SBNation.com User Blog: ImMileHigh

OTA's

ImMileHigh — Fri, 31 May 2013 14:41:53 -0000

Hey so I am from Illinois as some of you know. Me and some buddies are just finishing summer school at Illinois State and are heading to Colorado tonight to hike the Rocky mountains until Tuesday. I plan on forcing my buddies(bears fans) to stop by the Broncos OTA's if possible to see them... I know it is a dumb question but are the OTA's in Dove Valley? I am not sure as I am not from Colorado. I'd appreciate the feedback.

Also, if any of you guys have been at Rocky Mountain National Park and have some reccomendations let me know!

Urlacher

ImMileHigh — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:46:59 -0000

Is anyone else entertaining the idea of signing Urlacher to a 1 year deal?

He may have lost a step or two but is better than anything we have in the middle this upcoming season.

The leadership that he would bring paired with his good coverage skills and experience are what we need. I believe that he would take less money to play for a real contender after getting snubbed by the classless Bears.

Imagine our linebacking core: Woodyard, Urlacher, VON... with reliable backups in Bradley, Irving and Trevathan.

Now I'm not sure we could pull off signing both Freeney/Abraham along with Urlacher because of our cap space but if we could manage to stay under the cap I believe that this is the best case scenario.

I'm not ruling this out of the possibilities because I feel that Urlacher will only want to play if the team is competing for a ring and Denver is on that short list... and we may be the only team on that short list who is not solid at middle linebacker.

I'm a Chicago native studying at Illinois State, so I've been hearing the bears fans complain about this all day.

What do you guys think?

Is anyone else entertaining the idea of signing Urlacher to a 1 year deal?

He may have lost a step or two but is better than anything we have in the middle this upcoming season.

Imagine our linebacking core: Woodyard, Urlacher, VON... with reliable backups in Bradley, Irving and Trevathan.

I'm a Chicago native studying at Illinois State, so I've been hearing the bears fans complain about this all day.

What do you guys think?

Poll

What do you want the FO to do?

Sign Freeney and Urlacher

24 votes

Sign Abraham and Urlacher

21 votes

Sign Dumervil! Forget about Urlacher

43 votes

Just sign a pass rusher

24 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

Being Born in Chicago and being a Broncos fan ever since I was seven.

ImMileHigh — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:15:10 -0000

I started watching football at the age of seven, the year the Broncos made it to John Elway's first super bowl appearance in 1997. Elway was the first player that really caught my eye as a young kid and quickly became my favorite player along with Terrell Davis. I started to grow a strong passion for the broncos ever since and have followed them through thick and thin.

You can see as to how I have been questioned and criticized for not being a fan of my hometown Chicago Bears through all these years. I hear question like "you aren't even from Denver, you have to support your home team!"

I do support the Bulls, cubs and Blackhawks but the Broncos have and will always be my favorite sport team. I don't care that I am not from the city of Denver and don't believe it should matter, it isn't like i am rooting against the Bears (But I am rooting against CUTLER!) but obviously I don't like to hear ignorant bear fans talk smack to me about how this is their year.

I have been rambling but I just wanted you all to know how sweet it has been these past couple months because of how hot the bears started their season and how slow we started ours. All i ever heard was them saying we sucked and now I just get to sit back and laugh at them for the next year because they didnt even make the playoffs!

Anyway, I havent posted on here since the mock draft days so I wanted to discuss my awesome situation over here in Chicago.

GO BRONCOS!

Anyway, I havent posted on here since the mock draft days so I wanted to discuss my awesome situation over here in Chicago.

GO BRONCOS!

Michael Brockers Update

ImMileHigh — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:24:26 -0000

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=7466&line=231620&spln=1

It looks like the bears will be selecting Brockers if he falls to them at 19. Should not be a surprise to anyone but it is a little disappointing if true. I would have loved to steal Brockers if he fell to us. Hopefully this source is incorrect. That said, I am more sold on Jerel Worthy when watching his tape and see more pass rushing ability as he is great at timing the snap counts. I'm still hoping that we can trade back unless Kirkpatrick is there at 25.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=7466&line=231620&spln=1

My First rd. Big Board (realistic to players available at #25)

ImMileHigh — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:37:32 -0000

With my obsession with the draft this year I have become so bored that I began making my own personal big board that holds realistic to who will be available by the time we are up to pick.

