1 (28) - Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina; 2 (58) - Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin; 3 (90) - Kayvon Webster, CB, South Florida; 5 (146) - Quanterus Smith, DE, Western Kentucky; 5 (161) - Tavarres King, WR, Georgia; 5 (173) - Vinston Painter, OT, Virginia Tech; 7 (234) - Zac Dysert, QB, Miami-Ohio
Top Picks Analysis: The Elvis Dumervil fax fiasco put defensive end in play for the Broncos but they never thought Williams would fall so far and made the prudent decision to strike. Smart teams do smart things and executive V.P. of football operations John Elway made the right decision. Things got tougher, though, as the draft marched on. Running back was a need and Ball has a nice skill-set for a Peyton Manning offense, although like any young runner he will need to work on pass protection to get on the field. Webster was a big reach in the third round.
Best Value Pick: Dysert broke just about all of Ben Roethlisberger's school records at Miami-Ohio and is a decent developmental prospect for a team that has to start thinking about life after Manning. Dysert doesn't have Roethlisberger's arm strength or freaky strength to shake off pass rushers but he sure did produce at the college level.
Questionable Calls: Webster looks the part and has nice lateral movement skills but none of that has translated thus far and there were many better options at corner when the Broncos plucked him.
Summary: Denver started well with Williams but came up small from there. Ball is a good runner but Manning will get frustrated with his inability to pick up the blitz. Webster and Smith, meanwhile, are big-time projects. The good news is those players will have time because the Broncos veteran group is very talented.
FINAL GRADE: C+
Undrafted rookie free agent signings: California RB C.J. Anderson; New Mexico State WR Kemonte' Bateman; Kansas State P Ryan Doerr; West Texas A&M OL Manase Foketi; UCLA CB Aaron Hester; San Diego State QB Ryan Katz; BYU LB Uona Kaveinga; Baylor DE Gary Mason Jr.; Florida LB Lerentee McCray; UCF WR Quincy McDuffie; Arkansas S Ross Rasner; New Mexico TE Lucas Reed; Colorado LB Douglas Rippy; New Mexico WR Lamar Thomas; Temple DE John Youboty
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