The second round of the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft rolls along. We're having each SB Nation blogger make selections for their respective teams. Jeremy Bolander, a lead blogger at SB Nation's Denver Broncos blog, Mile High Report, checks in to make the No. 45 overall selection in this year's mock. Take it away, sir!
2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Pick 45
With the No. 45 overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Denver Broncos have selected Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech.
Jeremy Bolander says: This was not an easy pick for me. However, I'm glad Denver made free agency moves to increase depth along the Dline, because despite some intriguing possibilities here such as Alualu, Wooten, Worilds, and Price, I find myself staring down at some low-hanging offensive talent, with late first, high second round type numbers. Depth throughout the top of the draft has driven down some tremendous value.
Whether Brandon Marshall stays or goes, Denver will need to continue to add talent on a yearly basis to the WR corp for at least the next two years, and at #45 I am looking at the possibility of well rounded playmakers like Arrelious Benn, Damian Williams and Carlton Mitchell. Alternatively, a 3rd RB will be added to the stable for 2010, and while that could very well be the newly acquired (and rebuilt) J.J.Arrington, competition via the draft is a must. With Dwyer available, and Gerhart on the immediate horizon, I may be able to add some of that tough, productive interior and goalline running that would have made a world of difference for the 2009 offense. Heck, even Gronkowski and Tebow are available, though in both cases I must say thanks, but no thanks, despite their high ratings. I get to take my pick of the weapons, right? Not so fast.
One thing that stands out in this draft, and that will be a talking point for years, is that there is a TON of defensive backfield talent going into the NFL this year. I see guys like Kareem Jackson, Chad Jones, Perish Cox, and one of my favorites, Jerome Murphy all sitting their with their high second round grades, and I know I would be lucky to get one of them here in any other year. With a class this deep, I think teams HAVE to account for capitalizing on that kind of value, the choice is simply whether to get the value sooner than later. With guys like Morgan Burnett and Amari Spievey rounding out the highly graded 2nd rounders, I can still see players like Major Wright, Chris Cook and Domonique Franks on the horizon. Not all are tremendous fits for Denver, but with a solid DB rotation already established, it sure would be tempting to wait and see what kind of talent was still hanging around from this deep class in the 3rd round.
On the other, other hand though, the roster math for the Broncos at the G/C position is downright scary. Oh, the numbers look like we have 5 players ready to compete (6 since we should count John’s selection of Maurkice Pouncey in the first round), but at least 3 more G/Cs and one more OT need to be added to get to the Training Camp target numbers. And while those positions are usually filled with expendable scrubs and roster fodder, frankly, those niches have already been filled with, well, scrubs and roster fodder. I cannot stress this point enough: including the recently drafted Maurkice Pouncey, Denver has only 2 players currently on the roster who they can count on being on the interior OL in 2011. Two. Add in that RT Ryan Harris may not be 100% recovered from his toe injury, and that even if he is, he may not be the same player he was, you can count on Denver scouring this draft from top to bottom for versatile G/C and G/OT prospects. Enter Rodger Saffold. A big OT prospect who projects inside as a pulling guard with his good mobility, size, smarts and strength. He would be an awesome pick right now, but for the life of me it is hard to pull the trigger on TWO interior linemen within the first 45 picks. I am torn.
In the end, I’m limiting myself to choosing between the tough inside yards in Jonathon Dwyer, or the tough inside blocking in Saffold. And I’m going with the guy who scores TDs. RB depth is a must for the Broncos, and Dwyer proved himself to be durable, difficult to bring down, and with the toughness and talent to be an effective goalline and shortyardage rusher, an area that needs to see improvement in Denver for 2010. His 6.2 yards per carry belie his less than stellar combine numbers, as he has shown repeatedly on tape that he has field speed and openfield running skills, and his short college career leaves him primed to have his best rushing days ahead of him, especially in a solid rotation like Denver will expect to field. The rotation should also help give him time to work on his blocking and receiving technique, especially the receiving. A triple option isn’t the best pace for a RB to develop as a receiver, and Dwyer was no exception, and remains somewhat unquantifiable in this area, so that will be a mystery going into his rookie campaign. But 35 TDs is no mystery, and with some minor development he could step in whenever and wherever needed, with no dropoff in talent or productivity, from one back to the next.
Mocking Dan reacts: Wow, that was some write-up, eh? Good job Jeremy. Good value pick.
However! I may have had Dwyer as my highest-rated player entering the pick, but I don't like it. Even with Pouncey, Denver desperately needs interior linemen. Vladimir Ducasse and Mike Johnson are still out there and look like rookie starters. I understand the reason why running back would be the pick, and Dwyer is by far the best choice. But that offensive line is so shoddy, it would be hard to pass up on upgrades there.
Mocking the Draft’s Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Damian Williams/WR/USC, 2 - Rob Gronkowski/TE/Arizona, 3 - Brandon Spikes/LB/Florida, 4 - Chad Jones, S, LSU, 5 - Brian Price, DT, UCLA
Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of the Broncos’ selection of Dwyer? Please be sure to check out Mile High Report for all of your Broncos needs.
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