NFL Draft 2012: Broncos An Intriguing Fit For QB Kellen Moore, Says ESPN's Steve Muench

Boise St. Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore is projected as a late-round quarterback prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft due to concerns about his arm strength and lack of height, but that doesn't mean he can't contribute at the next level. Steve Muench of ESPN profiled late-round QBs that could hold value, and he thinks Moore has something to offer a team like the Denver Broncos. The Broncos signed former Colorado St. Rams QB Caleb Hanie in the offseason, but Muench says Moore could still be the perfect No. 3 option as a late-round draft pick that could learn behind free agent prize and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Here is a bit of the analysis from Muench:

...the NFL is a bottom-line business, and there is no substitute for winners. Moore won more games (50) than any other quarterback in NCAA history, and he's at his best when the game is on the line. He doesn't have Wilson's mobility, but Moore is the son of a coach and makes sound decisions and has the potential to develop into another coach on the sideline.

Denver signed Caleb Hanie to back up Peyton Manning and he has some upside, but Hanie isn't the clear heir apparent and the Broncos could be in the market for a No. 3 quarterback. The idea of Moore learning the trade from Manning is intriguing to say the least, and the thin air in Denver would help him in terms of throwing the deep ball.

SB Nation's NFL Draft site, Mocking The Draft lists Moore as the No. 15 QB prospect in the 2012 draft class and offers a quick scouting report on the former Boise State star here.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft: George Iloka Of Boise State Headed To Packers In Wes Bunting's Round 2 Mock

Former Boise St. Broncos safety George Iloka has been busy preparing for the 2012 NFL Draft and is trying to show teams around the league he can be a big-time contributor at the next level, but Wes Bunting of the National Football Post has already organized his draft board and created a two-round mock for the 2012 NFL Draft. He has been pouring over the tape and evaluating the draft landscape, so what does the draft expert think about Iloka?

Bunting has the strong safety headed to the Green Bay Packers at pick No. 59, and here is why:

Iloka is a tall kid with solid balance for his size and has some natural athleticism and pop. Has experience playing corner and being a physical press coverage man. However, he isn't a guy who can quickly re-direct and close on the football in the deep half. He needs to play with his hands on defenders, but is a more coordinated bigger safety than say Seahawks starter Kam Chancellor and he could start at the next level.

Bunting says Iloka has the skill to be a starter in the NFL, which means he could be in high demand on draft day.

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2012 NFL Draft: Boise State's Shea McClellin Among 26 Players Invited To New York

The NFL has announced that 26 players have been invited to attend the 2012 NFL Draft on April 26, the day of the first-round of the draft, according to a press release. While we knew players such as quarterbacks Andrew Luck (projected No. 1 overall pick) and Robert Griffin III (projected No. 2 overall pick) would be no-doubters to attend the draft, the Boise St. Broncos also have a player invited: linebacker Shea McClellin.

This news would seemingly confirm that some team plans on taking McClellin in the first round of the draft. The last two Broncos to go in the first round were Kyle Wilson (29th overall, 2010) and Ryan Clady (12th overall, 2008). It's more than likely that McClellin is going to be drafted closer to No. 29 than No. 12, but that would still make him the first Broncos off the board -- that is, if running back Doug Martin isn't popped in the first round. Running backs do usually fall during the draft.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft: Todd McShay Predicts Steelers Will Select Boise State RB Doug Martin

Boise St. Broncos running back Doug Martin is only 5 feet 9 inches tall and 223 pounds, but he has impressed NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine and is primed to be taken in the first two rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft. Todd McShay of ESPN recently released his latest mock draft (Insider only), and he has Martin headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round with the No. 56 overall pick.

According to SB Nation's NFL draft blog, Mocking The Draft, Martin is the No. 6-rated running back prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft class, ahead of Oregon's LaMichael James and Utah State's Robert Turbin. One of the things that sets Martin apart is his ability to contribute in the passing game because of natural hands, quality route-running and effectiveness in pass protection.

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NFL Draft 2012: NFL.com's Gil Brandt Ranks 3 Boise State Players In Top 100

We're a week or so away from the 2012 NFL Combine and then will have the weeks after that for pro days to satisfy an appetite for ranking and mocking the 2012 NFL Draft. Over at NFL.com, Gil Brandt has come out with his pre-Combine Top 100 prospects list for the draft and we find three Boise St. Broncos players on the list.