***Fletcher Cox is not on this list because he will be long gone by pick 25***

MY BIG BOARD:

Dre Kirkpatrick- If he is here, we have to grab him. BPA at position of need.
Jerel Worthy- My second favorite DT (Cox #1). Much more proven than Brockers and has better tape. I think Worthy's style of play will fit in perfect with our defense. Dude is a monster.
Luke Kuechly- Biggest longshot on this board, but I believe he could slip to us. I know that we just resigned Mays, but Kuechly has versatility to play OLB as well and is too good to pass up on.
Stephon Gilmore- Another corner who could help our team and become elite in time. Not as high on my list as Kirk but still would be a great pick.
Michael Brockers- Big, disruptive player who has loads of potential. But he does have a lot of bust potential as well and that scares me into dropping him to #5.
Dont'a Hightower- On here for the same reasons as Kuechly and he also brings an attitude to the defense. Hightower is a physical specimen who can do it all.
Peter Konz- I want to go defense in the first, but if none of these prospects above are available I would have to consider taking the best center available who could replace the questionable JD Walton and help me get some sleep at night knowing Peyton is safe.
Doug Martin- Love him, favorite running back in the draft aside from TR3 obviously. He can do it all but I have him so far down due to the fact that I believe Mario Fannin will emerge this year and we can get Turbin late in the rounds.
Janoris Jenkins- High risk, high talent. Falls this far because I am frankly sick of having players on the broncos with character concerns as it usually does not play out in our favor.
Kendall Reyes- Big, strong, athletic DT with a lot of upside.
Lavonte David- Very under the radar player in this year's draft. I like him and think he will be very productive at the next level. Who knows what we end up doing with DJ Williams.

With my obsession with the draft this year I have become so bored that I began making my own personal big board that holds realistic to who will be available by the time we are up to pick.

***Fletcher Cox is not on this list because he will be long gone by pick 25***

MY BIG BOARD:

Dre Kirkpatrick- If he is here, we have to grab him. BPA at position of need.
Jerel Worthy- My second favorite DT (Cox #1). Much more proven than Brockers and has better tape. I think Worthy's style of play will fit in perfect with our defense. Dude is a monster.
Luke Kuechly- Biggest longshot on this board, but I believe he could slip to us. I know that we just resigned Mays, but Kuechly has versatility to play OLB as well and is too good to pass up on.
Stephon Gilmore- Another corner who could help our team and become elite in time. Not as high on my list as Kirk but still would be a great pick.
Michael Brockers- Big, disruptive player who has loads of potential. But he does have a lot of bust potential as well and that scares me into dropping him to #5.
Dont'a Hightower- On here for the same reasons as Kuechly and he also brings an attitude to the defense. Hightower is a physical specimen who can do it all.
Peter Konz- I want to go defense in the first, but if none of these prospects above are available I would have to consider taking the best center available who could replace the questionable JD Walton and help me get some sleep at night knowing Peyton is safe.
Doug Martin- Love him, favorite running back in the draft aside from TR3 obviously. He can do it all but I have him so far down due to the fact that I believe Mario Fannin will emerge this year and we can get Turbin late in the rounds.
Janoris Jenkins- High risk, high talent. Falls this far because I am frankly sick of having players on the broncos with character concerns as it usually does not play out in our favor.
Kendall Reyes- Big, strong, athletic DT with a lot of upside.
Lavonte David- Very under the radar player in this year's draft. I like him and think he will be very productive at the next level. Who knows what we end up doing with DJ Williams.

Poll

Who would you want us to pick off of my big board?

