It's Like, More Interesting Than the Actual Games

I'm sure you're thinking - yeah all this sewer and accounting and band stuff is great, but can you please just get back to the football?

The NFL draft starts tonight. "Starts" is the key word - we can't get this done in one day or even two. It's now a three-day event.

The Denver Broncos have the #2 overall pick - their highest selection in a draft during my lifetime. Who are they going to pick? Well, it really depends on who you ask. It kind of sounds like it is narrowed down to four players: DT Marcell Dareus of Alabama, DT Nick Fairley of Auburn, CB Patrick Peterson of LSU, or LB Von Miller of Texas A&M. They're all defensive players, which is good. If the Broncos spent all of their picks in the 2011 draft on defensive players, I don't think it would be overkill.

I guess the way I feel about how the Broncos should approach this #2 pick is this - whoever you think has the best chance to be an All-Pro-type player for you for the next 10 years, pick that guy. Don't mess around with figuring out where you most need help or taking gambles. After pretty much blowing a decade's worth of drafts, the Broncos cannot afford to blow the highest draft choice they've had in the Super Bowl era.

Unfortunately, it may not be that simple. If the Broncos followed my logic, their choice would probably be Patrick Peterson. The problems are that cornerbacks never get picked that high, and the Broncos already have Champ Bailey. So what good does it do to have two Pro Bowl cornerbacks when you don't have a defensive line?

A lot of people like Von Miller as the Broncos #2 pick. And there's a lot to like - he led the nation with 17 sacks in 2009 and had 10.5 more in 2010. If there is one think the Broncos have struggled with for years, it's getting pressure on the quarterback. The problem is that he played defensive end his junior year, and then converted to a 3-4 outside linebacker his senior year. With the Broncos, he would be playing 4-3 outside linebacker. Traditionally, the Broncos haven't had much luck with this type of hybrid DE/LB type. See Ayers, Robert and Moss, Jarvis. So even though he is compared to former Kansas City Chief and Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas as a pass rusher, there's just no way to know for sure.

Marcell Dareus seems to be the consensus pick among national pundits. And if he's available at #2, the Broncos should probably take him. Not because he may end up being the best in the long run, but because he's what the Broncos most "need" right now and is probably the lowest risk.

Who do the Broncos most want to pick? None of the above, most likely. I'm sure they would love to to trade the pick for multiple lower picks. I don't necessarily agree. One of the reasons they have plateaued in recent history is because they were never quite bad enough to get into the top 10 or top 5 of the draft and pick up a real difference maker. Instead, they were left to take chances on dudes like Willie Middlebrooks and Jarvis Moss.

What complicates the whole matter is that no one really seems to know what the Carolina Panthers will do with the number #1 overall pick. Some of the local talk guys are thinking the Panthers will take Dareus rather than an offensive player. So that could mess up the Broncos' plans for tonight.

We'll see what happens. Keep in mind I don't actually know anything and I'm just regurgitating what I hear and read. I haven't actually seen any of these guys play because I don't believe in college football.