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2017 Team Rookie Grades


OrangeCrush93

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Bolles was the best lt in last years draft. I'm excited to see what a year of adding weight in the NFL strength and conditioning program does for him.

Bolles absolutely wasn't the clear cut best LT in the draft. He was over drafted and preformed slightly below average at best this season. As a one trick pony (Run blocker only) we could have gone with Cam Robinson later and gotten a guy better at that one trick. There will never be any justification to taking him over Foster. Elway thought we were a OT away, and that is a tremendously stupid calculation on his part.

As for rookie grades:

R1.20 - Garret Bolles OT : C-

He was an upgrade in the run game and plays with tremendous passion for the game but is a penalty machine and pretty close to horrible in pass protection. I would argue that he got worse as the year went on so lets hope that's a rookie wall. With his age you would hope that he would come in and be average at worse from the get-go, but I would argue that's higher praise than he deserves. To me he is a clear cut RT and would do much better in a role that emphasized run blocking over pass protection. Simply put, I don't trust him to protect the blindside of our new investment at QB next season, and that's not a statement you should be saying about a R1 pick.

R2.19 - Demarcus Walker 34DE? EDGE? : C-

Most of the above grade is due to the coaching staff foolishly making him play a new position due to our depth issues at EEDGE. He is clearly a pass rush specialist along the DL and I actually like him for that. But is a sub package guy worth a R2 to begin with? IDK, maybe. He flashed a bit when given time against KC and I think he will carve a niche on this team as a interior rusher but he didn't force his way into the rotation which is something you would like from a R2 pick. He was handed time against KC when the season was over rather.

R3.18 - Carlos Henderson WR : INC

Huge red flag that we sent him to the IR with a essentially fake injury. I have zero faith he becomes anything but wont grade him out of fairness.

R3.37 - Brendan Langley CB : F

I saw no flashes from him. None. He doesn't tackle well, he doesn't stay with his man well. He didn't do anything well as far as I am concerned. To me, entering the 2018 draft I consider CB a need because we have only three on this team and Langley isn't one of them. He looked like a PS, UDFA type talent. Maybe he develops out of nowhere, but you wanna see flashes from your, athletic guys and Langley was nothing but a liability whenever on the field.

R5.01 - Jake Butt TE : INC

A lot of the success of the 2017 draft hinges on Butt. If he can develop into a solid, if unspectacular starting, 3 down TE then this draft is a whole lot better than it looks right now. I don't really have faith in that. Butt was a technique rather than athleticism type before his perpetual injuries and there is no guarantee he isn't a 4.9-5.0 type player now. Fingers crossed that he can become a Joel Dressen type talent.

R5.29 - Isaiah McKenzie RS : F

Horrible player who is a liability at the one thing he was drafted to do. He should have been cut midseason to make a statement but the Coaching Staff didn't have the balls to do that. Shouldn't be a Denver Broncos in 2018/19.

R6.19 - De'Angelo Henderson RB : C-

As with Butt, a lot of this draft hinges on De'Angelo. I think he can be a starter in this league, he is tough, fast, explosive and elusive. But why did he not get snaps until the last week of the season? I think that's on the Coaching Staff and their 10 week obsession with Jamal Charles, but maybe De'Angelo simply wasn't impressing in practice. Regardless, I think there is a decent chance he steals the starting spot at RB going into 2018/19 and at worst gives us a decent weapon on passing plays. I have faith in him to surprise next season and for that reason, give him a slightly better grade than he may deserve.

R7.35 - Chad Kelly QB : INC

Has all the physical tools but has he matured? We will see, and I hope he is the clear cut QB3 next season. Really wish we got to see him this year.

 

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2 hours ago, BroncosFan2010 said:

Bolles absolutely wasn't the clear cut best LT in the draft. He was over drafted and preformed slightly below average at best this season. As a one trick pony (Run blocker only) we could have gone with Cam Robinson later and gotten a guy better at that one trick. There will never be any justification to taking him over Foster. Elway thought we were a OT away, and that is a tremendously stupid calculation on his part.

As for rookie grades:

R1.20 - Garret Bolles OT : C-

He was an upgrade in the run game and plays with tremendous passion for the game but is a penalty machine and pretty close to horrible in pass protection. I would argue that he got worse as the year went on so lets hope that's a rookie wall. With his age you would hope that he would come in and be average at worse from the get-go, but I would argue that's higher praise than he deserves. To me he is a clear cut RT and would do much better in a role that emphasized run blocking over pass protection. Simply put, I don't trust him to protect the blindside of our new investment at QB next season, and that's not a statement you should be saying about a R1 pick.

