NFL draft roundup: Reviewing the Broncos' selection of Tebow and reaction to the pick
ENGLEWOOD – Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels put his reputation on the line Thursday night.
Plenty of critics don’t think Tim Tebow, for all his accomplishments at Florida, could be an effective NFL quarterback. The Broncos took him with the 25th pick of the NFL draft. That was Denver’s most controversial pick, but about a half hour earlier they made another pick that could also be second guessed.
Denver, after the third of their four trades on Thursday, selected Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas with the 22nd overall pick. Thomas was selected ahead of Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant, widely considered to be the most talented receiver in the draft.
McDaniels’ legacy could be defined by how those two very intriguing picks – especially the Tebow selection - work out.
“I want to repay Josh McDaniels for the faith he showed in me,” Tebow said. “I want to be a great quarterback.”
Tebow was the most talked-about player coming into the draft. The deeply religious Tebow was even a story during the Super Bowl, when he appeared in a television ad for Focus on the Family.
The questions about Tebow were all about on-field deficiencies, even though he won the 2007 Heisman Trophy. He mostly worked out of the shotgun in college, which won’t be the case in the NFL. His biggest strength as a quarterback at Florida might have been as a runner. His release, in which he dipped the ball down near his hip, was criticized. Yet, the Broncos took him ahead of Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who some thought could be a top 10 pick.
McDaniels and Tebow avoided the question of when Tebow could be a starter in the NFL. McDaniels called Kyle Orton his starting quarterback. McDaniels did say Tebow could be immediately included in certain packages that take advantage of his athleticism.
Unlike many players who slip in the draft, Tebow’s intangibles were never in question. He was lauded as one of the best leaders in college football, a clean-cut person who played hard on the field. Thomas is similar. He credited his Christianity for keeping him on the right path.
“I always told myself I didn’t want to get myself in a position to get in trouble, so I’ve always been around the right crowd,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ big day was overshadowed, although he was selected before Tebow. The question surrounding Thomas will be if the Broncos drafted the right receiver. Bryant has been criticized for some off-field issues, although McDaniels said Bryant’s off-field issues didn’t affect the selection. Bryant went with the 24th pick to Dallas.
McDaniels liked Thomas’ size (6-2, 229 pounds) and big-play ability (25.1 yards per catch last year).
“We like Demaryius Thomas … (Thomas) was higher than Dez Bryant,” McDaniels said.
McDaniels made four trades Thursday, starting with a move down from the 11th pick. At the end of the flurry, the Broncos had acquired the 22nd, 25th and 87th overall picks, and lost the 43rd and 114th overall picks that they owned before the draft.
Today, the Broncos have the 45th pick in the second round and the 80th and 87th picks in the third round. When the draft finishes with the final four rounds Saturday, Denver has no fourth-round pick, one each in the fifth and sixth rounds, and none in the seventh.
Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall are out, replaced by Tebow and Thomas. McDaniels was asked if the first day of the draft, which will be dissected for years to come, was ideal for him.
“Pretty close,” McDaniels said. “100 percent? 95 percent? I don’t know. Pretty close. It was a good one.”
