

These mock drafts are tough: there are no certain answers, and the lack of transparency makes it difficult to predict what any team plans on doing. With that said, it is always fun to predict how it will play out, and it feeds to the excitement of next season. Unfortunately, whether there will be a next season is still very uncertain, but when the new and familiar faces finally do roll into Dove Valley to get Fox's regime underway, we should be very excited to see how Fox and company improves the team we all love. That does it for me guys. What do you think? Thank you for reading and Go Broncos!