2014 Denver Broncos Draft: Donte Moncrief Rising Into 1st Round Discussion

Oct 5, 2013; Auburn, AL, USA; Mississippi Rebels receiver Donte Moncrief (12) gets past Auburn Tiger defenders and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Rebels 30-22. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

It was reported over the weekend that the Denver Broncos would be among the teams working out former Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief, and his name is getting hotter by the second.

Moncrief has vaulted into first round status after his one glaring issue was cleared up with a 40 yard dash time of 4.40 seconds at 6’2″ 221 pounds. CBSSports.com and NFL Draft Scout have bumped him up from a late third round prospect all the way up to a late first-early second round prospect and the 39th overall ranked player in the class.

With the Broncos picking 31st, taking Moncrief in the 1st round wouldn’t even be a reach at this point, at least according to the rankings that I trust the most come draft time (other than my own, of course).

The mock draft made by Rob Rang, who is also in charge of ranking these players to a degree, has Moncrief going 28th overall to the Carolina Panthers in the first round of his latest projection.

Rang’s colleague is Dane Brugler, another really well-respected and highly thought of man in the draft industry, has Moncrief going with the #3 overall pick in the 2nd round to the Cleveland Browns.

Obviously, this early entrant has done enough in workouts to convince scouts that he has #1 receiver potential, or at worst he can be a very good #2.

The scouting report on NFL.com says that Moncrief is likely to elevate his stock at the combine and in workouts, and he has certainly done that.

With Eric Decker off to the Jets, the Broncos need to groom a #2 receiver so Emmanuel Sanders can take over slot duties if Wes Welker departs after the 2014 season. For a seamless transition, it would seem ideal for said receiver to have at least a year to learn the system since receivers take a longer period of time to adjust, and Moncrief has obviously caught the Broncos’ eye as a potential candidate for that spot.

Denver is certainly not going to shy away from adding a wide receiver in the first round if the opportunity presents itself, and it seems like Moncrief is a more intriguing option the closer we get to this year’s draft.