The consensus in the NFL world is that the Denver Broncos had the best offseason of any team so far. By a lot.
Denver made the statement that they are ready to win a Super Bowl now by signing cornerback Aqib Talib, safety T.J. Ward and defensive end Demarcus Ware, plus the underrated addition of Emmanuel Sanders at receivers.
However, the Broncos are still a not a perfect team. If they are ready to win a Super Bowl in the next two years while Peyton Manning is still around, they need to address these three needs during the draft season.
For each need, we’ll take a look at potential first or second round picks for the Bronocs to see what they can add to their already strong roster of veterans.
Middle Linebacker
Von Miller and Ware could be the best pass rushing tandem in the league now after Ware left Dallas to come to Denver. But Miller functions mainly as an outside pass rusher, and the Broncos still need a linebacker on the inside of the defense.
Defense was obviously the biggest weakness for Denver last season, and the Broncos addressed that in free agency. But picking up an inside linebacker in the draft could only help the defense.
With the current roster, the Broncos only really have Jamar Chaney at middle linebacker. Chaney was out of the league for all of last season, and most recently played 14 games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 and recorded just 17 total tackles.
Adding Chris Borland from Wisconsin is realistic for the Broncos in either the first (or possibly second, if he falls) round. Borland is a hard-nosed linebacker who has surprising speed and can make plays at the line of scrimmage.
Although he has below-average NFL size for a linebacker, Borland has the instincts that make middle linebackers great, and his youth would bring a great balance to having veterans like Ware at the line.
No. 2 Cornerback
Singing Talib solved the Broncos first problem at corner: Having a No. 1 corner. But they still don’t have anyone to play opposite of Talib.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left for the New York Giants in free agency and Champ Bailey switched to safety and landed in New Orleans, and are now stretched at corner. Bailey and Rodgers-Cromartie are both experienced NFL corners (Bailey a future Hall of Famer) but the Broncos have the option to address this need either early on in the draft or later.
If they want to sure up their secondary in the first round, they could either trade up for or hope that Kyle Fuller falls. Fuller, from Virginia Tech, is projected in most mocks to go in the late first round, and he would provide energy to the Broncos opposite Talib.
Fuller has great instincts for the ball and has the ability to intercept passes, possessing a 38.5-inch vertical. He can also go up to the line and contribute to rush defenses.
Another option in the second or third round is LaMarcus Joyner, who was a part of the National Champion Florida State Seminoles last year. Joyner made two All-ACC teams, and also has the ability to play at safety at times.
Adding either player would add speed to Denver’s secondary and would give the Broncos more of a security blanket given Talbi’s injury history.
Offensive Guard
This one seems to make the most sense for the Broncos to fill in the first round. Denver lost guard Zane Beadles to the Jaguars in free agency, leaving a pretty big hole in the offensive line.
The Broncos are going to need Manning if they want to win a Super Bowl, and protecting him should be the top priority.
Enter David Yankey, who our own Derrik Klassen has the Broncos taking, as well as Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated. Yankey is a guard out of Stanford, who stands at 6’6” and weights 315 pounds.
Yankey has great body control and can explode at the snap to get an advantage over his opponent. He can also push his defender back to open up a whole down the middle, which works well for Montee Ball’s running style.
If the Broncos want to wait until the second day to get a guard, Gabe Jackson from Mississippi State could be worth a look. Jackson played all 52 games for the Bulldogs, and he was a first-team All-SEC selection last year after getting named to the second team All-SEC in his junior year.
However, Yankey seems to be the way to go in the first round for Denver. It is a safe pick and automatically fills a need – a need that they would be hard-pressed to find a fix for with the remaining pool of free agents.