Draft Breakdown: Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos came out of the gate last season looking like a team that could go deep in the playoffs. They started out 3-0 and had put up 114 points through those games. So why did the Broncos finish 8-8, defense, they had none. They gave up 30 points 9 times, you can't be successful in the NFL when you give up that many points week to week (unless your the 2007 patriots).

So going into the draft they knew that they had to pick up some players that could help them on the defensive side of the ball. They took Knowshon Moreno RB with the 12th overall pick, after that it was all defense. I have already posted about Moreno, so I will focus on the Broncos defensive picks in this post.

With the 18th overall pick the Broncos took Robert Ayers, DE out of Tennessee. Ayers was a first team All-SEC selection his senior year while recording 49 tackles (15.5 for loss). He does not have top pass rusher speed, but he has been surprising people his entire career so I would not bet against him. He will bring a lot of versatility to Denver. I think that this is a solid 18th pick as Ayers was one of the best available.

I also like the Broncos 3rd pick, Alphonso Smith CB out of Wake Forest. Smith ran a 4.51 second 40 yard dash, but more importantly he shined during the coach run drills. I watched all of the defensive backs run through these drills, and I was thoroughly impressed with Smith, he has smooth quick movements and does not waste steps. The only knock on Smith is his height, Smith stands 5'9", but don't let that fool you, smith is a true play maker and left Wake Forest as the teams career leader in interceptions with 21.

Overall Draft Grade: B

(Check out the great move at 2:20)