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Happy Day Before Draft Day, Broncos fans! As promised, here again is your opportunity to enter a 1st round mock draft for the chance to win… still nothing, just like last year.

Continue reading 2nd Annual Thin Air Mock Draft Challenge

Last year, I put together a mock draft using The Huddle Report’s two-board system.  This year, I shall do the same with Rob Esch’s value board and Drew Boylhart’s talent board.  To review, here are the rules that I hold myself to with this exercise:

• I will not select a player that the value board does not project will be available for the Broncos at their respective picks.  So all players above #20 are off limits, anyone in the top 50 can only be taken with the first round pick, and so on.
• I will not project trades up or down as it just makes things too complicated; however, in real life this should never preclude such moves, and you have to be prepared for your draft board to get jumbled.
• I will not mock out the 6th and 7th round draft picks, as Esch’s board only goes to 200. However, I will note that Boylhart is unusually high on Chad Kelly, and John Elway has shown a regular habit of drafting QBs late.  If he decides to do so again in 2017, perhaps Kelly should be Mr. Irrelevant?

Continue reading A THR-Influenced 2017 Broncos Mock Draft

Yesterday we looked at the Broncos’ roster on the offensive side of the ball, and characterized their needs accordingly. Today we’ll dive into the defensive side of things, where Denver still has plenty of elite talent. There’s always room for improvement, though, and the Broncos have to be careful not to let their strength erode by failing to address current needs or to plan for needs that will no doubt arise next year and beyond.

Continue reading Broncos Draft Preview 2017, Part 2: Defensive Roster and Needs Analysis

This year more than ever the Thin Air community has fleshed out numerous possibilities regarding the Broncos’ approach to the 2017 NFL Draft. I’ve shared quite a few opinions myself in the daily threads so you may have already read, in a more abbreviated form, much of what I will write in this year’s Draft Preview. Still, I’m excited as usual to share it with you all. As in years past we’ll start with a deep dive into the roster to identify and characterize the Broncos’ needs.

Continue reading Broncos Draft Preview 2017, Part 1: Offensive Roster and Needs Analysis

I’m on the record as preferring Christian McCaffrey with the Broncos’ first round pick  I believe that there is a solid football reason for this preference: explained as early as February 1 here by SterlingMalloryArcher, and receiving my endorsement here as the rare type of player that can pose a three-headed attack: in the running, receiving, and returning games. (You mean Cerberus?)

However, there is another aspect favoring Christian McCaffrey is that I cannot deny.  That’s the sentimental factor of his father Ed being one of the most popular Broncos in recent memory, and the desire for Christian to carry on the McCaffrey legacy in Denver.  To put it bluntly, that’s nepotism, rarely a justifiable reason.

However, I don’t think I’m alone in this flaw.  The consensus on this site feels like it matches my own regarding McCaffrey.  It’s probably even more rampant among the Broncos fanbase in general.  And as a cursory search of many staff rosters demonstrate, nepotism is a fact of life within the NFL.

While I think the football reasons for rating McCaffrey high are still justified, I think it would serve all of us well if we go through a three-question exercise to challenge ourselves against bias, and ensure that we would treat Christian McCaffrey the same way if he was named Christian Smith–or even Christian Sime.

1. Name as many incoming 2017 rookies as you can that you would rate higher that McCaffrey from a pure football talent level.
2. Name as many incoming 2017 rookies as you can, aside from the ones listed above, that you think would improve the Broncos as a whole more than McCaffrey.
3. Name the teams that, for whatever reason you have, you do not want to see draft McCaffrey.

It’s finally released. Venture beyond the fold to hear my quick take, and feel free to compare the real schedule to my preferred one. Continue reading Gut Reaction: 2017 Broncos Regular Season Schedule

I was wrong about Tajea Sharpe breaking out in 2016. I was also wrong in predicting NFL success for Garrett Bolles. Allow me try to explain the reasons why. Continue reading Biomechanical Review: I Was Wrong Edition- the Tale of Tajea Sharpe and Garrett Bolles

Now official:

• Week 1: vs. Chargers (MNF)
• Week 2: vs. Cowboys
• Week 3: at Bills
• Week 4: vs. Raiders
• Week 5: bye
• Week 6: vs. Giants (SNF)
• Week 7: at Chargers
• Week 8: at Chiefs (MNF)
• Week 9: at Eagles
• Week 10: vs. Patriots (SNF)
• Week 11: vs. Bengals
• Week 12: at Raiders
• Week 13: at Dolphins
• Week 14: vs. Jets
• Week 15: at Colts (TNF)
• Week 16: at Redskins
• Week 17: vs. Chiefs

Continue reading 2017 Broncos Regular Season Schedule

I hereby present to you my annual mock draft. In this draft, I did not project trades and just went with who I would believe is the likely pick assuming nobody moves up or down in the first round.

Of course, we know that draft-day trades happen and I would expect at least a couple in the first round. Feel free to mock me about that fact if you wish!

Seriously, though, this is my stab at what I believe teams will be looking for come draft day. I tried to keep in mind the teams that tend to go for the best player available versus drafting for need.

Let us move on to my not-so-educated guesses.
Continue reading 2017 NFL Mock Draft For You To Mock (Or Not)

We’re two weeks away from the 2017 NFL draft and I wanted to examine what each of the teams will probably be looking for in this year’s draft and the likelihood that they may move up or down the board.

One thing to remember about NFL front offices is to not always judge them based on past behavior. Each draft is different and not every team chases after players solely based on need.

I want to go over each of the teams, in order of when their first pick will come up, and what I expect each team is likely to do in its draft approach. Knowing what these teams might do will be useful in understanding who may be on the board when the Broncos make their first selection and the chances of the Broncos moving up or down this year.
Continue reading NFL Draft Preview: Likely Team Mindsets