Broncos Draft Strategy – Need or Talent?
By Adam Malnati
Can you feel it Bronco fans? The excitement in the air. The electricity of young men getting ready to become millionaires. Girlfriends waiting for the call, hoping for the ring. Fathers and sons fulfilling life-long dreams. To be drafted must be a great feeling.
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For fans, it is the promise of improvement. Each player selected has the chance to become the next great player. Every pick could be the one that puts the team over the top. Months of scouting, mock drafts, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay screaming at each other – it all pays off in April.
Every team has choices to make, and the Broncos are no exception. How teams make their choices can be a very different process from war room to war room. The question is often asked, what is the best strategy for the draft? Pick for need, or pick for talent? The obvious answer to that question is, “Yes.”
As close as this team has been to the top of the mountain, the Siren’s call of need might be a little louder this time around.
In an ideal world, picking for need will lead to picking top talent. Everyone knows this world is not ideal. The Broncos head into the 2015 draft with needs all over the field. Most notably, Denver has holes to fill on the lines. Names like TJ Clemmings of Pittsburgh, and Eddie Goldman of Florida State, big boys in the trenches, pop up on a lot of the mock drafts.
The trick during the draft is to stay true to your plan. Teams that go in believing they will draft only the best available player, but then move away from that to fill a hole, often get burned. That theory works in both directions. Draft theories vary widely, but even with the holes that need filling, drafting only for need is a great way to get a team with mediocre talent.
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John Elway and company have stated all along that they believe in taking the best player available. That is the best strategy, and it is easily abandoned. When need starts to overshadow talent, teams start to reach. It will be important for the Broncos to stay with their strategy, and get the best players available. Talented players can be used in many ways. Mediocre players selected to fill a need can be counted on for just one thing.
Elway has done a good job drafting. There is no reason to believe the Broncos won’t continue to be able to find talent. However, as close as this team has been to the top of the mountain, the Siren’s call of need might be a little louder this time around.
Next: Broncos Draft Prospects: DE Owamagbe Obdighizuwa, UCLA
Jan 13, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway speaks to the media at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports