For one of the most talented teams in the NFL, there was a single, glaring need before the Draft began last night; in Denver, offensive lineman was a must.
Then, in a bit of a surprising selection, the Denver Broncos moved up from No. 28 to No. 23 and drafted defensive end Shane Ray.
Wait, the Mile High City already has two Pro Bowl caliber defensive ends in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, so why draft him? John Elway said Ray was in the Broncos’ Top-10 players pre-draft, that he was too good to pass up. (Read: 10 things to know about Shane Ray)
Take the best player available regardless of position. Many teams say it but few follow through like Elway just did.
Still, they must select an offensive lineman, or two, this year. Or, does Elway have something else in mind?
In that trade to move up from No. 28 to No. 23, it included this year’s fifth-rounder, a fifth-round pick next year as well as would-have-been starting center Manny Ramirez. Hey, the Detroit Lions were in love with Ramirez, Broncos fans weren’t and Elway just saved the team $2.5 million.
But they went from four known starters on the offensive line to now only three. Ryan Clady (LT), Shelley Smith (LG) and Louis Vasquez (RG) will start come September, but who will be snapping Peyton Manning the ball and who will be blocking his front side?
If the season started today – Manning is thankful it doesn’t due to the tumultuous turnover in the trenches – the center would likely be Gino Gradkowski and Chris Clark at tackle. Maybe Elway is comfortable at putting the should-be backups in the starters’ roles.
If he’s not set on those starters, Denver needs to land an offensive lineman starting tonight, whether it be at tackle or center, and then draft another one, at the other position, tomorrow.
So, who could they take?
La’el Collins was originally in the Top-15 players of this draft but has fallen at least into the second round and some don’t believe he’ll be drafted at all after being arrested recently. He’s not a suspect but also has not been cleared in an on-going murder investigation. It means taking Collins would be a major risk if he does indeed land in prison, on probation or gets in trouble later on in his career. If he does end up playing in the NFL, he should be a beastly tackle.
Jake Fisher is the next-best offensive tackle and is rated as the No. 33 best player in the draft, meaning he’s scheduled to go far before the Broncos at No. 59. He started 35 games for the Oregon Ducks in his career and played both right and left tackle. At 6’6” and 305 pounds, he has the size and works well in a zone-blocking scheme.
Donovan Smith out of Penn State started 31 games, all at left tackle. Though, at the next level, scouts believe he’ll be better suited to play guard.
T.J. Clemmings, a defensive end turned tackle from Pittsburgh, could still be on the board when the Broncos select in the second round. Clemmings is long and athletic, able to get deep into a pass-blocking drop and stay in front of edge-rushers. But, due to his overall lack of experience, he’s still raw and was used by the better defensive ends during Senior Bowl week. He would be a bit of a project and likely not able to start in 2015.
The next available offensive tackle doesn’t come until No. 67-rated prospect Ty Sambrailo. Could Denver take Ty, the former Colorado State standout at tackle? Sambrailo did play at every spot on the line during his career besides center and is a solid pass-blocker who still needs much work in his run-blocking game.
So, we’ll just have to wait and see.
The 2nd and 3rd rounds of the NFL Draft begin at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on NFL Network or ESPN.
