Round 1 Pick 20 – Christian McCaffrey – Playmaker out of Stanford University
Two words to describe Christian – explosive and dynamic, with the ability to take it to the house on every touch. He glides effortlessly across the turf with a fantastic first step through a hole in seconds to go with a 2nd gear to start pulling away from trailing defenders. Brandon Stokley has been training him to be a slot guy. He is also a dangerous return man. I’m really excited to see where he goes but my heart sees him coming home and wearing orange and blue throughout his career.
Round 2 Pick 51 – Evan Engram – Tight End out of Ole Miss
Tight end is an area of need in my opinion. Heuermann, Green and Derby will be instantly challenged by Engram who will bring 4.42 40 yard dash speed to go with his excellent route running but below par blocking. He is fast and at 6-3 isn’t a massive target but he fits the Jordan Reed mould of tight ends.
Round 3 Pick 82 Derek Rivers – Edge rusher out of Youngstown State
He can be our Demarcus Ware replacement. Comfortable playing end or edge rushing outside linebacker, he’s very athletic and quick into the backfield and will slide into the rotation with Shaq Barrett, Shane Ray and Von Miller. The downside to Rivers is a lack of core strength meaning he gets lost in the run game. Scouting reports have him labelled as a 3-4 edge rusher who can play defensive end and in the Broncos pass rush he could see a lot of 1 on 1 action. Anthony Walker, an inside linebacker, was still on the board and it was a close call. Walker is the best cover linebacker in the draft and man covered Christian McCaffrey on numerous plays in 2016.
Round 3 Pick 101 Antonio Garcia Tackle out of Troy University
Has the size and strength to develop into a left or right tackle. With 4 years starting experience (37 games) he gave up just 5.5 sacks. With all the staff changes in Denver this year I really like the idea of a development tackle backing up a veteran and I think Garcia will work out just fine taking over the left tackle spot in 2018 or 2019.
Round 4 pick 126 Jarron Jones Nose Tackle out of Notre Dame
Vincent Taylor from Oklahoma State was my first choice nose tackle but he went to Washington 12 picks earlier. Jones is very quick and disruptive in both passing and run games. He will fit right in alongside Derek Wolfe in creating 1 on 1 opportunities for the edge guys as well as eating up running backs trying to sneak through.
Round 5 pick 133 Ryan Glasgow Defensive Lineman out of Michigan University
I started looking for value from here on in and found an intriguing prospect from Michigan in Ryan Glasgow. Playing backup defensive tackle he still produced 39 tackles, 4 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. My thinking was if he slips to right defensive end alongside Demato Peko and Derek Wolfe that’s a good run stuffing line. A potential diamond in the rough perhaps?
Round 6 pick 203 Ben Boulware Inside Linebacker out of Clemson University
Developmental inside linebacker, poor in coverage but a good run stopping middle linebacker. He could see playing time on 1st and 2nd down to promote a 3rd and long situation allowing the strength of the defence to tee off on opposing QB’s and linemen.
Round 7 pick 238 Kenny Golladay Wide Receiver out of Northern Illinois
Very elusive receiver with good hands. Dropped 5 of 165 targets over his 2 year college career. If Sanders goes into the slot I’m thinking we need Demaryius Thomas on the outside and Bennie Fowler doesn’t fill me with confidence. Golladay would be an excellent number 2 receiver or he could be a project if we draft McCaffrey and he ends up playing slot. All in all to get this skill set this late in the draft is fantastic.
Round 7 pick 252 Josh Harvey-Clemons Safety out of Louisville
With TJ Ward due to be a free agent next season it wouldn’t hurt to have another safety knocking around the practise field. He has speed and is a good tackler. He needs developing for sure but he has some decent fundamentals to start off his career with.
Round 7 pick 239 Zach Pascal Wide Receiver out of Old Dominion
He’s a poor man’s Christian McCaffrey. Pascal shows good versatility but below average route running and separation. He could possibly push for a roster spot just as a returner though.