Dre Kirkpatrick

60 votes

Jerel Worthy

36 votes

Luke Kuechly

54 votes

Stephon Gilmore

17 votes

Michael Brockers

31 votes

Dont'a Hightower

26 votes

Peter Konz

7 votes

Doug Martin

14 votes

Lavonte David

3 votes

Janoris Jenkins

8 votes

Kendall Reyes

8 votes

264 votes | Poll has closed

Brock Osweiler

ImMileHigh — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:18:31 -0000

The closer we come to the draft, the more and more I think that Elway is going to pull the trigger on Brock Osweiler with the second pick. I am not one of the few people on MHR who does in fact want to use such an early pick on a quarterback of the future when we are in win-now mode, but I wanted to see what we potentially were getting so I began to look at some of his film today and was very impressed. His arm strength, accuracy and poise in the pocket were all great and the added surprise bonus was the athletic ability that he showed. He has a Phillip Rivers-esque type of release which he can easily pull off due to his height, the guy has a CANNON and can make all the throws. Most would assume a quarterback who is just south of 6'7 would be a statue in the pocket, but Osweiler breaks that stereotype. A former basketball player, Osweiler commited to Gonzaga for basketball his sophomore year of high school until he changed his mind and decided to play quarterback for ASU. Brock is also intelligent and I think he could really hit his full potential learning under Peyton Manning and John Elway for 3-5 years.

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Brock Osweiler: ASU Highlights (via slamitwills13)

So... in conclusion.. I would not be thrilled if we did use our 2nd round pick on Osweiler as I believe we need to take a DT/CB/RB who can contribute right away... but I won't be losing sleep at night worrying about it because I honestly do think that Elway plans on drafting a quarterback in the first 3 rounds and that Osweiler will be that guy.I would be much happier about the scenario if he fell to us in the 3rd round but I am not sure he would fall to 87.

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Brock Osweiler: ASU Highlights (via slamitwills13)

Poll

How do you feel about Osweiler?

I love his potential. Hoping he falls to us in round 3.

111 votes

He is the future of our franchise! I would take him in round 2.

28 votes

Bust! He would be a complete waste of a pick for us.

29 votes

I believe in his potential. But we should draft a QB next year.

80 votes

248 votes | Poll has closed

Statistic that has changed my mock draft perspective

ImMileHigh — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:48:27 -0000

I was reading a BleacherReport article and it brought up a Denver radio talk show 104.3 (I live in Chicago) and they were asking Ted Sunquist about the draft.

Ted admitted to his prior mistakes when it came to drafting using Willie Middlebrooks as a prime example. When asked what he would do with the 25th pick, he said he would trade back and not long after that he spoke of a very offsetting statistic that supported his reasoning as Denver's biggest need is defensive tackle: only approximately 25 percent of defensive tackles taken at that position will turn into five-year starters.

Obviously, I was already aware that drafting a defensive tackle in the first round is always a risk as they probably have the biggest bust rate in draft history. But the fact that only 1 of every 4 defensive tackles drafted turns into a five year starter makes me even more skeptical than I already was when talking about taking players such as Brockers, Poe, Worthy or Still who all have at least one question mark sitting below their name.

With this being said, I have re-evaluated the direction that I believe we should take in the draft.

Round 1 Pick 25: Doug Martin, Running Back BOISE STATE

Martin is the best all-around back in the draft and I believe he is going to be a big time player at the next level. The fact that the possible remaining defensive tackles such as Brockers(best case scenario) who played only one year and is believed by many to take at least another year to develop to his potential, Poe who is the most overrated player in the draft this year IMO b/c of his combine and size(i could go on forever about my disliking of Cox and why we must avoid him), Worthy who I like but is known to take plays off and disappear during games, and Still who has injury concerns along with problems with disappearing during games much like Worthy. Worthy and Still may even be considered a "reach" by most as many believe that they will fall to the end of the first or early second round. The fact that each of these players have question marks about them just adds to the 25% statistic I mention at the beginning of this post.

