Early Draft Opinion

I really do believe that we trade both Williams and Moreno, and I think that they will go to the same team.  IMO they could land in Cincinnati, because they have a need, they have the money, and they have the draft picks (alot of extra due to the Carson Palmer trade).  Cincy doesn't have a good backup to the lawfirm and from what I have read Maluaga had a very bad year.  So I believe that we could get a 3 and a 6 for both of them.  Remember they are getting two good players that have experience and are very capable of not only starting for their team but drastically improving their team.

The Bengals are a "cost-efficient" franchise.  That being said, I can't fathom that they would trade for a guy (Moreno) who is due to get paid more money than their starter (Green-Ellis) so he can sit on the bench or be a change of pace back.  The only way I could see this trade happening is if the Bengals believe they are going to get a dynamic starter out of Moreno.  But it's just as, if not more, likely they get an injury prone running back forcing them to fall back on Green-Ellis for, what could be, large stretches of time.

Cost effecient maybe but they will be 25 million under the cap with over 15 million in rollover money.  As for Moreno and the Lawfirms contracts.. Moreno 1.7 million and Lawfirm 2.3 million, which IMO isn't too bad for starter 1a and 1b, and on top of that they both have different skill sets... As for D.J. Williams, he is definately a need since Maluaga was rated as one of the worst starting linebackers in the league..  A 3 and a 6 IMO aren't that much to give up for two players that fill needs immediately.<br /><br /><br /> http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cinci
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Was checking out some mock draft stuff today and I came across WalterFootball's current mock. This is what they have for the Broncos:

Round 1: Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
Round 2: Arthur Brown, ILB, K-State
Round 3: Everett Dawkins, DT, Florida State
Round 4: Jonathan Franklin, RB, UCLA

If that is how it played out, I would be cool with that. Although, I would like to see a young interior Offensive Lineman added to the mix as well.

I have seen a lot of mocks projecting us to draft a CB with our 1st rounder.  They usually cite an aging secondary even though Champ (They have been talking about his age for the last 3 years) and Adams are the only two starters over 30. 

My complaint for drafting a CB in the first is that he has to be better than Champ is now.  That could be asking a lot for a rookie.  Then, we move champ to safety and do what with Moore?

I like the CB pick better than Te'o or an offensive player but I hope we don't knee-jerk react to the playoff game and skip over some pretty good D-lineman.  (but the draft is deep with them)  It will be interesting to see how things play out this offseason.

