Generally, the offseason first consists of free agency then the draft. I don’t think the CBA is signed until well after the draft so this year it will be in reverse, which I think is actually better.  Since we don’t have high priced or key free agents on the books we have to consider during the draft, the draft is wide open. 

As most of us know, we are in a transition period as an organization.  While I don’t see us going for a complete youth movement, I do see us getting younger over the next few years.  That means we will keep some veterans (Goodman, Dawkins and DJ Williams) while others will be gone (Jamaal Williams, Graham and Champ – more on him later).  When building the roster, we should look at the team two to three years down the line. 

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Draft time brings about a lot of optimism.  Now is the time of hopes and dreams about how we can return our beloved Broncos to championship contenders.  While many are looking ahead, I’ve decided to take a look at the drafts of the past to create an all-time all-drafted team.  My goal was to create a 53-man roster based solely on players drafted by the Broncos.  I tried to keep players at a position they played at some point in their career.  Based on personnel and my defensive coordinators recommendation, I am going with a 3-4 base defense.  Without further ado, I will introduce my team after the jump

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Draft talk in Bronco Country has started way too early for my liking.  I wish we could be focused on who our opponent might be after our first round bye and the best places to stay in Dallas for the Super Bowl.  But alas, our playoff dreams were dashed early this season.  Why did our season end so early?  There are many theories, but one thing most of us can agree on is we need more "impact" players.  To get these impact players, some say we should stand pat at #2.  Others want to trade down to acquire more picks.  One person wants us to move up in the draft to #1 to take the best QB prospect in 30 years…J  Where are these elusive impact players and how do we best acquire them?  For some insight, please follow me after the jump….

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Over the past few weeks MHR has been inundated with how to fix the Broncos.  It got me thinking.  What if I were awarded an expansion franchise?  How would I build my organization?  Follow me after the jump to see my simple 9 step plan to building a great franchise.  I also give my thoughts on how the Broncos are doing in this regard and of course, my ideas for improvements…

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I just heard on Mike and Mike in the Morning that Schefter is reporting Brandon Marshall to Miami for their 2nd round pick this year and maybe a 2nd round pick next year.  I guess that equates to a 2nd and 3rd round pick this year.  Brandon is flying to Miami today to take a physical.  What are your thoughts about the two 2nd's?  Not the 1st round many were hoping for, but much better than the 5th Pittsburgh got for Holmes.

If you are looking for an insightful post, you have come to the place.

The Broncos have many questions this offseason.  Will Brandon Marshall be traded?  If so, will we get at least a first round pick?  Who will fill the gaps on the interior of our offensive line?  Can Kyle Orton lead us to the playoffs?  Not many questions evoke as much passion as the questions surrounding Brandon Marshall.  I have the definitive answer to the second most controversial question on MHR after the jump... 

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I wanted to throw out some bold and not so bold predictions for the Broncos offseason that are sure to go wrong.  Feel free to add some of your own.  It might be fun to pull this thread back up in a few months to see how things turned out.

In no particular order:

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Long time reader, first time poster.  I have seen many mock drafts this year, including one guy who has done 13 different mock drafts!!!  I thought about taking a different approach to this offseason - no draft picks.  Please bear with me because I know this will not happen, but maybe some of it could.  At the very least, I hope to spark some conversations.

My overall premise is McDaniels is a better evaluator of pro talent than college talent.  This is evidenced by the performance of his FA signings last year as compared to the performance of the players drafted.  One can argue he did not have a lot of time to scout the college players last year and you cannot rate a rookie class after just one year.  I know and I know. 

Some of my moves require Bowlen to fork out some cash and that may be a concern.  Denver led the league last year with dead money (I believe close to $30 million) which limited our flexibility last season.  Washington picking up Shanny also saves Bowlen some cash.

Resign Kyle Orton - More than likely he will not be our QB for the next 5-7 years, but he can do a decent job for the next 1-2 years.

Resign Doom - We need his presence rushing the passer.  Plus, he has been nothing short of a true professional during his career.  We need people like Doom.

Resign Chris Kuper – We need help on the o-line and Kuper can help fill some holes.  I am concerned about the health of Harris. 

Sign John Kuhn as a FA - Not a sexy move here, especially because the FB is not used much in McDaniels offense.  I think Kuhn is a fine blocker and can play special teams.  

Sign Jarvis Green as a FA - I just read a couple days ago Josh McDaniels has ties to New England (who knew???).  Green can provide some depth to the d-line and will not break the bank.

Trade Brandon Stokley and our 1st and 3rd round picks to New England for Vince Wilfork and Logan Mankins - The Broncos desperately need a stud NT to anchor the 3-4 defense.  Wilfork provides that stability.  At 28, he has several dominating years left.  Mankins will help provide much needed beef and support on the o-line for our power running attack.  Who knows how long Welker will be out so Stokley will be a more than adequate replacement and he fits in well as a New England guy. 

Trade Brandon Marshall to Carolina for Julius Peppers - Peppers would add a second premiere pass rusher to team up with Doom.  Adding Peppers and Wilfork to the likes of Doom, DJ, Champ and Dawkins will give us a very formidable defense.  Peppers offers game planning flexibility by being able to line him up at DE, OLB and even move him around if we use the "amoeba" look.  Carolina can add Marshall opposite Smith to have a dynamic WR duo to go along with their excellent run game.

Trade our 2nd and 5th (see Hillis trade below) round picks to Arizona for Anquan Boldin - Boldin will not completely fill the void left by Marshall, but he will fill some of the void.  I know he has been a malcontent in Arizona, but he does not have a history of getting in trouble with the law. 

Trade Tony Scheffler and our 4th round pick to Cleveland for Josh Cribbs - Cribbs is definitely a huge upgrade in the return game.  He also provides explosive play ability at WR and out of the Wild Horse formation.  Cleveland can use a TE and we need to get rid of Scheffler.

Trade our 6th round pick to the Jets for Kevin O'Connell – McDaniels placed a claim on him last year and the Jets seem set for awhile with Sanchez (although I did hear his knee injury may be a problem).  Between O'Connell and Brandstater, we should have a capable QB to take the reigns from Orton in a couple of years.

Trade Peyton Hillis to Houston for a 5th round pick - Houston is looking for RB help and Hillis does not help us much in the doghouse and on the bench.  He could be a good compliment to Steve Slaton. 

Trade our 7th round pick to anyone for a 6th round pick in 2011.  No need staying around for the 7th round if we have already traded away all of our picks up to that point. 

Here is a preview of the opening day 53-man roster of the Super Bowl XLV

Champions (a fan can dream).

QB - Orton, O'Connell and Brandstater

RB - Moreno, Buckhalter, Jordan, Kuhn (FB)

WR - Boldin, McKinley

WR - Royal, Cribbs

WR - Gaffney, Lloyd

TE - Graham, Quinn, Branson

LT - Clady

LG - Mankins, Olsen

C - Weigman, Hamilton

RG – Kuper, Hochstein

RT - Harris, Polumbus

DE - Peppers, McBean

NT - Wilfork, Fields, Baker

DE - Peterson, Green

OLB - Hagan, Moss

ILB - DJ, Woodyard

ILB - Davis, Larsen

OLB - Doom, Ayers

CB - Bailey, Smith, Law

CB - Goodman, Carter

FS - Dawkins, McBath, Barrett

SS - Hill, Bruton

P - Colquitt

K - Prater

LS - Paxton