With this pick, we get a 1-2 punch with McGahee and Martin. Moreno will be used to his best abilities on passing downs where he thrives in the screen game and gets out in open space along the flats to use that great agility. Hopefully with his limited role he can stay healthy! And we have Fannin for depth as well. This will make our running game on par with our passing game and Peyton Manning will be able to utilize the play action like he used to with the colts before his last couple years.

via cdn.bleacherreport.net

Round 2 Pick 57: Brandon Thompson, Defensive Tackle CLEMSON

I believe that Thompson will slip this far to us and we will be getting great value at this pick for such a good prospect. I believe Thompson is an underrated player and that he was a large reason for DaQuan Bowers' monster season the prior year. He can be the anchor to our defensive line with his superior strength and great play in run support.

via cdn.bleacherreport.net

Round 3 Pick 87: Mike Martin, Defensive Tackle MICHIGAN

Huge pickup if he is available at this spot which I still have hope that he will be even though his stock might be secretly rising. Martin is a MONSTER and pairing him with Brandon Thompson creates a brick wall at the defensive front. If we are able to draft these two and if Ty Warren comes back and remains healthy all season then we may have one of the biggest defensive tackle turnarounds ever! Hopefully Vickerson gets and stays healthy too we can sign Justin Bannon for more depth. What a solid rotation this could become!

via www.giantsgab.com

Round 4 Pick 108: Chase Minnifield, Cornerback VIRGINIA

Chase has a lot of upside and is already a very talented athlete. It would be good to add some more depth to our corners along with some youth. He could possibly fill the role of kick/punt returner due to the departure of Eddie Royal.

via www.giantsgab.com

Round 4 Pick 120: Michael Brewster, Center OHIO STATE

I would say that the majority of us here at MHR are not exactly convinced that J.D. Walton is going to be the future of our franchise. I don't think EFX is very confident with that idea either, so we take his eventual successor, Brewster, who can motivate and push Walton to perform better throughout training camp. After this season I believe the two will compete for the starting job the following year and both be made better players for it, but Brewster gets the start.

via blockonation.com

Round 5 Pick 137: Jarius Wright, Wide Receiver ARKANSAS

Standing at 5'10 weighing 180 pounds, Wright clocked in a 40-time of 4.42 and has a 38 inch vertical. Do I need to say anything more? I am probably the MOST against drafting a wide receiver early in the draft than anyone on MHR and this is because Peyton Manning makes his receivers who they are! Wright's speed and vertical is all he needs because he is going to get double the workload and training that he would receive if he were to go to any other football team. Peyton Manning works with all of his receivers until PERFECTION and they are always on the same page. I mean, we just sunk $96 million dollars into one of the best quarterbacks of all-time... why would we not get every dollar that he is worth and take advantage of his unmatched intangibles? The unseen unnoticed benefit of having Peyton Manning as your quarterback is that YOU DON'T NEED TO BRING STAR RECEIVERS TO PEYTON MANNING, HE IS THE ONE WHO MAKES STAR RECEIVERS! Anyway, I'm glad I could get that off my chest... I mean we already have a receiving core with loads of potential in DT, Decker, Caldwell, Hill and Willis. The fact that Optimus Prime and Decker were productive last season with Tebow completing under 10 passes half of the time is pretty crazy to think about. Caldwell and Hill have not had their proper chances to flourish either. We are more than okay at the receiver position and Wright will replace what we lost in Eddie Royal as a small, quick wideout who could possibly become our punt/kick returner.

via images.athlonsports.com

Round 6 Pick 188: Vontaze Burflict ARIZONA STATE

I usually am against any mock draft on here that has us selecting Burflict because of all of his negatives and where it is that some people have us picking him. I have seen mocks that have him being picked in the third and fourth rounds and I am very against it. I believe that he is worth a 5th round pick at the highest because of his unbelievably bad attitude along with a terrible combine. Getting past those two factors, his game tape is pretty damn good and it is the reason that he was so highly praised earlier this year. But again, those other two factors outweigh his game tape and is not worth using a pick inside of the fifth round.This being our last pick in the draft, I feel that the likelihood of whoever we draft turning out to be a key contributor is not very high (nobody make a Tom Brady comment). Burflict offers the highest possible reward at this point in the draft with all the potential he has. Burflict is a freak athlete who has great game tape and was regarded as a first round selection earlier this year. I'm not sure where Burflict will fall... a team could reach for him by the third or fourth round or he could go undrafted because of his extreme character concerns. I'm just saying if we do end up drafting Burflict here, we should also compliment him with the best therapist and anger management programs in Denver.