This draft seems to be very deep in the cornerback position so if we were to take one with our first pick I would  be pretty disappointed, although Trufant looked extremely good during Senior Bowl practices and the game.  I will stand pat in saying that we move back to the second round with one of the QB needy teams (Jags, Chiefs, Eagles, Cardinals, Bills) and finally a trade like this should work in our favor because the value of our pick should be quite high with all of those teams vying for a QB.  So being conservatively I think we could get at least a 3rd round pick for our troubles because all of these teams are going to be willing to move up to get "their" guy.  <br /><br /><br /> My draft with these circumstances would look like this.  (All descriptions from Walter Football)<br /><br /><br />2nd (Bills) 41  <br /><br /> <strong> Larry Warford, G, Kentucky  <br /> Height: 6-3. Weight: 340. <br /> Projected 40 Time: 5.31. <br /> Projected Round (2013): 2-3. </strong> <br /><em> <br /> 1/5/12: </em> Kentucky was terrible in 2012, but Warford was very good. He opened up holes in the ground game and performed well in pass protection. Warford is a better athlete and quicker than one would think. He had an impressive senior season.  <br /><br /> Warford battled well against Florida and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. Warford played even better against Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, shutting down the latter's pass rush. The plays that the Missouri standout had success on only came when he went against other offensive linemen. Warford is an underrated prospect who could force people to notice his skills in the Senior Bowl. <br /><br /><br /><br />2nd (Denver) 57<br /><br /><strong> Khaseem Greene, OLB/S, Rutgers  <br /> Height: 6-0. Weight: 236. Arm: 31 7/8. Hand: 9 1/2. <br /> Projected 40 Time: 4.63. <br /> Projected Round (2013): 2-3. </strong> <br /><em> <br /> 2/1/13: </em> Greene was an animal for Rutgers in 2012. He amassed 136 tackles, six sacks, six forced fumbles, five passes batted, two interceptions and 12 tackles for a loss. The senior was tremendous at consistently producing impact plays and was the leader of his defense.  <br /><br /> Surprisingly, Greene didn't really stand out at the Senior Bowl. <br /><br /><em> 8/29/12: </em> Greene played safety his first two collegiate seasons before moving to outside linebacker as a junior. The move payed off for Rutgers as he used his speed to fly around the field and make tackles. <br /><br /> Greene led the team with 141 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last year. He broke his ankle against Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl. Greene had 77 tackles and two interceptions as a sophomore. <br /><br /> <br /><br />3rd (Bills) 71<br /><br /> <strong>Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern  </strong><br /><strong> Height: 6-1. Weight: 341. Arm: 32 3/4. Hand: 9 5/8. </strong><br /><strong> Projected 40 Time: 5.27. </strong><br /><strong> Projected Round (2012): 5-7. </strong> <br /><em> <br /> 2/1/13: </em> Williams was a consistent pass-rusher over the last three seasons. He totaled 25.5 sacks over that time. Williams had 68 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks and five forced fumbles this year. He totaled eight sacks and 35 tackles in 2011. Williams recorded nine sacks and 17 tackles for a loss as a sophomore. He helped himself by performing well at the Senior Bowl. <br />  <br /> <br /><br />3rd (Denver) 88<br /><strong><br />  Terry Hawthorne, CB, Illinois  </strong>  <strong><br /> Height: 6-0. Weight: 190. <br /> Projected 40 Time:  4.49. <br /> Projected Round (2013): 2-4. </strong> <br /><em> <br /> 1/31/13: </em> Hawthorne was one of the best players on the field at the East-West Shrine. He did very well in man coverage and was physical. Hawthorne also showed more ball skills than previously thought. The strong week should help him on draft day.   <br /><br /> Hawthorne was playing really well in 2012 until he suffered a concussion against Wisconsin. He was knocked unconscious and was taken off the field in an ambulance. Hawthorne was having a tremendous outing against Badgers cornerback Jared Abbrederis, a speedy receiver who is a tough coverage matchup.  <br /><br /> <br /><br />4th (Denver)119<br /><br /><strong> Brian Winters, OT, Kent State  <br /> Height: 6-6. Weight: 294. <br /> Projected 40 Time: 5.25. <br /> Projected Round (2013): 3-5.<br /> </strong> <br /><em> 1/5/13: </em> Winters had a dominant senior season for Kent State and has raised his profile for the NFL. He's been an All-Conference selection since his sophomore season. Winters has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl and that will be a big test for him against better competition. He needs to add weight for the NFL. <br /><br /> <br /><br />5th (Denver)154<br /><strong> <br /> Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State   <strong><br /> Height: 6-1. Weight: 234.  <br /> Projected 40 Time: 4.59. <br /> Projected Round (2013): 5-6. </strong> <br /><em> <br /> </em></strong><em>1/12/13: </em> Harper is a physical receiver who uses his strength to make plays. His speed could be an issue in the NFL, so he may not get consistent separation. The senior caught 58 receptions for 857 yards and three touchdowns this year. In 2011, he caught 40 passes for 547 yards and five touchdowns. <strong> <br /></strong><br /><br /> <br />6th (Eagles Bunkley Trade)<br /><br /> <br /> <br />7th (Denver) 216     <br /> <strong> <br /> Michael Williams, TE, Alabama  </strong>  <strong><br /> Height: 6-6. Weight: 270.  <br /> Projected 40 Time: 4.77. <br /> Projected Round (2012): 4-6. </strong> <br /><em> <br /> 1/12/13: </em> Williams had 24 receptions for 183 yards and four touchdowns in 2012. He was an excellent run-blocker for Alabama. <br /><br /><em> 8/21/12: </em> Williams was a part of the potent ground game that led Alabama last season. He made 16 receptions for 191 yards and two scores. <br /><br /><br /><br />Looking at this draft you'll see that I covered just about every position that we need besides running back but unlike my mock I believe that Denver will be very aggressive in trading to get more picks.  As you all know we do need more players in a lot of positions and we do have alot of players coming up for contract in the very near future.   In order to sign these guys we will need a lot of cheap players (rookies) to accomodate the higher salaries.  I do think that we will trade Williams (with a reduced contract) because he is worth something and there are a lot of teams that could use his services, and I also believe that we will trade Moreno while he has a managable salary and also while his stock is up, finally I think we'll trade Mays to a team that is going to need depth in the 3-4, although we won't get much for him besides maybe some cap relief.  <br /><br /><br />Players I left off my list that I think we may take a look at:<br /><br /><br />Marcus Lattimore, Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick (very versatile)           <br /><br />               

For the record: I am not saying I would pick a CB with our first pick. I am saying that if the first 4 picks were those guys, overall I would be happy because we would have addressed areas of need when all was said and done....

<p>To bad CBS doesn't let you edit your post because quite frankly the formatting sucked.. As for Walters mock, I actually liked it alot..</p>

For the record: I am not saying I would pick a CB with our first pick. I am saying that if the first 4 picks were those guys, overall I would be happy because we would have addressed areas of need when all was said and done....

I understand that, and to be honest I would not mind that draft either, I just keep seeing people throwing Champ under the bus for one game and expect a rookie to step in and be better.  That is putting a ton of pressure on a rookie and, considering we really don't have the time to wait for him to develop, we could be shooting ourselves in the foot. 

The bigger factor was a lack of pressure on Flacco, especially compared to the earlier game against them.  Champ didn't fare as well a few years ago either when our pass rush was nonexistant.  If we were getting to Flacco as well as we did in the first meeting, you think Bailey gets singled out?  Heck, for that matter if we get more pressure, Baltimore doesn't come close to winning. 

Now, if the defense wants to bring in some youth and move Bailey to safety, they should do so to make the team better, not as a reaction to the game we lost.  I mean, it's something we're going to have to do eventually....replace Bailey.  But nothing will work unless we continue to improve the pressure our front four get.    

Walker, that is why I would be looking for some big guys for the D-line that can collapse the pocket.  I know we had Wolfe but he spent the majority of time at the end position.  We need some big tackles to eat up blocks and take away the front of the pocket. 

Another thing about that playoff game is that we took Von from pass rusher and put him in coverage.  We should leave Von to do what he does best, get to the QB. 

That game was a comedy of errors.

Cool. Totally agree with you fellas.....the pass rush was non-existent against the Ravens, and that was what made our defense good during the season. The Game Plan was a mess. Like you said r0k.....why put Von Miller in coverage so much when he is one of the best pass rushers in the biz?

My first choice for our initial pick this year is still Jesse Williams.

Plus, I really like the idea of Franklin in the 4th.

 The Game Plan was a mess.

Correct.  They had several opportunities to win that game, but the game plan held them back.