R2.19 - Demarcus Walker 34DE? EDGE? : C-

Most of the above grade is due to the coaching staff foolishly making him play a new position due to our depth issues at EEDGE. He is clearly a pass rush specialist along the DL and I actually like him for that. But is a sub package guy worth a R2 to begin with? IDK, maybe. He flashed a bit when given time against KC and I think he will carve a niche on this team as a interior rusher but he didn't force his way into the rotation which is something you would like from a R2 pick. He was handed time against KC when the season was over rather.

R3.18 - Carlos Henderson WR : INC

Huge red flag that we sent him to the IR with a essentially fake injury. I have zero faith he becomes anything but wont grade him out of fairness.

R3.37 - Brendan Langley CB : F

I saw no flashes from him. None. He doesn't tackle well, he doesn't stay with his man well. He didn't do anything well as far as I am concerned. To me, entering the 2018 draft I consider CB a need because we have only three on this team and Langley isn't one of them. He looked like a PS, UDFA type talent. Maybe he develops out of nowhere, but you wanna see flashes from your, athletic guys and Langley was nothing but a liability whenever on the field.

R5.01 - Jake Butt TE : INC

A lot of the success of the 2017 draft hinges on Butt. If he can develop into a solid, if unspectacular starting, 3 down TE then this draft is a whole lot better than it looks right now. I don't really have faith in that. Butt was a technique rather than athleticism type before his perpetual injuries and there is no guarantee he isn't a 4.9-5.0 type player now. Fingers crossed that he can become a Joel Dressen type talent.

R5.29 - Isaiah McKenzie RS : F

Horrible player who is a liability at the one thing he was drafted to do. He should have been cut midseason to make a statement but the Coaching Staff didn't have the balls to do that. Shouldn't be a Denver Broncos in 2018/19.

R6.19 - De'Angelo Henderson RB : C-

As with Butt, a lot of this draft hinges on De'Angelo. I think he can be a starter in this league, he is tough, fast, explosive and elusive. But why did he not get snaps until the last week of the season? I think that's on the Coaching Staff and their 10 week obsession with Jamal Charles, but maybe De'Angelo simply wasn't impressing in practice. Regardless, I think there is a decent chance he steals the starting spot at RB going into 2018/19 and at worst gives us a decent weapon on passing plays. I have faith in him to surprise next season and for that reason, give him a slightly better grade than he may deserve.

R7.35 - Chad Kelly QB : INC

Has all the physical tools but has he matured? We will see, and I hope he is the clear cut QB3 next season. Really wish we got to see him this year.

 

As honest and sober an assessment as I have seen around here.

I do disagree slightly on your evaluation of Jake Butt, he would have been a 2nd round pick in a draft class that was TE rich. I'm not worried about him coming back from his injury and making a real impact next year so long as a) we get a real QB and b) can find some sort of identity on offense. Is he the next Jason Witten as some compared him to? No. But I see him carving out a nice long career here and being a fan favorite who makes big plays in big moments and is a locker room leader, think Heath Miller. 

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21 hours ago, AnAngryAmerican said:

As honest and sober an assessment as I have seen around here.

I do disagree slightly on your evaluation of Jake Butt, he would have been a 2nd round pick in a draft class that was TE rich. I'm not worried about him coming back from his injury and making a real impact next year so long as a) we get a real QB and b) can find some sort of identity on offense. Is he the next Jason Witten as some compared him to? No. But I see him carving out a nice long career here and being a fan favorite who makes big plays in big moments and is a locker room leader, think Heath Miller. 

No one can argue the pick value at 5.01 for Butt.  And he's very refined technique-wise.   But keep in mind that the ACL injury was Butt's 2nd - and athleticism was his weakest asset.   First ACL has great outcomes...2nd is a lot iffier. So there could be a critical loss in ability that translates more to being JAG as an inline TE.  But there's hope for sure, and personally I still have high hopes for him.

Still,  we should explore getting another TE to go along with Butt & Huerman in Day 3 - Huerman's contract is up after this year, and as we are all aware, TE takes the longest of all positions to learn - so getting a seam-buster move TE who is athletically gifted in Rd 5+ is a perfect fit here.   By 2019 Huerman in all likelihood won't be worth keeping, even if Butt pans out to his 90th-percentile outcome.

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