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

Let me know what you guys think by voting and commenting.

Poll

How would you grade my draft?

A+ Def Tackle is always a risk lets not risk our 1st pick

58 votes

B

66 votes

C

21 votes

D

3 votes

F- We need to draft a DT in the first risk or not!

8 votes

156 votes | Poll has closed

My favorite first round possibilities: Non-defensive tackle edition

ImMileHigh — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:58:07 -0000

As we have been talking about the past week on here... With the rising stock of Fletcher Cox and Michael Brockers.. every day it seems less and less likely that they will fall to us at 25... The likelihood of us trading up is very low and I believe it will be difficult for us to find a trading partner for us to trade back. Therefore I think we should draft the best player available on the defensive side of the ball. There is not one position on this side of the ball that we could not use improvement on. Aside from Defensive tackle, the following positions could be addressed:

Middle Linebacker

We resigned Joe Mays but we all know that he is not the future of the organization. Nate Irving could be a different story but that has still yet to be seen and many believe he won't be able to fill the role and he has never been the same since his freak car accident. The two great prospects that could possibly be available in this position at our pick are Luke Kuechly and Dont'a Hightower. Both of these prospects are sound tacklers and all around great players who can start from day one and play for the next 10 years. If I had to choose between one of them I would go with Kuechly because of his coverage skills. But Hightower is a more physical backer who played on the best defense in college football last year.

via gcobb.com

via sportstalk.triblive.com

Cornerback

Signing Tracy Porter to a one year deal was a good move by the Broncos but we need to get a guy to groom under the leadership of future HOF Champ Bailey. Some guys that could possibly be available if they slip this far include Dre Kirkpatrick and Stephon Gilmore. Kirkpatrick is my favorite corner in the draft, but either of these guys would be a great pick up at the 25th pick! Good corners are hard to come by in the draft and I believe these two have all the skills to be great especially if they learn from one of the best to ever play the position.

via cdn.bleacherreport.net

Defensive End

Elvis Dumervil is one of the premier defensive ends in the league and will anchor that side of his position for years to come. As for Robert Ayers, a first round pick by Josh McDaniels, he has not lived up to his first round expectations. He is still a very solid player in run support and I do appreciate him for that but he was expected to be a good pass rusher coming into the NFL. I will give him credit for improving this past year, particularly the end of the season when he came up with big plays (Pittsburgh Playoff game), but we could definitely use another end with supreme pass rushing skills. There are 4 possible additions who we could add that are first round talents. The first two who will more than likely be gone, are Quinton Coples and Melvin Ingram. Coples is the premier defensive tackle of the draft and the odds of him or Ingram being here is extremely unlikely so we won't talk about them. The next four defensive ends are Courtney Upshaw from Alabama, Chandler Jones from Syracuse, Andre Branch from Clemson and Nick Perry from USC. Any of these prospects would make our pass rush much more lethal. I am a big fan of Nick Perry because of his quick first step.

via usc.ocregister.com

Safety

The only player the FO would consider drafting at this position would be Mark Barron and I don't believe that they will. We drafted both Rahim Moore and Quentin Carter who both have potential.

Outside Linebacker

Whether or not DJ Williams' suspension holds up or not, I am not sure which direction Denver plans to go with him. I could see us trading him down the road. Outside Linebackers that could fit well with our existing defense at first round talent are Lavonte David and Shea McLellan. I am bigger on McLellan but see him more as a high second round pick, so addressing outside linebacker would almost be pointless here as it would be the same thing as reaching for a defensive tackle.

Let me know your guys opinions on who we should take if there isn't a prospect worthy at the defensive tackle position and take the poll!

Poll

What position would you address if the talent at defensive tackle simply is not first round worthy when we are up to pick?

Middle Linebacker: Kuechly or Hightower

64 votes

Cornerback: Kirkpatrick or Gilmore

66 votes

Defensive End: Upshaw, Jones, Branch, Perry

18 votes

Outside Linebacker: David or McLellan

4 votes

Safety: Mark Barron...

