NFL Rumors: Former First-Round Picks Could be Gone From Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos released their first depth chart of the season on Monday and former first-round picks Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers are in trouble. Both were drafted by Josh McDaniels who is long gone and his first two draft picks might be joining him very soon.
Moreno has been a disappointment at running back since coming out of Georgia; he has never lived up to the promise that some saw in him. There have been some injuries that have contributed to his problems, including a torn ACL last season but it is his play on the field that might lead to his days with Denver being numbered. Moreno has never shown the ability to run between the tackles and is too easy to tackle. Number one running backs are not afraid to run inside to pick up the tough yards, and rarely go down after the first hit. Moreno also has a problem with ball security and any NFL coach will tell you that ball security is the number one issue for running backs. The one thing Moreno does well is catch the ball out of the backfield but Denver drafted, Ronnie Hillman precisely for that reason. Hillman has also shown the willingness and ability to run inside, and the Broncos believe that he is the feature back of the future. If Willis McGahee is the starter now and Hillman is the future, then why keep Moreno? The answer is they may not.
Robert Ayers was the second first round pick in 2009 and his performance has been a little better than Moreno’s, but not by much. Ayers is currently listed on the second team at defensive end and is not a favorite of the Broncos front office. You can disagree with their views on Ayers but if the coaches do not like a player, then it is going to be awfully tough for that player to make the team. Ayers was drafted to be a pass rusher and has never delivered in that aspect of the game. I can think of one, maybe two sacks that Ayers has recorded in big games. The Broncos love rookie, Derek Wolfe and have some others at the end position that they like more than Ayers. As with Moreno, if Ayers is not going to be a big part of the rotation at defensive end then there’s very little reason to keep him on the roster.
It may not be fair to either Knowshon Moreno or Robert Ayers but the guy that drafted them is long gone, and the Broncos have guys at both positions that they like better. It may not happen but don’t be surprised if one or both of these former first round picks find themselves on the waiver wire at some point this summer.
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