2011 NFL Draft: Will Da'Quan Bowers Join Von Miller as a Denver Bronco?

The Denver Broncos will unleash the “Von-ster” on the AFC West in 2011.

For those paying close attention to John Elway and Brian Xanders in the final days leading up to the draft, this was no surprise. Still, were the smoke screens and interest in quarterbacks all part of the plan?

Maybe, but when Brian Xanders said that there hadn’t been any calls about the second pick, he may not have been lying. In addition to that, the interest in Cam Newton also might not have been as much of a ploy as originally thought.

At the end of the day, it would have been crazy for the Broncos to have spent the second overall pick on a quarterback and regardless, the Panthers would have squashed that plan anyway.  Still, John Elway and the Broncos had to evaluate every player as if they were a real possibility.

That was the only way to guarantee that they ended up with the right pick.

One of the biggest differences between this draft and the previous two drafts run by Josh McDaniels is that the process has been as important as the pick. Elway made sure to impress upon his staff how important it was to evaluate every player, at every position, no matter what.

That is why the drafting of Von Miller is so exciting, not only on the field but also off it. The Broncos refused to make their mind up too early and by treating this draft as the fluid and dynamic process that it is, they were able to allow time and research to make the right choice become clear. 

It would have been very easy for the Broncos to have made their minds up immediately after the BCS Bowl Championship and decided that Nick Fairley was their man. 

It also would have been very easy to fold to the demands of the fans and experts and take Marcell Dareus because he would have filled the apparent biggest need of the team. It was the “safe” pick and would not have caused any kind of second guessing about the draft strategy of the new Broncos Brass.

In the end however, the Broncos were patient. They turned on the films, they ran the projections and they left their minds open enough to let Von Miller come in and show them why he deserved to be the second overall pick.

What’s more is that as the first round wound down, it became clear that the Broncos had not only made a good pick at No. 2 but also most likely projected closely enough to guarantee success at the No. 36 pick as well.  

While nobody in the world could have predicted the first round with 100 percent accuracy, the Broncos must have known that solid defensive tackle prospects would still be available early in the second round. 

The most intriguing scenario is whether or not Da’Quan Bowers falls to the Broncos at No. 36. To go even further, if that does in fact happen and Stephen Paea is still available then, which player will become a Bronco? 

This might be another reason why the Broncos chose to put their head athletic trainer in the war room with them. Obviously Bowers has fallen this far because of injury and maybe the fact that he has fallen is because other war rooms were not able to get the reassurance about his health that they were seeking with the precious few minutes they had to make a choice.

The most important pick of the 2011 draft for the Broncos has been made, but the true story of this draft will be written tomorrow.