2 votes

154 votes | Poll has closed

Taking the Best Player Available at 25

ImMileHigh — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:02:03 -0000

In a scenario where we are not able to trade up or down... These are the players who I would take

1. Fletcher Cox - best overall and pro ready DT ---- but the odds of him being here are LOW

2.Jerel Worthy - great at to getting the backfield by timing snaps and good tape on player.

3.Michael Brockers - loads of potential but not as proven as the two prospects ranked ahead of him. Probably largest upside of the three tackles though.

4.Luke Kuechly - one of the best coverage linebackers to come through the draft in years. NFL network has spoken about how he can easily make transition to play an outside linebacker role. With questions about DJ Williams, I would not be opposed to us taking Kuechly if he were to fall this far based on his supreme talent. It is hard to argue that if Kuechly were here at 25 that he is not the best player available.

5. Dre Kirkpatrick - good size and game film. Playing for the University of Alabama means he played against the best of the best in college and aside from Claiborne I feel he is the best remaining cb in the draft.

6.Stephon Gilmore- next best cornerback after Kirkpatrick------ I want to add in Jenkins but am stopping myself from doing so due to his glaring character issues i just do not believe EFX will take the risk on him.

7.Dontari Poe - Poe is more of a developmental project than an early difference maker and I don't think there would be a better team that could excel that development than the Denver Broncos. But we are in win-now mode and we need a defensive player who can make an impact from day 1. Poe's game tape is unimpressive and there are many aspects of his game that need to be fixed.

8. Doug Martin - my favorite running back in this year's draft. He is such a complete back with a great blend of speed, power and vision. But for the most part I am against drafting a running back in the first at pick 25.

9.Peter Konz- I am content with starting center J.D. Walton and believe he will grow into a solid starting center but one cannot deny that Konz would end up being an upgrade from him.

10. Shea McLellin - McLellin is an under the radar prospect who is just now getting recognition and is being compared to by some to Clay Matthews. Looking at game tape, he can do it all at outside linebacker and is good in coverage as well. I believe that he is a late first or early second round talent so it would not be much of a reach to snag him at pick 25.

11.Mark Barron - I am aware that we used two picks on safety last year, but a talent like Mark Barron is one to consider when you put into account his rare blend of size and speed along with his ball hawking skills. He is the type of player who I think could successfully cover those big tight ends like Gronk, Hernandez and Gates and make plays off of them.

Other considerations: Hightower, Mercilus, Perry, Reyes, Zeitler, Adams,

We should NOT, in any case, draft a wide receiver in the first round! We do not need the big name receivers from the draft because Peyton will turn our late round WR selections into big name receievers! (well, atleast make them more productive than they would be anywhere else). We have a solid WR core right now with DT, Decker, Caldwell and Hill. By drafting one or two other wideouts in the late rounds and possibly acquiring Stokely for depth, we will be set.

The perfect scenario IMO would be for us to trade back to the 30's whether it is late first or early second and acquiring another 2nd round pick and a fourth or fifth. From there, I would draft Jerel Worthy, Doug Martin with our newly acquired pick, and Brandon Thompson if still available at 57.

Vote below for which prospect you would want to land most in the first round.

Poll

Which player would you want the broncos to take with the #25 pick?

Jerel Worthy

25 votes

Michael Brockers

57 votes

Luke Kuechly

55 votes

Dre Kirkpatrick

6 votes

Stephon Gilmore

6 votes

Dontari Poe

15 votes

Peter Konz

2 votes

Shea McLellan

5 votes

Doug Martin

14 votes

Janoris Jenkins

5 votes

Mark Barron

5 votes

195 votes | Poll has closed

My first Mock Draft

ImMileHigh — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:27:46 -0000

This is my second year following MHR and the NFL draft is one of my favorite times of the year.

