Broncos draft approach needs to be as simple as three letters: BPA

The NFL Draft is here! Starting on Thursday, the draft kicks off and it’s one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar. The NFL Draft is just players getting picked, but it will regularly draw more viewers than the NBA Finals, World Series, or Stanley Cup Final.

I like when it’s time to make the picks you’ve spent months preparing for. The future of the NFL is coming, and I’d like the Broncos to have a bright future. That happens with a good draft.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep Wrangler TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Quarterback Carousel

It’s no doubt that quarterbacks make this league go round. In the world of the NFL Draft, things are no different. Last year, there was only one first-round quarterback selected (Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers). This year, there could be four or five passers selected on Thursday night.

However, where they’re going to land is going to be different than what we anticipated a month or so ago. At least that’s where the news cycle is at with less than a week to go. I know that April is the month of lies, so take this new trend with a block of salt. However, we might see quarterback go no.1 overall and then not see a passer go off the board until the Indianapolis Colts at no.4 overall. In the top-10, we might see four quarterback’s total.

It looks like Bryce Young (Alabama) is going to be the no.1 overall pick for the Carolina Panthers. Reports about a month ago indicated the team loved C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), but his stock seemed to take a tumble (perhaps for bogus reasons in my opinion).

.@DPBrugler wouldn't be surprised if the Texans pass on a QB with the #2 pick. pic.twitter.com/dJgl0lrSkM

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) April 21, 2023

On Thursday night, we’ll see if someone like Stroud falls in the draft. I doubt it happens, or I doubt he falls as far as some think he could. When it comes time to draft a quarterback, Stroud should be among the first 10 picks.

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Always BPA

I was over the moon when general manager George Paton insisted the Broncos would draft the best player available. That statement was music to my ears because drafting BPA is the best strategy in the draft.

Fans want the Broncos to fill their needs and draft for the future. That’s fine, but it can be short-sighted when it comes to properly building a roster. Draft for the future but take the best players. There is a long-standing sentiment in the NFL that the teams who draft BPA just show up and beat the other teams because they have better players. That’s a simplification of things, but it does ring true.

The draft is constantly in motion, and you never know what kind of talent is going to fall within your range.

Every time someone says to me that they think a team should draft someone because there’s an immediate hole, part of me dies. I despise the notion of drafting based on a depth chart. If a team goes about their business that way, they’re absolutely screwed.

— Honest NFL
(@TheHonestNFL) April 23, 2023

It’s always BPA. Teams that draft for need are doing it wrong. Teams who try to build exclusively through free agency have no true long-term plan. The draft gives you the depth you need to compete every year. Winning now is fine, but winning from now on is the key to sustained success.

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Minimize Your Misses… But Learn From Them

Everybody misses in the NFL Draft. We’re in the time of year when NFL fans are tweeting about the time Mel Kiper said JaMarcus Russell had some John Elway to his game. Others love to remind me when I have an opinion on a player that I had a first-round grade on Paxton Lynch.

It’s something I’ve never shied away from.

I think it’s ridiculous when draft analysts act like they never miss. If you say you never miss, then you’re lying – plain and simple. Misses are part of the game. It’s like basketball. You’re going to take your shot, and not all of them are going to go in. The point is to put in the work to ensure that most of your shots go in. That’s why I’ve always promised the listening audience and my readers that nobody will outwork me when it comes to the draft. I’m not going to be right on every player, but I will give you my best effort to bring forth the best information about these prospects.

I learn more from my misses than I do from my hits. When someone like CB Tariq Woolen hits, I simply nod my head and go back to the whole “4.2 speed, 6’4” corner” thing. When someone like McTelvin Agim misses, I go back to the why. Agim was a player I had rated in my top-50 in the 2020 NFL draft, and I was elated when the Broncos picked him up in the third round that year at pick 95. I won’t go into why he missed here, and how the Broncos perhaps misused him, but that kind of miss makes me reseach what I’m seeing. I always talk to former pros and current players when breaking down film. They see things faster than me, and their knowledge is an important resource as I continue to learn about these players.

In fact, that’s one of my favorite things about the draft; you’ll never know everything. My personality means that when I get into something, I REALLY get into it. The draft has always been a love of mine because of how much time and research goes into this inexact science. The draft is not a crapshoot; that’s one of the dumbest things you can say about the process. However, the draft is not a science – and it’s that pursuit of knowledge in scouting that drives me to work as hard as I do every year.

Fifteen years ago, Todd McShay said that he believed Brian Brohm’s upside was “greater” than that of Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers selected Brohm 56th overall at the 2008 NFL Draft.

Brohm ended up not playing a SINGLE snap for the Packers.

Brohm started just two games during his… pic.twitter.com/Ruc9yNJ7q6

— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) April 22, 2023

I don’t want to have any misses, but going into this process I know some players won’t work out the way I’ve forecasted them to. This is a humbling experience every year, but it’s one that I cherish. I love the draft. I mean, I love the draft – and as I always say “glory to the players, glory to the game” and the draft is one event where it’s all about the future and making the most of the opportunities in front of you. That sort of “great unknown” is one of my main attractions into draft evaluation.

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Flash Forward

This is a big week for me personally. First and foremost, it’s the NFL Draft coming up on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Along with football, anybody who knows me knows that I love comic books. That means I love (most) comic book movies, and Batman is my favorite superhero of all time.

So, coming up on Thursday is the relase of “The Flash” which includes a multiversal story with two Batmans in it; Michael Keaton (from 89 Batman) and Ben Affleck (from Zack Snyder’s DCEU). I know there is public outrage every time a new Batman actor is announced, see the reaction when Robert Pattinson was announced to play the Caped Crusader in 2022’s “The Batman.”

I take a wait-and-see approach. I’m old enough to remember when people didn’t like the idea of Keaton playing Bruce Wayne, and he turned in all-time performances in both “Batman (89)” and “Batman Returns.” In fact, Keaton is my Batman. The late 80s and early 90s were my heyday when I was a kid, and Keaton’s Batman was mind blowing at the time. To this day, I still appreciate his performance as Batman. Therefore, I’m over the moon to see what his Batman has been up to. It’s going to be an incredibly busy week, but I will be making time – at least on Saturday after the draft – to see “The Flash” in the theater. With the early reviews coming in, it sounds like a movie I will be seeing multiple times.

Back in 1989, no one wanted Michael Keaton to play Batman. Hundreds of letters were written to WB. Not emails, not tweets – actual letters! Then the film came out & it was a MASSIVE hit. Always bet on Keaton. Can’t wait to see #TheFlash this Tuesday!pic.twitter.com/YKI5O78msk

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) April 22, 2023

Are you looking forward to “The Flash” in theaters this week? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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