NFL Draft Just Two Weeks Away

The 2011 NFL Draft, in which the Denver Broncos hold seven selections, is now just two weeks away. The first round of the 76th Draft in the history of the League will take place at 8pm (ET) on Thursday, April 28th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Fans planning on attending the draft, which is free but seating is limited, should be directed to NFL.com for complete information concerning the draft and how to arrange seats. The Broncos are also planning a Draft-day party for fans. For details, see the the team's official website, DenverBroncos.com.

Denver's first of seven selections is the 2nd overall pick, which they desire to use as trade bait to move down a few selections and acquire a few more picks. It may however, be hard to find a trade partner due to the uncertainty concerning a new rookie wage scale.

If the Broncos choose not to trade back in the draft (or simply cannot trade down), the most likely candidate to be announced as the second overall pick is Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. Denver mightily needs to address the front seven and Dareus is the best option.

However, Dareus may not be available (the Carolina Panthers hold the first overall selection and may draft the 6-4, 306 pound Junior). If that is the case, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson appears to be the next player on Denver's draft board.

Other options include Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley, Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers and several quarterback prospects.

Breaking Down Denver's Draft History Since 2000

The Denver Broncos hold the second overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft, and they would like to trade down. There are several teams that have expressed a desire to trade up to the number two spot, San Francisco and Arizona among them, and the Broncos hold all the cards.

With so many holes on defense, Denver needs more high round picks (to be able to draft more top-tier talent), so trading down would be ideal. However, unless a new rookie wage scale is agreed on before the draft, trading down would become highly unlikely.

“If it stays like it’s been there’s no way anybody’s trading,” said Head Coach John Fox last month.

If the NFL's proposed rookie compensation system goes through, and the Carolina Panthers select Auburn quarterback Cam Newton first overall, Denver would be in perfect position to choose between LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson and Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.

Or, as previously noted above, the Broncos could trade down and accumulate more picks and possibly find Dareus still on the board a few selections later, which would be ideal for Denver. That's the 'if's' and 'or's', here's the history:

In 1936, the Boston Redskins selected Riley Smith, a running back out of Alabama, second overall in the first ever NFL Draft. Over the last ten drafts, seven offensive players and three defensive players have been drafted second overall.

Since 2000, Denver has drafted ninety players out of fifty-seven different colleges in thirty states. In that same time span, the team has drafted seventeen defensive backs, five linebackers*, seven defensive tackles and eight defensive ends. *Linebacker Spencer Larsen would go on to play fullback.

On offense, the Broncos have drafted fifteen wide receivers, seventeen offensive linemen, ten running backs, three tight ends, six quarterbacks and two special teamers (one punter and one kicker), since the 2000 NFL Draft.

If you're doing the math, that totals thirty-seven defensive players , fifty-one offensive players and two special teamers drafted by Denver over the past eleven drafts. Clearly, the team has been offense minded in recent years.

The team has drafted more players from the state of Florida - with ten - than any other state. With that being the case, it makes sense that the five players drafted out of the University of Florida represent the most selected from one school by the team since 2000. Denver has drafted seven players from Texas-based schools during that same time period, the second most players drafted from one state by the team.

Behind UF's five players, Minnesota and Notre Dame are each represented by four players the Broncos have selected since 2000, followed by Oklahoma State and Miami (FL) who have had three players selected by Denver.

When the Denver Broncos drafted Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in 2010, it marked the first time in franchise history that the team had selected a former Heisman Trophy winner. Denver has not held a draft pick this high since 1991, when the team drafted linebacker Mike Croel fourth overall out of Nebraska. If they choose to not trade down, this will be the first time the Broncos have ever selected second overall in a draft.

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Broncos To Open Preseason In Dallas

The Denver Broncos will open the 2011 preseason on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, followed by two home games against the Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks and conclude the preseason in Arizona taking on the Cardinals, the team announced on Tuesday.

"We are looking forward to competing against four quality opponents and getting the season started," said Head Coach John Fox.

Although the team will be ready for a preseason, there may not even be one. Unless the owners and players can come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, the lockout could on go well into September.

Rumor has it...

The Denver Broncos have been in talks with the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, and Washington Redskins concerning trading down from the second overall pick, according to several reports... The New York Jets are interesting in pursuing wide receiver Randy Moss once the lockout has ended, per a source with knowledge of the situation... The Dallas Cowboys may part ways with running back Marion Barber this offseason and give a larger role in the offense to backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

Fans React To The Quarterback Situation

As has been previously touched on and speculated by yours truly, the Denver Broncos drafting a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft has become more and more of a realistic possibility.

So much so in fact, that today on Serious NFL Radio, it was predicted that Denver would trade quarterback Tim Tebow to the New England Patriots after the lockout has ended. The general belief is that Head Coach John Fox and Vice President of Football Operations John Elway are looking to hand pick their man, which is why so many have speculated that they'll do just that.

Yahoo! Sports writer Doug Farrar has the team selecting Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert second overall in the draft. There are also several other mocks coming out that have Denver selecting a quarterback in the first three rounds.

What do the fans think of all this?

"If they don't want him, they should trade him, give him a chance elsewhere. He won't succeed sitting on the bench," said George Murphy over twitter.

@JayDee711 acceded; "Send Tebow packing if it will give Denver more options. Send anybody you have to. I will still bleed Orange and Blue no matter what."

The logic of @BroncosForums was solid; "A lot of Broncos fans, not just Gator fans, have really caught Tebow fever. However, winning trumps a fever any day."

And then there are the Andrew Luck fans... "I dont believe they will get rid of Tebow. But I do believe that in next years draft they will do what they can to get Luck," said @BroncosFan619.

Of course, there is plenty of support for quarterback Tim Tebow among the fans, @deann16 providing a perfect example. "All I think is could we please give Tebow an actual chance at quarterback before throwing him out?"

In response to our tweet that Fox and Elway will do what they believe is best for the team and if drafting a quarterback will help them win more games so be it, @Bejar15 tweeted: "On the flip side if Tebow succeeds elsewhere and we don't, what then?"

Chiming in on our facebook page, Mandi Pacheco summarized what many Bronco fans feel when she posted, "We need to focus on the major issues we have, which is defense!" It's hard to argue with that. However, Denver holds four of the top seventy picks in the draft so they'll have plenty of other opportunities after their first two picks - in which they may select a quarterback - to stockpile the defense.

In the end, the majority of Bronco fans are supportive of Tim Tebow and opposed to the idea of drafting a quarterback. In a recent poll, over 70% of voters said they were overwhelming opposed to Denver drafting a quarterback while less than 30% answered "If this is what Fox and Elway think is best for the team, I'm behind it."

The Broncos will do what they think is best for the team however, and they won't make decisions based off fan polling. The 2011 NFL Draft is just 23 days away and all fans can do now is wait and see what unfolds. This will get interesting, stick with us for continuous coverage of the draft and free agency (although the free agency period may be limited due to the lockout).