At No. 49, defensive tackle Billy Winn is the highest-ranked Bronco while defensive lineman Shea McClellin comes in at No. 61 and running back Doug Martin is at No. 81. As Brandt notes, these are just his personal rankings and not how he thinks the draft will play out.

We've seen over the last few weeks that Martin's draft stock has reportedly been graded as first-round talent while he has also been downgraded due to his size (5 feet 9). The Combine will certainly put his future into sharper focus.

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2012 NFL Draft: Boise State's Doug Martin Reportedly Receives 1st Round Grades From Scouts

The Boise St. Broncos might have a first round draft pick in running back Doug Martin when all things are said and done. Martin has reportedly received a first round grade from scouts following the Senior Bowl, according to TFY Draft Insider Tony Pauline:

We continue to hear nothing but good things about Boise State running back Doug Martin off of last week. Several scouts have stamped Martin with a first round grade. And though a first round grade does not necessarily mean Martin ends up a top 32 pick, he won’t be far off.

The Broncos have never had a running back selected in the first round, and he would be just the third first round pick from Boise State if he did go in the first 32 picks. The Denver Broncos' Ryan Clady and the New York Jets' Kyle Wilson were drafted in the first round in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

The only running back who seems assured of going ahead of Martin is Alabama's Trent Richardson, a Heisman Trophy finalist.

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2012 NFL Draft: Doug Martin Raises Stock After Senior Bowl, According To SI's Tony Pauline

The 2012 Senior Bowl has come and gone and now it's time for the 2012 NFL Combine and pro day workouts to come before we have the big three-day event for the 2012 NFL Draft. But who helped raise their draft stock following Saturday's performances in the Senior Bowl? Boise St. Broncos running back Doug Martin was impressive all throughout practice and then he followed that up with a solid performance in the actual game. Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline names Martin as one of his draft risers following the game:

Martin had several nice runs during the game, but its [sic] the little things he did well that made him stand out. In the first quarter Martin did a terrific job picking up pass protection assignments and knocked Melvin Ingram from the action on one occasion. Later in the half his downfield block allowed Arizona State receiver Gerrell Robinson to waltz into the end zone. Even before the game scouts stamped Martin as an early second-round choice.

Martin appears to have allayed concerns over his height (5 feet 9), and if he can be an early second round choice, he certainly could sneak into the back of the first round if a team felt it needed to pick a back then or trade back in to make certain he would be available for them.

Right now, it appears that Martin an safety George Iloka are looking to be the first two Boise State players drafted in 2012.

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2012 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock Lists Boise State S George Iloka As No. 3 Safety

The last time the Boise St. Broncos had a first round draft pick came in 2010 when safety Kyle Wilson worked his way up to being the No. 29 overall pick by the New York Jets. Could the Broncos have a second first round pick at safety two years later in the 2012 NFL Draft? The NFL Network's Mike Mayock lists George Iloka as his No. 3 safety in this year's draft class, which might leave him outside of the first round.

Iloka has had an impressive showing in practice at the 2012 Senior Bowl this week, including a big interception. Iloka and Notre Dame's Harrison Smith are the top safeties at the Senior Bowl and both are looking to crack the first round. At moment, Alabama's Mark Barron appears to be the only safety who will go in the first round.

The NFL Draft doesn't take place until April 26, which leaves plenty of time for Iloka to move into the first round.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft: Doug Martin Projected As 1st Round Pick By Sporting News' Russ Lande

Boise St. Broncos running back Doug Martin is looking to impress scout at the upcoming Senior Bowl so that he can improve his 2012 NFL Draft stock. He's already been ranked as the No. 5 offensive prospect at the game by one analyst, but mere lists don't offer much help. So, he'll do that on the field. But is Martin already worthy of being a first-round draft pick? The Sporting News' Russ Lande has been on that bandwagon for several weeks and he still predicts the Cincinnati Bengals to take Martin with the 21st overall pick in the draft.

Related: Updated 2012 NFL Draft Order

Lande foresees the Bengals not wanting to give out a big contract to Cedric Benson, letting him walk as a free agent. Martin would then be able to take over the job. Lande describes Martin as a "strong, explosive" runner.

At this point, it's hard to say how many running backs will be drafted in the first round. Alabama's Trent Richardson appears to be the only one with a solid first-round pedigree. Height concerns will play a part in where the 5-foot-9 Martin will be drafted, but it likely won't be the overriding issue.

