Broncos needed more D from 2012 Draft

I spent last night with wife at the Astoria Crab Festival and didn’t get home until late and never saw any of the draft coverage on TV. This morning I purposely didn’t read any scouting reports from the Denver Post or the Broncos official website because I’ve learned over the years that they almost always talk up the strengths of players and never the weaknesses. I wanted to have an objective first look at the players they picked before I engaged in any homerism.

I was happy the Broncos took an interior DL with their first pick because it was the biggest position of need on the D. I’ve been reading about Derek Wolfe today and looking at film. He’s big guy 6’5 295 pounds. His size is certainly not going to be a factor he has all the size we need. Here’s the NFL.com scouting report on him and the rest of the players in my blog.

Overview of DL Derek Wolfe: 2nd Round

Wolfe is a big interior lineman who plays very instinctively to be a factor in the run game. He is a slow-moving, pedestrian athlete, but this doesn't define his ability -- he finds other ways to be a factor. He can get overpowered by double teams and will need to continue to develop his technique to not be erased when he faces them. Based off his frame and potential, he has late-round value in the draft.

Strengths

Wolfe is an instinctive player who understands how to engage a lineman, extend his arms and read the flow of the play to move off his blocks. He sees screens well and can work off his man to disrupt plays inside. He can defeat single blocks well and is a decent pass rusher when put in the right scheme where he can slant and stunt to get in good position.

Weaknesses

Wolfe struggles off the ball to get into his slants. He is a slow mover and will not blow back any offensive lineman off the ball. He sometimes relies too heavily on his ability to diagnose, as it appears he is reading the play so long that blockers negate him. Double teams will give him a lot of trouble and he is on his back often when faced with them; NFL teams will see right through that and get an extra hand on him in the run game.

My spin on Wolfe:

I watched his highlight film and was impressed with what I saw. It was his highlight film so he did show him making sacks, forcing fumbles and playing well between the tackles. He certainly has great size and strength, his speed looks average. It must be pointed out he played in a weak Big East Conference. West Virginia and Cincinnati were the 2 best teams last year so the strength of the foes Wolfe faced in his career is not up to the level of some of big conferences.

Everybody says he has a good motor and whatever he lacks in speed and push maybe this will be the intangible that’ll make him a great player for the Broncos.

Overview of QB Brock Osweiler: 2nd Round

Osweiler is an intriguing early-entry prospect out of Arizona State. A good athlete for the position, Osweiler was originally signed to play basketball at Gonzaga before opting to play football at ASU. He has the arm strength to be a first-day pick but hasn't shown the consistency that is characteristic of guys who deserve first-round money.

Strengths

Osweiler has a very deliberate, quick-twitched setup. He slings the ball naturally, and even though he pats the ball before throwing, his release is so compact and effective he isn't hindered. His shining asset is his arm strength; he can hit nearly any NFL-caliber throw at this point in his career. He is a good leader and looks in control in the huddle and on the field. He has the pocket presence of a first-day pick and doesn't go down easily.

Weaknesses

Osweiler had on-the-field judgment issues and isn't reliable to protect the ball from turnovers. It seems as if he starts to get rolling in a game, and the more confidence he builds, the more of a gunslinger mentality he adopts. This severely hinders his play. When under control, early in the game, he is athletic, accurate, and a good game manager. He is likely a developmental prospect who could struggle if forced to play early.

My spin of Osweiler

I don’t understand this pick at all. Osweiler is more of a project than Tebow was. He only had 15 career college starts. His body of work at ASU is suspect and as the scouting reports says he didn’t play smart in too many games. The Broncos should have gone for a CB or LB in this spot and attempted to get a player who could contribute right away on D. He’s definitely a long term project. The Broncos should have just looked to find a veteran free agent QB to back up Manning and used the pick for D instead. This one had to be Elway’s pick.

Overview of RB Ronnie Hillman: 3rd Round

Hillman is an early entry junior to the draft from San Diego State, where he started every game for the Aztecs in the past two years and was first team All-Mountain West. He is a bit undersized but has the speed and quickness to have an immediate impact in the NFL. He likely won't demand the bulk of the carries for an NFL team but is a good "change of pace" guy who does a lot of things well enough to project to make an impact.

Strengths

Hillman relies heavily on his quickness and immediate vision to find a seam to be an effective runner. He has decent speed for his size, but his quickness is his biggest asset. He has a natural feel for how to find daylight and can be patient to wait for a pulling interior lineman to get to the second level. He has a good burst in a short area to make guys miss, and has the quickness to be an effective short-yardage back in the NFL.

Weaknesses

Hillman is a very smooth mover but is not very explosive with the ball in his hands. He likes to feel his way through the line of scrimmage and usually gets to the second level with ease, but he struggles to run with power or elusiveness to make defenders miss and really break for a big gain. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry in his senior year, but those numbers were a bit skewed thanks to some long runs.

My spin on Hillman:

First of all the guy isn’t 5’9 and 200 pounds, he’s more like 5’7 or 5’8 and 185 to 190 pounds because as we all know in football height and weight for smurfs is always exaggerated. He is very small and not that muscular for his size.

I watched him play a full game against my Wyoming Cowboys last fall. His speed did impress me in that game. Once he gets to the outside (where his strength lies) and gets to the second level not many guys will catch him. I can’t say I know if he’s a good pass receiver or not because in that game I don’t remember it.

Clearly Hillman will be a situational player and not an every down type RB for the Broncos. He isn’t going to be an inside the tackles runner. He may come in on 3rd down and catch passes on short screens. He won’t be an effective blocking back because of his size. Doug Martin from BS was the second best RB with size in the draft and the Broncos couldn’t get him. In the RB rankings Hillman was ranked 10th on most boards so it’s not really a certainty that Hillman will be a big contributor for the Broncos offense other than as a small role player.

In the 4th round the Broncos took Omar Bolden a 5’10 202 pound CB from Arizona State and Philip Blake a 6-3 311-pound C from Baylor. In the 5th round they took Malik Jackson a 6’4 284 pound DT from Tennessee. In the 6th they took Danny Trevathan a 6’ 237 OLB from Kentucky.

Bolden has a knee injury he must overcome. Blake looks to be the best late round pick the Broncos got because he may be able to be a backup Tackle as well as a Center. Jackson is a situational DE and Trevathan while he looked as though he was a great tackler at Kentucky is way too small to be a starting outside LB. He’ll probably play special teams.

In short I’m disappointed the Broncos didn’t go for LB or a CB or even a Safety with the second pick in the second round. The Osweiler pick had to be an Elway invention. Fox surely didn’t want this pick but since Osweiler is supposed to have the best arm strength in the draft, so Elway won out.

The Broncos didn’t draft a WR and Hillman may contribute as a 3rd down back but the Broncos didn’t really improve themselves with any offensive skill players. Maybe Hillman can but he's such a smurf you have to question how good his durability will be in the NFL.

My prediction is Wolfe, Blake and Hillman may be the only guys who make the team by the time they break camp. Osweiler won’t have to prove much, it’s clear he’s a project so he’ll have a spot no matter how he plays. Until the preseason camps I guess there’s not much to add. Let’s hope some of these guys can help us get to the next level.