2011 NFL Draft

[skinster]

Originally Posted by Jontrem

I just don't see us drafting an offensive linemen in the first round this year. I think we are solid at Tackles, obviously they need some improvement but I think they both have solid talent. Also lets remember that Shanahan does not often spend a high draft pick on offensive linemen. For fun here is a list of his drafts at Denver by year. I only included the name of the first rounders after that just their positions:

96-1st John Mobley LB, DB, RB, DL
97-1st Trevor Pryce DT, No other picks
98-1st Marcus Nash WR, DB, QB, RB
99-1st Al Wilson LB, DB, WR, RB
00-1st Delta Oneal CB, LB, DB, WR
01-1st Willie Middlebrooks CB, DL, DL ,OL
02-1st Ashley Lelie WR, RB, DL, DB
03-1st George Foster OL, LB, RB, DL
04-1st DJ Williams LB, RB, WR, DB
05-1st Darrent Williams DB, DB, DB, RB
06-1st Jay Cutler QB, TE, WR, LB
07-1st Jarvis Moss DE, DL, OL, DL

Ok so through the first 4 rounds of 12 drafts Shanahan has drafted exactly 2 offensive linemen and spent a first round pick on them only once. It has been stated many times that Shanahan prefers to draft his OL and RBs in the later rounds. Unless I am missing someone in College I cant think of a Free Safety worthy of a frist round pick. So I would guess, based on need and Shanahan's past tendencies that we go after a DL or WR in the first.

Of course this is assuming he will have a lot of input into who we draft. I am hoping he and Bruce Allen will work well together.

Your forgetting about his 08 draft with Ryan Clady and our boy Lichtensteiger.

Plus your stats are WAYYY off of O-linemen taken under Shanny
1st rounders-Ryan Clady, George Foster
2nd-Lennie Friedman
3rd-Ryan Harris, Dan Neil
4th-Cooper Carlisle, Ben Hamilton, and our Very own Kory Lichtensteiger

I agree with you that we will for sure not draft an O-lineman this year though. We just got williams last year and traded for brown, who I'm sure we will keep around in hopes that his poor year this year was a result of coming off of surgery and getting used to the right side.

If Jake Locker drops (which I find to be unlikely considering the Cardinals, 49ers, Vikings are dying for a QB...plus the Panthers, Bengals, Bills, Browns all have a strong possibility of taking one), I would expect us to take him. His athleticism, arm, and the fact that he is coming from a losing program are all reminiscent of Jay Cutler, who Shanahan had a very good relationship with.

More realistically though, I think that we are going to get a D-lineman with our first pick considering that none of our starters are starting material (Haynesworth does not start...or even play that much).

The only other two positions I could see us taking with our 1st are WR and RB. I know Shanny is notorious for taking late round RB's, but I remember him saying that if Jay Cutler had not been there in 06, he would have take Maroney, which tells us he is willing to take a RB in the 1st. Our offense needs a jump start. RBs and WRs are known to be taken to get that spark. I think Mark Ingram is the most likely scenario for an offensive skill player player being picked. I predict us going either 6-10 or 7-9. This year I think that will put us in the 10-14 range. That seems too late for AJ Green and too early for any other WR.

If only somehow we could lose the rest of our games this year we would be better off. Yea it would hurt this year, but a 5-11 record will score us a nice offensive weapon (QB or AJ Green) that we could use for the next 12 years.