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2012 NFL Draft: Denver Broncos May Draft QB, But Not In 1st Round

The Denver Broncos are playing in the postseason, so they're likely not all in yet on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft. They'll need to soon, though, given the numerous places where the Broncos need to show improvement. One of those places might be quarterback, where Tim Tebow has had an up-and-down year for Denver, but Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes that fans shouldn't expect the team to select a quarterback in the first round.

But first round? The Broncos will take a cornerback, or a defensive tackle, or a linebacker or a running back. They won’t take a quarterback.

So, presumably, Denver will try to improve an already strong defense, or try to strengthen the running game with a better feature back. There are two legitimately elite QB talents in the 2012 draft- Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin III -- but neither of those players is expected to be available when the Broncos pick in the 20's. So rather than reach for a different quarterback, the expectation is that the Broncos will try to improve in other ways while giving Tebow another year to show that he can be a championship-caliber quarterback.

Klis notes that the Broncos do like some of the other quarterbacks in the draft, though, so they may use a later pick to select a new quarterback prospect. Names that Klis mentioned as possible options are Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, Arizona's Nick Foles, Arkansas' Tyler Wilson and Boise State's Kellen Moore.

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2012 NFL Combine: Boise State's Kellen Moore Receives Invitation

Boise State senior Kellen Moore has received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, as the quarterback told Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman. The event takes place Feb. 22-28 in Indianapolis, and showcases many of the draft's top prospects to the 30 NFL teams.

Moore has been one of the top quarterbacks in the nation over the past couple years while leading Boise State. He holds the all-time record for wins by a starting quarterback on an FBS team with a 50-3 career record and is a two-time All-American. He finished the 2011 season with a 74 percent completion rate, 3800 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

The quarterback isn't considered a major prospect for the sport's highest level of competition given his lack of size, but we've seen small quarterbacks prove doubters wrong before. Moore certainly didn't have trouble succeeding against the best that college football could offer.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft: Doug Martin Projected As 1st Round Pick In Russ Lande's Sporting News Mock

Will the Boise St. Broncos have a player selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft in April? If we believe Russ Lande's current mock draft for the Sporting News, running back Doug Martin could wind up being selected in the back end of the first round. He has Martin off the board at No. 24 and heading to the Cincinnati Bengals. Cedric Benson is a free agent and it would be cheaper to draft his replacement than give a big pay day.

Martin has been one of the more productive backs over the last two years, rushing for 2559 yards and 28 touchdowns. And maybe he'll have some of his draft stock knocked down for being 5 foot 9, but he is certainly at the top of the senior running backs. Depending on which underclassmen come out, Martin will see his stock move down until he starts playing in postseason games, doing individual workouts and participating in the Combine.

In this mock, Martin is the third running back off the board. Will we actually see three running backs taken within a span of six selections (Trent Richardson at No. 19, Lamar Miller at No. 21)? Running back is usually a position that sees its players fall in the draft.

For more on the Broncos, visit Boise State blog One Bronco Nation Under God. Head over to SB Nation NFL and SB Nation NCAA Football for more on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft

2012 NFL Draft: Kellen Moore Looking To Prove His NFL Doubters Wrong

This NFL quarterback had questions about his size before being drafted, eventually being selected with the fist pick of the second round in the NFL Draft. He played in a wide open offense, threw 88 touchdowns to 45 interceptions and finished wit ha 132.4 quarterback rating. This player is Drew Brees, the new single-season passing yards leader.

Why bring up Drew Brees? Kellen Moore is this year's quarterback who was insanely productive in college, but limited in his potential, draft evaluators say right now, because he barely reaches six-feet tall. Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel is not buying the height issue for Moore when it comes to the draft. Mandel makes the comparison to Brees, noting that Moore has been even more productive than Brees in college, but that he is knocked down on draft boards because of height and ill-defined notions of arm strength.

While no one is saying Moore is the next Brees, Mandel certainly isn't, there are still four months for the Boise St. quarterback to change the minds of NFL talent evaluators, teams and TV talking heads alike. As Stewart notes toward the end of the discussion:

As we've seen with Tim Tebow, it only takes one team seeing what the rest of us have been watching the past four years to decide to make an investment.

Let's see Moore work his way into a Day 2 draft pick.

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2012 NFL Mock Draft: Boise State's Billy Winn, Nate Potter Looking At Rounds 2 Or 3

The Boise State Broncos expect to have five or more players in the 2012 NFL Draft. Kellen Moore isn't predicted to go early, but his teammates might wind up in the second or third rounds.