2. Darrent Williams/CB-Oklahoma St Williams seems to fit the classic Shanny play at WR & DB--he's always looking for a guy who play his position and be a
special teams star. And Williams feels like a bit of a reach at this point, given his lack of size and the fact that he's coming off an injury-filled 2004 campaign. But
he's very (and I mean very) fast, has a cocky attitude and a willingness to mix it up on run support and may be the best return specialist in this draft. So I'm not
crazy about the selection this high, I do think he'll be a legit starter in a couple of years.
3A. Karl Paymah/CB-Washington St Paymah was actually rated a bit higher than Williams according to most scouts, so I think we're in pretty good shape at the
CB position for the next few years. Paymah is pretty big at 6' 0" but still has some legit speed at 4.38. Shanny tends to double up on positions in draft to ensure
he nails a position of need and the Williams-Paymah combo should ensure that one of the two becomes a quality starter.
3B. Domonique Foxworth/CB-Maryland OK, apparently we needed a few corners. My guess is that the Broncos probably didn't intend to burn another pick on CB
in this draft but felt like Foxworth was too good to pass up at this point. Foxworth was getting first round mention last year but tailed off a bit in his senior season.
Another speed burner to toss into the mix, the drafting of Foxworth probably ensures that we won't need to address this position for years to come.
3C. Maurice Clarett/RB-Ohio St I don't really like this pick because it just feels like another Shanny gamble that will turn south. Simply put, Clarett is a bad guy
with the brain of a peanut. He makes Randy Moss look like a Rhodes Scholar. He had one great freshman campaign at Ohio State, decided he was the next Jim
Brown and shut it down before trying to force the NFL to let him come out early. I can't stand having guys like this on my team. But Shanny thought he was the
second coming after his freshman year and has apparently fallen in love with his talent. And there were rumors that Bill Parcels was angling toward snagging
him at the top of round four--which is certainly a decent endorsement. Personally, I don't like this pick because the Broncos traded up to grab a player who's
simply more likely to boom than bust. Shanny is definitely wearing this one, so let's hope for the best.
6. Chris Myers/OT-Miami A prototypical Broncos lineman, Myers is an undersized but athletic worker who has big game experience and a good chance to
eventually contribute. The Broncos generally don't miss on lineman, so I'm going to assume he'll make the team and eventually contribute.
7. Paul Ernster/K-Northern Arizona Not sure I understand this--are the Broncos really going to keep an extra guy just for kickoffs? Elam isn't going anywhere
unless this guy proves to be truly spectacular, so this just feels like a wasted pick to me.
Final Analysis
A bit underwhelming. At the end of the day, the Broncos basically came away with one starting CB and perhaps one other player who will see 25% of the snaps.
Considering the number of picks they had going in, this draft feels like a missed opportunity to have adding a lot of very solid players. So I'm going to give this
one a C for now and hope Clarett surprises everyone and turns this draft into an A (note to self: good luck with that).
special teams star. And Williams feels like a bit of a reach at this point, given his lack of size and the fact that he's coming off an injury-filled 2004 campaign. But
he's very (and I mean very) fast, has a cocky attitude and a willingness to mix it up on run support and may be the best return specialist in this draft. So I'm not
crazy about the selection this high, I do think he'll be a legit starter in a couple of years.
3A. Karl Paymah/CB-Washington St Paymah was actually rated a bit higher than Williams according to most scouts, so I think we're in pretty good shape at the
CB position for the next few years. Paymah is pretty big at 6' 0" but still has some legit speed at 4.38. Shanny tends to double up on positions in draft to ensure
he nails a position of need and the Williams-Paymah combo should ensure that one of the two becomes a quality starter.
3B. Domonique Foxworth/CB-Maryland OK, apparently we needed a few corners. My guess is that the Broncos probably didn't intend to burn another pick on CB
in this draft but felt like Foxworth was too good to pass up at this point. Foxworth was getting first round mention last year but tailed off a bit in his senior season.
Another speed burner to toss into the mix, the drafting of Foxworth probably ensures that we won't need to address this position for years to come.
3C. Maurice Clarett/RB-Ohio St I don't really like this pick because it just feels like another Shanny gamble that will turn south. Simply put, Clarett is a bad guy
with the brain of a peanut. He makes Randy Moss look like a Rhodes Scholar. He had one great freshman campaign at Ohio State, decided he was the next Jim
Brown and shut it down before trying to force the NFL to let him come out early. I can't stand having guys like this on my team. But Shanny thought he was the
second coming after his freshman year and has apparently fallen in love with his talent. And there were rumors that Bill Parcels was angling toward snagging
him at the top of round four--which is certainly a decent endorsement. Personally, I don't like this pick because the Broncos traded up to grab a player who's
simply more likely to boom than bust. Shanny is definitely wearing this one, so let's hope for the best.
6. Chris Myers/OT-Miami A prototypical Broncos lineman, Myers is an undersized but athletic worker who has big game experience and a good chance to
eventually contribute. The Broncos generally don't miss on lineman, so I'm going to assume he'll make the team and eventually contribute.
7. Paul Ernster/K-Northern Arizona Not sure I understand this--are the Broncos really going to keep an extra guy just for kickoffs? Elam isn't going anywhere
unless this guy proves to be truly spectacular, so this just feels like a wasted pick to me.
Final Analysis
A bit underwhelming. At the end of the day, the Broncos basically came away with one starting CB and perhaps one other player who will see 25% of the snaps.
Considering the number of picks they had going in, this draft feels like a missed opportunity to have adding a lot of very solid players. So I'm going to give this
one a C for now and hope Clarett surprises everyone and turns this draft into an A (note to self: good luck with that).
| Jacko's Original 2005 Draft Analysis |