Denver Broncos Mock Draft: Peter King Picks OT Cedric Ogbuehi
Anytime someone with inside information puts out an NFL Mock Draft, it’s probably not a bad idea to check it out and put some serious thought to it.
SI.com writer and insider Peter King of MMQB put out a first round mock draft and had a very interesting first round selection for the Broncos, one that would likely surprise some people if it actually happened on Thursday night. Here’s what he had to say.
28. Denver: Cedric Ogbuehi, T, Texas A&M
“The Broncos love Ogbuehi, who could have come out of A&M last year and been a first-round pick. He’s more iffy now because he suffered a torn ACL four months ago in the team’s bowl game. Most have Ogbuehi projected to go in the middle of the second round or later, and he may. But he and Ryan Clady eventually could be bookend tackles for the Broncos for four or five years. A pick of Ogbuehi would show the staying power of GM John Elway and the ability of the team to look more long-term, even if the 2015 season might be a washout for the first-round pick.”
So, in case you’re keeping a Google doc tracking the interest the Broncos have in prospects, they ‘love’ Cedric Ogbuehi.
Good to know, I just hope they ‘love’ him after the first round.
Don’t get me wrong, Ogbuehi is a good player, a really good one in fact, and he would offer the Broncos a long-term solution at the right tackle position if and when the time was right. The problem I foresee with that selection is, that time might not be until 2016.
Of course, King addressed that in his pick explanation, saying that it would show how John Elway is putting faith in his plan for the future, and depending on the present help to provide the success necessary for the Broncos to win a title.
That, to me, is pretty risky. Getting a player that might not make an impact as a rookie with our first round pick is a really bold move, something that I’m not sure the Broncos can afford with Peyton Manning entering what most believe to be his final year with the team.
It would be very, very tough for John Elway to justify a ‘washout’ of a first round draft pick.
Going into this past season, Ogbuehi was considered one of the top tackle prospects in all of the draft. After tearing his ACL four months ago, he was being talked about as a possible fourth round flyer selection. The situation of Ogbuehi is not unlike Brandon Thomas coming out of Clemson last year, when the 49ers cashed in on his fall and got what some believe to be a first round talent.
Hopefully, the Broncos are looking to do something similar with Ogbuehi after getting a much better ‘value’ pick in the first round, but if Ogbuehi graded out as a top level player on their board, then they could definitely justify taking him first.
The fact that he’s not going to be ready for training camp (likely) would temper any excitement about your first round pick, but patience could win out for this talented player.