The Broncos traded up to select Richard Quinn with the last pick of Day #1 of the NFL Draft.  Quinn is 6′3″, 260 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40.  But, the reason the Broncos selected Quinn is because he’s a great run blocker operating like a extra tackle on the end of the O-Line.  Quinn played 3 seasons for North Carolina covering 34 games (19 starts) in which he caught 12 passes for 124 yards (10.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Quinn to contribute in the running game for the Broncos in 2009.

The Broncos wanted to draft a safety to develop for the future and McBath looks like a darn good prospect.  He’s a converted cornerback who has outstanding speed (4.45 40) and he is 6′0″, 199 pounds.  McBath played in 45 games (39 starts) at Texas Tech and he made 224 tackles, broke up 20 passes, had 12 interceptions (173 yards), forced 2 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  McBath is a future starter in the secondary for the Broncos.

The Broncos traded up to select Alphonso Smith who should immediately be the nickel back and maybe more as a rookie in 2009.  Smith is on the short side at 5′8″, 193 but he’s fast (4.45 40).  Make no mistake though, Smith is a playmaker.  Smith played in 51 games (40 starts) in his 4 seasons with Wake Forest and he made 188 tackles, broke up 40 passes, had 21 interceptions (254 yards), forced 8 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Smith is likely a future impact player for the Broncos’ defense.

The Denver Broncos decided to help fix the defensive line with their 2nd pick of the first round.  Ayers is 6′3″, 273 pounds and he runs a 4.85 40 so he’s athletic enough to get into the backfield of the opposing team as long as he stays motivated.  Ayers played in 48 games (14 starts) at Tennessee and he made 119 tackles, 32.5 tackles for a loss, had 9.5 sacks and he batted down 4 passes.  Ayers is a good run defender but he needs a little work on pass rushing, still, he does have a good upside and the Broncos definately need help along the front line on defense.

Head coach Josh McDaniels just couldn’t pass up adding a big piece for his offense when he selected running back Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick of the first round.  Moreno plays with power as he always seems to be moving forward.  The 5′10″, 215 pound Moreno should fit right in with the Broncos this season as he should be the leading rusher in 2009 and beyond.  He played 2 seasons for the Georgia Bulldogs carrying the ball 498 times for 2,797 yards (5.6 ypc) with 30 TD runs.  He also caught 53 passes for 645 yards (12.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career at Georgia.  This was a great pick for the Broncos.