Drafting Jordan Phillips Makes Sense in 1st Round
By Tylor Walden
Sep 6, 2014; Tulsa, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (80) runs back a fumble during the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
With the NFL Draft just around the corner, the pressure is on to find the missing pieces for the Denver Broncos to put together for a Super Bowl run. With various amount of mock drafts having the Broncos going offensive line in the first line, I believe it would make the most sense for the Broncos to go defense in the first round, and Jordan Phillips is a player I am keeping my eye on, as are the Denver Broncos.
Why do I believe that drafting a defensive tackle makes the most sense for the Broncos? Here are a few key points as to why it makes sense.
While the offensive line should be addressed in the draft, I find it very difficult for the Broncos to be able to get a solid player with the 28th overall pick, especially with teams out there ahead of them that are also looking to add to the offensive line. Teams like Cincinnati and Detroit for example are looking to improve on the offensive line. Something tells me that the Broncos will not be able to draft a player that really grabs their eye unless they get very fortunate. That could be the case, but I will give another reason as to why drafting Jordan Phillips would make the most sense.
The offensive line looks pretty decent already and the Broncos could always go to the later rounds to pick up some offensive line help. Three players that I have covered that could be interesting day two prospects are Ali Marpet, Hroniss Grasu, and Mitch Morse. All three of them are very versatile when it comes to the offensive line. They may not be as popular as a Cameron Erving, T.J. Clemmings, or even Cedric Ogbuehi, but if the Broncos have a chance to get a solid offensive lineman later on, then why not go defense? Plus Gary Kubiak has a way of molding offensive linemen into Pro-Bowlers, so it would not matter either way where the Broncos draft an offensive lineman.
The final reason why I believe it would make more sense for the Broncos to draft Jordan Phillips with the 28th overall pick is due to the lack of defensive tackles on the roster that I have complete faith in. Sylvester Williams is slated to become the starting defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos in 2015. However, to me, he has not shown that sense of fight that I have seen in order to make me feel confident about having him in the lineup. I hope he does prove me wrong, but until then, I have my doubts.
These three reasons are why I think drafting Jordan Phillips makes the most sense for the Denver Broncos. He,as Sayre mentioned in an article, resembles Terrance Knighton very well and could easily fit into the 3-4 defense. If the Broncos are confident enough to believe that there is still talent at the offensive line position later on, then they should not pass up on Jordan Phillips if he falls to them late in the first round.