------Here is a 3-round mock scenario of this year that would make me happier than Albert Haynesworth when he sees a player laying down with his helmet off. Let me know what you guys think.--------

Round 1 Pick 25: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

-Nobody knows if Brockers will even be available, but I imagine that this would be the best possible player available in that department as Brockers is a great athlete with even better upside. Poe will obviously be gone before Denver is up, possibly landing in the top 10 and Fletcher Cox's stock just keeps rising and rising.. fading further and further out of our sights. The best remaining D-tackles in order are Brockers, Still and Jerel Worthy. I would be very happy with Brockers as I believe he will be a beast and would make our front 7 one of the most feared in the league with all of the pass rushing ability. I would not be opposed to taking Devon still, although I believe we could get a slightly lower caliber player in the second who has less injury concerns. I would be very unhappy if we drafted Jerrel Worthy. I believe that he is inconsistent and won't pan out to the player he can be.

Round 2 Pick 57: Doug Martin/ LeMichael James

-I am very high on running back Doug Martin, he reminds me a lot of Ray Rice and his style of running seems to be the same style in comparison to some of the greats in the league right now such as Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, and Matt Forte. Unfortunately, the same problem may occur that could in the first round with Brockers. The likelihood is probably greater that Martin is off the board by the time we are up. If that is the case, I present you LeMichael James. I know that some will say that this is too early and we should try and get him in the third, but I really do not believe he will be there. LeMichael James has big play potential and I feel that he reminds many other than myself as a Darren Sproles like player who can truly be a gamechanger. Peyton Manning loves throwing the ball to his running backs and both of these backs are good pass catching backs.

Round 3 Pick 87: Derek Wolfe or any tackle of his caliber.

I honestly have not looked very deep when evaluating defensive tackles but I feel with every draft analyst talking about how deep the defensive tackle position is this year, that we can get fine value to add. I wouldn't be opposed to a cornerback or offensive tackle at this point either. I would not want us to draft a wide receiver this early as i feel that Peyton Manning can make a 5th round prospect produce 1st round stats. Unless Alshon Jeffrey falls to us which is HIGHLY unlikely, the only other receiver who would not be upset about us drafting this high is Marvin McNutt because I believe he is a very underrated prospect who has tremendous upside and could flourish under a Peyton Manning led offense.

This would be my favorite possible scenario. Let me know what you guys think and take my poll and vote for your favorite possible draft scenario from below.

This is my second year following MHR and the NFL draft is one of my favorite times of the year.

------Here is a 3-round mock scenario of this year that would make me happier than Albert Haynesworth when he sees a player laying down with his helmet off. Let me know what you guys think.--------

Round 1 Pick 25: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

Round 2 Pick 57: Doug Martin/ LeMichael James

Round 3 Pick 87: Derek Wolfe or any tackle of his caliber.

This would be my favorite possible scenario. Let me know what you guys think and take my poll and vote for your favorite possible draft scenario from below.

Poll

MOCK ME SIDEWAYS

Brockers, Martin/James, best DT/CB available

104 votes

Mike Wallace, Martin/James, best DT/CB

6 votes

Kirkpatrick/Gilmore/Jenkins, best DT, best RB

31 votes

Doug Martin/Miller, DT, WR

9 votes

150 votes | Poll has closed

Madden 12 Rookie Ratings

ImMileHigh — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:07:22 -0000

I for one am a very loyal Madden fan when it comes to gaming.

Every year I purchase the newest version of the game solely for the fact that I love the NFL and want to play with the rookies from the most recent draft.

I've had some trouble trying to predict just what our draft classes individual ratings will be but I feel I have a good grasp on some more than others.

It has already been announced that Patrick Peterson will be the highest rated rookie in Madden 12 with an overall of 82. His speed rating is a 97!!!

-This puts Von Miller, in my opinion, ranging anywhere from a 79-81 range because I believe he is the second most complete defensive player in the draft who is entering the NFL with his overall skillset.

-As for Rahim Moore I see falling between the 72-74 range, given he is the best safety of all rookies.

-Franklin will be low 70's, hopefully his stock will rise as the season progresses.

-Im hoping that Nate Irving will be around a 75 but I know that may be very unlikely given he was taken in the third round and may not even start this season.

