Denver Broncos 2015 NFL Draft Preview
By Zac Snyder
Teams are putting the finishing touches on their preparation as the 2015 NFL Draft is nearly here.
To preview the draft for the Denver Broncos, I got together with Sayre Bedinger of Predominantly Orange. Below are my questions followed by his answers.
1. What are the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft and how might they address them?
"Right now, the biggest ‘needs’ on the Broncos are at left guard or right tackle, as well as nose tackle and possibly free safety. It’s hard to gauge what John Elway thinks are the top needs, because the Broncos used free agency to fill holes with temporary fixes across the board, but none of us fans are quite sure what that means in terms of what position he wants to attack early on. The team has brought in 10 offensive tackles for visits, far and away more than any position, so hopefully a tackle that could also play guard is the first pick."
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2. What needs to happen for this draft to be considered a success?
"This is probably expecting too much, but I think the Broncos need to come away with two or three instant impact players in this draft. There’s really no other option. The team decided not to pursue any big names in free agency, and that’s fine, but that means you have to hit on guys in the draft. There are rumors that the Broncos might be trading up in the first round, and that’s fine with me, but I think two or three impact starters in 2015 from this class to be a resounding success, and then of course we’ll gauge it four years down the road."
3. What in your mind would make this draft a failure?
"If the Broncos don’t get guys that are going to make an early impact, they’ve failed. I think that could be true for any team, but that’s really what you’re looking for out of any draft. That might be a literal answer, but that’s the only way the Broncos or really any team can fail in a draft."
4. What is a bold prediction for your team this draft?
"My co-editor Ty Walden thinks the Broncos will spend a fourth round pick on TE Nick O’Leary of Florida State as his bold prediction. My bold prediction is that the Broncos trade into the top 15 and draft La’El Collins, Andrus Peat, or Brandon Scherff. Or they could really shock people and trade into the top 15 and draft someone like Malcom Brown of Texas."
5. What is a draft angle the general public might not be aware of for your team?
"I don’t know if a lot of people realize the Broncos have Michael Schofield on the roster. Like, at all. If you draft a guy in the third round, nowadays you expect said player to contribute in a big way. The Broncos have not been good in the third round with John Elway as the general manager, drafting Nate Irving, Ronnie Hillman, Kayvon Webster, and last year Schofield. Schofield is expected to compete for the starting RT job, but if the Broncos draft a pure OT like Andrus Peat, where does Schofield go? It’s potentially a wasted third round pick. You’d hate to pass on talent to take a risk on a guy like Schofield who was a third rounder last year, but I think people need to keep him in mind when the Broncos make their first pick."
For full Broncos coverage, check out Predominantly Orange.
Next: NFL 2-Round Mock Draft 2015