Mike Mayock explains why Denver Broncos shouldn’t go OT first

NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock answered questions on Monday, and explained why it might not be wise for the Broncos to spend a top 20 pick on an OT…

The NFL Draft still feels like a long way away, but the 2017 Scouting Combine starts this week and it always helps to usher in the draft season. One man who has become synonymous with the NFL Draft, at least for me, is NFL Network analyst and scout Mike Mayock, one of the best in the business who could probably have a job in an NFL front office if he wanted.

Mayock recently discussed the Denver Broncos’ options in the first round on a conference call, and sort of went against the grain of what we have seen and heard from all of the analysts that haven’t changed their mock drafts in months.

Every mock draft you read seems to have either Ryan Ramczyk, Garett Bolles, or Cam Robinson penciled in at the Denver Broncos’ 20th overall pick, but Mayock isn’t so sure that will be the case…

Mayock said this is a really bad class of offensive linemen in general, and that if Ramczyk (his top tackle) were in last year’s draft class, he would have probably been the fourth or fifth one off the board.

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Those are not exactly ringing endorsements for players at the Broncos’ top positions of need going into offseason festivities. Of course, just because it’s a ‘bad’ class of linemen doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be good players, but the draft is all about finding the best value.

It’s always seemed more likely, due to the weakness of the draft class at tackle, that the Broncos would effectively address those positions (left and right side) in free agency. That’s also why every Broncos fan probably thinks it’s boring to see a tackle projected at the 20th overall pick, when the value is extremely poor.

Bad value is not how John Elway operates, at least in the first round of the draft. The Broncos have ‘reached’ in later rounds, but in the first round, he’s not really known for making a head scratching reach.

Of course, if the Broncos fail to sign anyone that has starting potential in free agency, they could certainly try and draft a tackle in the first round. It’s more likely, however, that they will go for a much better value.