-As for Quenton Carter I am just hoping that he gets a good speed rating as thats the most important rating in the game.

The last rookie who could make a significant difference for the Broncos in Madden 12 could be tight end Julius Thomas, a large athletic specimen who we all hope will become the next Antonio Gates.

----The rookies i'm most excited for are definitely the VONSTER with that edge rush speed ( I'm blitzing him on every play :)) , Rahim Moore with his ballhawking skills and instincts and Julius Thomas who could be a stud in this videogame.

----Let me know what you guys think of my ratings on most of our new rookies. Thanks!

Poll

What should Von Miller's rating be in Madden 12?

79

8 votes

80

41 votes

81

68 votes

82

104 votes

221 votes | Poll has closed

Why Kyle Orton MUST GO this season

ImMileHigh — Wed, 04 May 2011 04:43:05 -0000

Alright so we all know that this lockout is holding us as a franchise back a little further than most teams due to our greater needs...

- I know Orton had a great statistical year, but who here is going to tell me that you truly believe Orton can lead the Denver Broncos to the promiseland? The guy is a statue in the pocket and had padded stats in many games as we had McDaniel's spread offense on the field for almost every fricken snap. I'll admit that he has progressed largely from when he first came into the league( I live in Chicago so I get to see their constant flow of dismal quarterbacks) but I think most of you will agree with me that he really can't peak any higher than he did last season. I don't put the entire blame on him for losses or anything like that, our defense was miserable to watch last season. But the main statistic that stands out and really shows what type of quarterback Kyle Orton is has to be his completion percentage on third down (AWFUL) and this leads to our defense getting minimal rest due to Orton's inability to convert.

I mean lets compare Orton's strengths to Tebows...

Tebow: Speed (NOT A STATUE, athletic enough to buy time, can make plays with his feet if he has enough running room and this can be very helpful on those costly third downs.

Desire: I really don't need to elaborate here but Tebow wills his team to win and will serve as more than just a role player that fits in a system like Orton.

Work Ethic: It's hard to find someone in the NFL with the dedication and will power to get better each and every day and to point out his weaknesses to focus on improving them. Tebow does have his flaws (throwing motion, throwing from the pocket) but I'm not overly concerned about that as seeing John Elway can show him a pointer or two ;) And who in their right mind believes that he isn't working each and everyday on his throwing release and pocket presence along with watching mass amounts of film on his three NFL starts to get a better understanding of how to read NFL defenses?

Born Winner: When has this guy not been a dominating force in football no matter where or when he has played? This man finds ways to win football games!

Orton: Arm: Yes, Orton has really improved his ability to put more zip on his throw and made some spectacular plays particularly with Brandon Lloyd last season which i give him all the credit in the world for.

Experience: Orton has played in multiple offenses and has a very good handle on play-calling and audibles. He has improved statistically every season.

Final Say: From looking at these points, Orton clearly has the upperhand with his knowledge of the NFL playbooks and reading defenses etc. But his ceiling has been reached as he has made best with what he can, not a super athletic guy with zero mobility but has a real good head for the game and can read defenses like its his job. But wasn't that done by him putting in extra time and effort in the film room and meeting with his receivers and lineman to develop chemistry between the two? That sounds like a pretty good work ethic which turned a sub-par quarterback with no intangibles into one who led the NFL in passing yards for several weeks last season. Well now lets think about if Tim Tebow worked as hard as Orton did in every aspect of his game and put in the extra time? OH WAIT! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE WILL DO AND NOBODY CAN DOUBT THAT.

Lets take those draft pick(s)/players and see what we have in Tim Tebow... and hey if he ends up being a bust which many analysts project...isn't there a quarterback out of Stanford that's supposed to be pretty good coming out of college next year?

Poll

What should we do with Orton?

Trade him at his highest possible value ever and get what we can to fill our needs whether its in the draft or via trade

400 votes

Start Orton this year and eventually have him become the scapegoat to our team's losing then start Tebow in a situation much like last year when the season is out of reach then be stuck with Orton who holds much less value than he did the season before

27 votes

427 votes | Poll has closed