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Denver Broncos: 2009 NFL Draft Projections

Written April 1, 2009 by Black Widow

denver-broncos-nfl-mock-draft-040109 After 14 seasons under the guidance of head coach Mike Shanahan, the Denver Broncos have decided to go in a different direction in 2009 by bringing in coach Josh McDaniels from the Patriots. He was the former offensive coordinator there, and will direct much of his attention toward fixing one of the league’s worst defenses. He and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan are expected to install a 3-4 defense and a major personnel change needs to be in place if such a scheme is to work effectively. The offense appears in solid shape, as long as the Broncos are able to keep Jay Cutler around after he and McDaniels had a disagreement in the offseason already. Running back may be their only other concern after seven ball carriers ended up on the injured reserve in 2008. It’s still unclear as to who from that group will emerge as the top contenders for the starting spot. Running back by committee can be expected. According to Bronco Talk, Denver’s defensive coordinator, Mike Nolan, wants to focus on defense in the 2009 NFL draft, and I couldn’t agree more. Here is what I think the Broncos’ top 5 needs are in this year’s draft.

1.) Defensive End - The rebuilding of Denver’s defense has to start with adding a pass rusher. Only six teams in the league had fewer sacks than the Broncos (26) last season. Opposing QB’s were allowed to sit in the pocket and pick the Broncos secondary apart. Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder, two 2007 draftees, have not shown and signs of developing into steady pass rushers off the edge. Elvis Dumervil, after a 12.5-sack campaign in ‘07, took a step back last year with only five. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: DE Everett Brown (FSU).

2.) Defensive Tackle - The Broncos’ run defense has been its biggest weakness over the past two seasons, finishing 30th in 2007 and 27th in 2008. Teams have been running right up the middle of this porous interior line. Denver signed Dewayne Robertson last season, hoping he’d be the answer to stopping the run but it just hasn’t happened. Robertson was cut back in February. Denver signed DT J’Vonne Parker from the Panthers, but he’s never played in more than 4 games in any of the last 5 seasons. They also sign DT Ronald Fields from the 49ers, and though Fields has played in 16 games each of the last two seasons, he never made one start in any of those 32 games. Denver would be wise to invest an early draft pick on a DT. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: DT B.J. Raji (Boston College).

3.) Safety – After filling some holes up front, the Broncos will have to consider shoring up their last level of defense. No safety on last year’s roster showed enough to earn a starting S spot, so the Broncos used free agency to bring in Brian Dawkins from the Eagles to fill the SS position. But Dawkins is 35, and he’s not the long-term solution. The club could use a ball hawk back deep with the ability to cover a lot of ground and come up with an interception or two at key moments. Denver had only six interceptions last season, which was the second-fewest in the league. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: S Louis Delmas (Western Michigan), SS Courtney Greene (Rutgers).

4.) Cornerback – The Broncos’ lack of depth at cornerback was exposed in 2008 as Champ Bailey, who had never missed more than 2 games in any season in his career, missed seven contests with a groin injury. Denver had to rely heavily on backups Jack Williams and Josh Bell and its pass defense clearly suffered, finishing 26th in the league. Starting CB Dre Bly was cut, and Bailey is over 30 so Denver needs to insert more young talent opposite Bailey and behind him. Good Fits in ‘09 Draft Class: CB D.J. Moore (Vanderbilt), CB Gary Harris (USC).

5.) Running Back – There’s no clear-cut favorite to take over as the Broncos’ starting running back, which is not a good sign. Shanahan was high on Ryan Torain, Denver’s fifth-round pick in 2008, but it’s unclear whether the new coaching staff will be optimistic about his future, especially after Torain found himself on the IR last season with injury problems that followed him from the college to the pros. Despite 7 running backs finding themselves on the IR at some point last season, the Broncos still finished 12th in the league in rushing. Torain, Peyton Hillis and Michael Pittman offer hope, but it’s clear that there isn’t much hope for these three after the Broncos signed Correll Buckhalter and J.J. Arrington in the offseason. McDaniels used a committee approach in New England, and he will likely do it again here but there is still a need for No. 1 running back if there’s one around in the later rounds of the Draft. Good Fits in ’09 Draft Class: RB Andre Brown (NC State), RB Mike Goodson (Texas A&M).

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