Ron Chenoy USA TODAY Sports
With a 39-year old Peyton Manning under center, and the possibility 2015 will be his final season, the Denver Broncos are in win-now mode for at least one more year. They will go on the clock for the first time with the 28th overall pick in the upcoming draft, and they currently hold nine total picks.
The Broncos need help along the offensive and defensive lines, and the free agent departure of Julius Thomas leaves them perhaps looking closely at adding a tight end during the draft. The jury is out on 2012 second-round pick Brock Osweiler, due to lack of opportunity behind Manning up to this point, so Denver could be looking for a definite quarterback of the future in the middle rounds.
Danny Trevathan had an injury-riddled 2014 season, and Brandon Marshall’s status is up in the air after he had foot surgery in March. So the Broncos could use an early pick on an inside linebacker, and they’ve reportedly shown interest in a few of the top prospects at the position.
Most mock drafts right now have Denver taking an offensive lineman at No. 28 overall, which I can’t find fault with even if I made a case for tight end Maxx Williams earlier this month. The Broncos are well-positioned to take the best player available in the first round, almost regardless of specific need, as long as that player can be an immediate contributor for a team that surely expects to make another deep playoff run.
I think adding a quarterback to the mix would be nice for the Broncos all things considered, but drafting one this year would run contrary to any decision to draft players that can theoretically help right away. And if John Elway feels Osweiler can be a worthy successor to Manning, any plan to draft a quarterback may be postponed a few years anyway.
If the Broncos use their first four picks on an offensive lineman, a linebacker, a defensive lineman and a tight end, in any order, they will have done well in this year’s draft.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
