Before the 2017 NFL Draft, I put together a Broncos mock draft based upon the fine work done by the team at The Huddle Report. Since then, I now realize I made a grave mistake in this process, one so grave that I believe it warrants a separate article to make this point crystal clear.
At pick #82, I advocated for the Broncos to draft CB Jourdan Lewis, based upon a favorable profile of his football talent by Drew Boylhart. However, at the time I was not aware that Lewis was facing a July trial for domestic violence against his former girlfriend. The severity of these accusations were heightened today with news that this was not the first time the police were involved regarding Lewis in this matter. (Both links are courtesy of PFT.) This is a disturbing, and all too common trend that is often seen in accusations of domestic violence.
Had I been aware of the history of the first known accusation against Lewis, I would not have considered him for this mock draft, and I likely would have instead recommended Rasul Douglas at some point in the mock. But I do not believe ignorance can be used as defense in this matter, and I feel it proper to apologize for this mistake and to pledge make an effort to research these matters better in the future.
In the end, I was correct in one aspect: the Broncos were indeed looking for depth at cornerback in the third round. They filled it by selecting Brendan Langley at #101 overall. Regardless of the football futures of both Lewis and Langley, I am grateful the Broncos selected the latter instead of the former.