1. Jay Cutler/QB-Vanderbilt While the Broncos had to move up to grab Cutler, a guy who seems to be a bit of a late bloomer from a scouting perspective,
I love the gamble on greatness here. Sure, Jake Plummer is a serviceable player, he's never going to win a Super Bowl for you, so why bother. Cutler
has a big-time arm, was a long-time SEC starter and comes from a big brain school in Vandy. Watching his tapes, he looks a lot like Brett Favre to
me--a definite gunslinger type of feel. He probably doesn't help the Broncos in 2006 but sometimes you have to pull the trigger and place a deposit
toward your future. Great pick. By the way, how in the world do the Raiders pass on Leinart and Cutler? Unbelievable.
2. Tony Scheffler/TE-Western Michigan After giving up some of their draft bounty to snag Cutler, the Broncos made some more moves once WR Chad
Jackson was snagged right in front of them. If they'd stayed put, the small college stud, Greg Jennings was there for the taking but instead they moved
down for another small college guy in Tony Scheffler. With terrific hands and amazing speed for a TE, Scheffler could finally be the TE receiving threat the
Broncos offense has been missing since Shannon Sharpe and his mouth moved into the CBS broadcast booth. A bit of a gamble on greatness here.
4A. Brandon Marshall/WR-Central Florida Marshall is another small college gamble who could pay big dividends. The scouts paint a picture similar to
TO--both the good and the bad. Big, athletic and built like a racehorse but he has some mental baggage that the Broncos will need to reel in. Given
Shanahan's horrible track record in drafting edge players (cornerbacks and wide receivers), I'm going to guess this might be just another in a long line of
misses. Hope I'm wrong.
4B. Elvis Dumerville/DE-Louisville I like this pick. Sure, he's undersized but he's a speed demon who collects sacks like the rest of us collect loose
change. He had something like 19 sacks each of the last two years at Louisville, so he could become a mini Dwight Freeney on a team that is
desperate to generate some sort of pass rush. Love this pick.
4C. Dominick Hixon/WR-Akron Hixon has big upside--it just may take a while to see it come to fruition. A former Free Safety at Akron, Hixon is a very
athletic player who will just need some time to develop. A solid choice as long as the Broncos realize he's probably not going to do squat out of the gate.
5. Chris Kuper/OT-North Dakota Another solid late round OL pick to bolster the line long term. Kuper fits the zone blocking scheme perfectly and should
make the team and eventually play. Solid choice.
6. Greg Eslinger/OT-Minnesota Given his lack of size, Eslinger was likely to slide this late, if not completely out of the draft. But for Denver's zone
scheme, he was worthy of a higher selection--so I like this pick a lot. With Tom Nalen starting to battle injuries, Eslinger gives the Broncos another C
option, which could allow them to keep another former Golpher, Ben Hamilton at the Guard position. Good pick.
Final Analysis
This could prove to be the best draft the Broncos have had in years if Cutler plays up to his pre-draft hype. He gives the Broncos a legit shot at being a
playoff contender for years to come. Scheffler looks like a keeper in this offense and you have to figure either Marshall or Hixon will stick and contribute
as a starter. I like the gamble on Dumerville and the pick-ups of Kuper and Eslinger, both of which should make the team. Hey, what do you know, a
legitimate, deep and high-upside draft out of Shanahan! I give this draft an A-.
I love the gamble on greatness here. Sure, Jake Plummer is a serviceable player, he's never going to win a Super Bowl for you, so why bother. Cutler
has a big-time arm, was a long-time SEC starter and comes from a big brain school in Vandy. Watching his tapes, he looks a lot like Brett Favre to
me--a definite gunslinger type of feel. He probably doesn't help the Broncos in 2006 but sometimes you have to pull the trigger and place a deposit
toward your future. Great pick. By the way, how in the world do the Raiders pass on Leinart and Cutler? Unbelievable.
2. Tony Scheffler/TE-Western Michigan After giving up some of their draft bounty to snag Cutler, the Broncos made some more moves once WR Chad
Jackson was snagged right in front of them. If they'd stayed put, the small college stud, Greg Jennings was there for the taking but instead they moved
down for another small college guy in Tony Scheffler. With terrific hands and amazing speed for a TE, Scheffler could finally be the TE receiving threat the
Broncos offense has been missing since Shannon Sharpe and his mouth moved into the CBS broadcast booth. A bit of a gamble on greatness here.
4A. Brandon Marshall/WR-Central Florida Marshall is another small college gamble who could pay big dividends. The scouts paint a picture similar to
TO--both the good and the bad. Big, athletic and built like a racehorse but he has some mental baggage that the Broncos will need to reel in. Given
Shanahan's horrible track record in drafting edge players (cornerbacks and wide receivers), I'm going to guess this might be just another in a long line of
misses. Hope I'm wrong.
4B. Elvis Dumerville/DE-Louisville I like this pick. Sure, he's undersized but he's a speed demon who collects sacks like the rest of us collect loose
change. He had something like 19 sacks each of the last two years at Louisville, so he could become a mini Dwight Freeney on a team that is
desperate to generate some sort of pass rush. Love this pick.
4C. Dominick Hixon/WR-Akron Hixon has big upside--it just may take a while to see it come to fruition. A former Free Safety at Akron, Hixon is a very
athletic player who will just need some time to develop. A solid choice as long as the Broncos realize he's probably not going to do squat out of the gate.
5. Chris Kuper/OT-North Dakota Another solid late round OL pick to bolster the line long term. Kuper fits the zone blocking scheme perfectly and should
make the team and eventually play. Solid choice.
6. Greg Eslinger/OT-Minnesota Given his lack of size, Eslinger was likely to slide this late, if not completely out of the draft. But for Denver's zone
scheme, he was worthy of a higher selection--so I like this pick a lot. With Tom Nalen starting to battle injuries, Eslinger gives the Broncos another C
option, which could allow them to keep another former Golpher, Ben Hamilton at the Guard position. Good pick.
Final Analysis
This could prove to be the best draft the Broncos have had in years if Cutler plays up to his pre-draft hype. He gives the Broncos a legit shot at being a
playoff contender for years to come. Scheffler looks like a keeper in this offense and you have to figure either Marshall or Hixon will stick and contribute
as a starter. I like the gamble on Dumerville and the pick-ups of Kuper and Eslinger, both of which should make the team. Hey, what do you know, a
legitimate, deep and high-upside draft out of Shanahan! I give this draft an A-.
| Jacko's Original 2006 Draft Analysis |