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2-Time World & 6-Time AFC Champion
DENVER BRONCOS

Jacko's 2008 Draft Analysis
1st: Ryan Clady/OT Boise St. I was having a hard time picking between Clady
and Jonathan Stewart but there's no debating that Clady is probably the right
pick. He's been described as a dancing bear--huge frame, long arms and
tremendous footwork. He's ideal for the Broncos zone blocking scheme and
assuming he keeps his head on straight, should be a fixture on the line for the
next decade. Jacko's Grade: A

2nd: Eddie Royal/WR Va Tech. With Walker going to the dark side and
Marshall still acting like my 5 year old, I can see why Shanny opted for a WR.
But with both Limas Sweed and DeSean Jackson still on the board, it's hard to
see him go for another would-be WR/Returner combo. Royal is fast but small
and probably would have slid to the end of the round. Jacko's Grade: C+

4th: Kory Lichtensteiger/C Bowling Green. Another reach pick at a position
that is generally not a high priority. But this guy's resume (long time starter,
scrappy and mean but undersized) sounds exactly the same as Tom Nalen
when he came out. With this likely Nalen's final season, getting another
decent C/G option makes sense and the Broncos usually know how to scout
OL's. Jacko's Grade: B-

4th: Jack Williams/CB Kent. Williams is a true speedburner who slipped this
far because of injuries. He's a bit small but very athletic. I really liked the
mid-round CB's this year--the draft seemed loaded with super fast, undersized
guys from small schools who could perform just as well as the guys who went
off the board in round one. So I'm glad we snagged one of them and rolled the
dice. Jacko's Grade: B.

5th: Ryan Torian/RB Arizona St. Torain lost a lot of momentum when he got
hurt early during his senior year. He's not exactly loaded with speed but he is a
good cut-back player who likes to run north-south. I don't expect much from
him this year but you never know with a Denver-drafted RB. Jacko's Grade: B-

5th: Carlton Powell/DT Va Tech. Kind of an undersized guy who lacks a major
pass-rushing burst. Decent run stuffer. Looks to me like a career back-up if
he makes the team. Jacko's Grade: C.

6th: Spencer Larson/LB Arizona. A solid inside backer who plays with a real
mean streak. Good speed but he can over-pursue at times. Solid pick that
should make the team. Jacko's Grade: B.

6th: Josh Barrett/S Arizona St. Barrett would have gone much earlier in the
draft if not for a serious knee injury that ruined his senior year. Barrett has it all
on paper--good size, blazing speed and toughness but that was before the
injury. I like this pick a lot at this stage. High risk-high reward. Jacko's Grade:
B+.

7th: Peyton Hillis/FB Arkansas. This is another solid late round pick, as Hillis
was ranked by some as the best FB in the draft. He's a solid all-around player
and should make the squad and contribute on special teams early. Jacko's
Grade: B.

Overall, I generally like this draft from top to bottom, although I may have gone
somewhere else with the #2 selection (I'm going on the record that I'd have
taken Limas Sweed). But it's nice to see the Broncos actually draft a lot of
players and make good solid picks vs. their usual all-risky picks kind of draft.
They seemed to keep that every-other-pick this year. Jacko's Grade: B.

Latest News: While the Broncos off-season has been a bit unnerving, there's no question that they'll be
interesting to watch in 2009. Out of the mix is legendary coach/GM, Mike "The Mastermind" Shanahan, along
with about 80% of the starting defense. In are young upstart coach, Josh McDaniels, young upstart GM, Brian
Xanders and about 432 mid-level free agents. I hate losing Shanny the coach but Shanny the GM was very
much hit or miss. When he stood pat and just made picks in the draft--he was solid. But he rarely did that
and proved to be a poor manager of free agency. And if Shanny the coach couldn't see that Shanny the GM
was no good, it was probably time for my favorite Broncos coach to go.
What's New On The Site: As free agency has kicked in, I'll keep track of the moves with a little commentary
along the way. So far, I think the Broncos have improved on defense. The concerning news has been the
dismantling of the relationship between Cutler and McDaniels. We'll stay tuned on that one.

Jacko's 2009 Free Agency Analysis
Key Additions
Chris Simms/QB
Simms impressed in TEN and he's still a young guy, so I prefer him to the older
Patrick Ramsey. Still has upside.

