The 11th pick is in and SB Nation’s Broncos community, Mile High Report, has selected...
NFL Mock Draft, Pick 11: Broncos Select Maurkice Pouncey, C Florida
Florida C Maurkice Pouncey
The Broncos fixed the defensive line through free agency. The offensive line was not so fotunate. The Broncos were dominated on the interior throughout the season. It seemed every key moment in a game came down to a 3rd or 4th and short situation, and each time the Broncos were stuffed, mainly because of a lack of presence inside. After releasing Casey Weigmann after the season ended, the Broncos really don;t have a center on the roster - save for Dustin Fry. That means the Broncos need an upgrade, why not go after the best prospet in the draft?
This was a surprising but not inconceivable choice. Pouncey is arguably the best interior blocker in this year’s draft. Denver really needs a good center. The current projected starter, Dustin Fry, hasn’t started a game and seen little playing time. And every area where Fry is good - toughness, power, phone booth blocking - Pouncey is his equal. Where Pouncey is a clear upgrade is his athletic ability. Like Tom Nalen, he can get out on the move and take on defenders in the open field.
I couldn’t disagree with this more. Even if the Broncos felt they wanted Pouncey, then they should’ve traded back 10 spots and still picked him. If Pouncey’s your guy, then the compensation in a trade shouldn’t matter -- they should literally take anything to move to the late teens or early 20s and still select Pouncey at a cheaper price.
Part of the draft is understanding what other teams are going to do and I think most folks agree that Pouncey is highly unlikely to go before the late teens (at the absolute earliest). McDaniels comes from New England where Bill Belichick was a master of understanding what every other team in the draft was going to do so that he could find the best value for his team.
This isn’t a good value for the Broncos in my humble opinion.
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