Broncos acquire good talent late in draft

by Ryan Ebert

The Broncos looked to have done well in the Draft bringing in players to give depth and versatility to many positions.  Denver may have also gotten a few steals in this year's Draft.

The first player taken on Saturday in the fourth round 101 overall was Arizona State's Omar Bolden.  A cornerback that stands at 5'10" and 202 lbs.  He brings good speed running a 4.5 40 and has great agility.  He also brings value as a kick returner along with his great coverage skills, he brought two kicks for touchdowns in his career at ASU.  He will most likely be replacing Eddie Royal who left in the offseason to the Chargers.  He was rated as high as the second round, but had an injury to his knee that kept him out of 2011 season which hurt his value.  Many are hoping that he can be the successor to Champ Bailey.  He will rejoin quarterback Brock Osweiler in Denver who was also from Arizona State.

At No. 108 in the fourth round in the Draft Denver selected Baylor's center Philip Blake  Blake brings versatility to the offensive line as before he played center he was a guard when his teammate J.D. Walton was playing center.  He also has a little experience at playing right tackle.  Blake was an All-American selection in 2011 and a first-team All-Big 12 choice.  In 2010 he was an honorable mention All-Big 12 choice.  Blake is 6'3" and weighs in at 311 lbs. and benched 22 times at the NFL Combine.

In the fifth round at No. 137 the Broncos picked up defensive end Malik Jackson from Tennessee.  Jackson , a transfer from USC, posted 104 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 pick, 6 deflections, and a fumble recovery in two years with the Volunteers.  He's a player that can play inside and outside on the defensive line, and adds youth to the defensive line.  He stands at 6'5", 270 lbs.  He will join former Volunteers Britton Colquitt and Peyton Manning. In 2010 Jackson earned 2010 AP All-SEC second team honoree, and in 2011 earned All-SEC First-Team by the media and All-SEC Second-Team by the coaches.

The final player drafted by Denver in the sixth round at No. 188 is linebacker Danny Trevathan from Kentucky.  In 2011 Trevathan led the Wildcats in tackles with 143 along with 11.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 4 interceptions, 9 pass deflections, and 5 forced fumbles in his senior season.  He is a 6'1", 232 lbs. linebacker that was an AP First-Team All-SEC player in 2011.  He will bring depth to the linebacker corps of Denver that has D.J. Williams facing a six-game suspension, and doesn't have much talent behind their starters.  Trevathan will join his former teammate Wesley Woodyard that plays the same position as Williams.

Overall, this draft class for the Broncos filled many needs.  They get a cornerback who can take the responsibility of returning kicks.  A versatile offensive lineman who plays all three inside positions well.  They get a defensive lineman who can play either defensive tackle or defensive end, and can bring pressure on the quarterback.  Then last but not least Denver has a linebacker that could play early and often with D.J. Williams facing his suspension.  John Elway, John Fox, and Brian Xanders did a nice job in their second draft together.