Correll Buckhalter, JJ Arrington, Lamont Jordan/RB
I have bunched these guys all together because they're all good role players.
Buckhalter is a decent backup who can give you a few starts, Arrington is a solid
3rd down back and Jordan can be a short yardage banger. Still need that legit
#1 guy but these three could all see some action.

Lonnie Paxton/C-Long Snapper
The Broncos spent too much money for a long snapper but he's one of the
league's best and a terrific special teams guy.

Jabar Gaffney, David Anderson/WR
Gaffney comes with experience in McDaniels' offense, while Anderson is an
emerging young player who was a restricted free agent. Neither are major
impacts but they are an improvement over Darrell Jackson.

Darrell Reid, Ronald Fields/DT
Both of these guys are recent starters from IND and SFO, respectively. And they
fit the defensive scheme. But neither is a high-potential guys. I still expect the
Broncos to address this position in the draft but this gives them some
insurance.

Andra Davis/ILB
A long-time starter in CLE, Davis gives the Broncos a decent fill-in at LB, while
they work on adding quality here via the draft. Solid addition.

Andre Goodman/CB
With Dre Bly gone and Karl Paymah likely heading elsewhere, adding Goodman
was a smart move. He's been in the league a while but seems to be coming
into his own. He lacks top-shelf speed but he's a solid and consistent player
who had a very solid final eight games in 2008.

Brian Dawkins/S
The addition of Dawkins was a terrific move at a position of incredible
weakness on this team. While Dawkins is getting up in age, he's still operating
at a Pro Bowl level when it comes to defending the run and he has a Ray
Lewis-quality about him that will rub off on this defense.

Renaldo Hill/S
Hill is a solid but not spectacular player. But he was good enough to start in Bill
Parcels' organization, so he's better than what we had on the roster
beforehand. The safety position was dramatically improved with Hill and
Dawkins.

Key Losses
Patrick Ramsey/QB
Solid veteran back-up but he's easily replaceable.

Tatum Bell/RB
Bell served as a decent rent-a-vet to help the Broncos survive their crazy running
back injury streak but he's not the type of mentally tough player that McDaniels
will bring to this team.

Darrell Jackson/WR
The Broncos' #4 has seen his better days and the Broncos were wise to go with
some more youth in this slot.

Nate Jackson & Chad Mustard/TE
Why we carried four TE's on this team when we had two borderline pro bowlers
at the top of the depth chart was always a bit of a mystery to me. Good moves.

John Engelberger/DE
A solid veteran player who's a better fit for a 4-3 base defense, not the 3-4 the
Broncos will be moving to in 2009.

Dwayne Robertson/DT
A classic Shanny free agency gamble--underperforming former high draft pick,
Robertson was dead on arrival with a huge cap number. Even Shanny would
have cut him loose.

Jamie Winborn & Niko Koutoutvides/LB
Both were back-up types who were being over-paid. Have no issue cutting
either of these guys as long as we can get another solid LB in the draft.

Dre Bly/CB
This is the only cut that was a bit of surprise. But when you measure his salary
against his production it's a no-brainer.

Marquand Manuel/S
The Broncos need to seriously address the safety position and this move
confirms that they'll be going in a new direction.

2009 Home Games
Oakland
Kansas City
San Diego
Cleveland
Pittsburgh
New England
Dallas
New York Giants

Check out the Buffs

The day Dinky & Smalls dyed their hair like fools and
watched the Jaguars shock the double-digit favored
Broncos. One of my saddest days as a Broncos fan.

"Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!"

One of my all-time favorite Broncos, the
great "Romo" takes out a ref in pursuit.

Days gone by...TD breaks
into the open field.

The Mastermind

The greatest single play in Broncos history, Elway's famous helicopter first
down against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXVII. It was at this
moment that true Bronco fans knew that a Super Bowl may finally be ours.

Jacko's 2003 Draft Analysis

Jacko's 2004 Draft Analysis

Back to the Jacobins.com

Great Moments, Players & Fans In Broncos History

Jacko's All-Time Broncos

John Elway comes of age on a snowy day in Cleveland. His
98-yard drive with about two minutes left would forever be
known in the annals of great NFL moments as "The Drive".

Like an old friend who's passed on, the great Mile High Stadium.