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2012 NFL Draft: Broncos Making Progress On Signing Draft Picks

2012-05-16T20:05:10Z

The Denver Broncos are beginning to near contract agreements with a variety of their 2012 draft picks, as Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports. Klis notes that the contracts should ultimately be quite similar to contracts given to players drafted in the same slot last year given the minimal change in the league's salary cap.

Here's an outline of the team's top three picks and what Klis believes they'll receive based on last year's contracts:

No. 36 overall pick DT Derek Wolf will likely receive something around a four-year deal worth $7.6 million with at least the first two years of the deal being guaranteed.
No. 57 overall pick QB Brett Osweiler will likely receive a four-year deal worth about $3.04 million, a fairly cheap deal for a young quarterback as Klis adds.
No. 67 overall pick RB Ronnie Hillman will likely receive something around a four-year, $2.75 million deal. The Broncos gave that contract to linebacker Nate Irving last year after taking him with the same No. 67 pick.

The Broncos are also negotiating with four other draft picks, including fourth-round pick Omar Bolden.

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft. Keep abreast of all matters regarding the Denver Broncos at the Broncos blog Mile High Report.

2012 NFL Draft: Colorado Alum OL Ryan Miller Signs With Browns

2012-05-10T20:44:36Z

The Colorado Buffaloes nations got some good news on Thursday when it was announced that former Buffaloes lineman Ryan Miller had agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns:

#Browns have agreed to terms of a four-year deal with fifth-round pick Ryan Miller, a league source told the Beacon Journal. #NFL
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) May 10, 2012

Miller was a fifth-round draft pick for the Browns in the 2012 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-7, 321 pound lineman was selected with the pick the Denver Broncos traded to the Browns in exchange for backup QB Brady Quinn. Miller started four season for the Buffaloes and is expected to be able to play at either the offensive tackle or guard positions.

The 2011, the Browns finished the year with a 4-12 record, allowing 39 sacks for a 6.4% sack rate -- one of the worst in the NFL.

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft.

2013 NFL Mock Draft: Todd McShay Sees LB Manti Te'o To Broncos 1 Year Ahead Of Time

2012-05-04T15:55:51Z

Predicting the 2013 NFL Draft one year ahead of time is a fool's errand if anyone wants to take it as realistic assessment of what will happen. Still, a 2013 mock draft does give us some room to determine whom we should start looking at as we gear up for the fall seasons. ESPN Insider Todd McShay doesn't see the Broncos in the playoffs this coming season, as he has them selecting No. 18 overall in his 2013 mock draft.

He sees the Broncos going for Notre Dame Fighting Irish inside linebacker Manti Te'o with that pick. Te'o would have been a first-round selection had he come out last year as a junior. He made 128 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss and 5.0 sacks. At 6 feet 2 and 255 pounds, the Hawai'i native is gifted with the size to play middle linebacker.

The Broncos did sign Joe May to a multi-year deal this offseason and Nate Irving, a 2011 draft pick, is looking to make an impact, but a year from now neither may look to be a good option in between Von Miller and D.J. Williams (who is facing a six-game suspension for a drug violation, pending legal action).

Get ready for plenty of draft speculation later this fall!

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft. Keep abreast of all matters regarding the Denver Broncos at the Broncos blog Mile High Report.

2013 NFL Mock Draft: SI.com's Early Projection Has Texas DE Alex Okafor To Broncos

2012-05-03T16:38:23Z

We are one year away from the 2013 NFL Draft, but that doesn't stop anyone from predicting who will be selected in the event 12 months ahead of time. Over at SI.com, Andrew Perloff takes a stab at projecting the 2013 NFL Draft order and the players taken.

Based on the way things fall here, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos don't make the playoffs and receive the No. 17 overall draft pick. At this point, the Broncos select Texas Longhorns defensive end Alex Okafor:

The Broncos will jump on the tall, athletic defender. Okafor's linemate Jackson Jeffcoat will also get a lot of attention, but he's just a junior, and Mack Brown finds a way to get his players to stay through their senior year.

Okafor had 52 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a junior in 2011. He certainly appears to be a pass-rushing threat that any team could want. The Broncos already have Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller to attack the opposing quarterback, but it wouldn't hurt to have another outstanding talent there. Robert Ayers has never lived up to being a former first-round draft pick and Jason Hunter and the others are good for depth.

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft. Keep abreast of all matters regarding the Denver Broncos at the Broncos blog Mile High Report.

NFL Power Rankings: Broncos Move Up 8 Spots After Peyton Manning Signing, Draft

2012-05-02T14:09:30Z

The 2012 NFL Draft is over and major free agency happenings ended weeks ago, allowing evaluators and analysts a chance to determine how well or poorly teams have done this offseason. SB Nation's Joel Thorman has released his post-draft NFL power rankings, which sees the Denver Broncos in a favorable light at No. 12:

So this is where Peyton Manning and the Broncos land. If Manning is the same old Manning, then this team should quickly move into the top five. If he's not, it could be a long season with high expectations.

This is an eight-spot move from where the team was before the offseason began, but, as Thorman points out, this is all highly dependent on how Peyton Manning performs after missing the entire 2011 season. Going to either Caleb Hanie or rookie Brock Osweiler for an extended period of time this fall will surely make for much consternation from the fans, the players and the front office.

The Broncos do find themselves ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 19), the San Diego Chargers (No. 20) and the Oakland Raiders (No. 26). Well, for whatever good that actually means three months before training camp begins in August.

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft. Keep abreast of all matters regarding the Denver Broncos at the Broncos blog Mile High Report.

2012 NFL Draft: Broncos Given $4.02 Million Signing Pool

2012-05-01T17:47:33Z

According to Aaron Wilson of FOX Sports, the NFL has authorize the Denver Broncos will have $4.02 million to parse out among their seven draftees:

Broncos assigned rookie pool of $4.02 million. Total value of deals for seven picks can't exceed $22.11 million.
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) May 1, 2012

Here is a look at the players the Broncos took in the 2012 NFL Draft:

Round 2: DT Derek Wolfe
Round 2: QB Brock Osweiler
Round 3: RB Ronnie Hillman
Round 4: CB Omar Bolden
Round 4: G Philip Blake
Round 5: DE Malik Jackson
Round 6: OLB Danny Trevathan

The Broncos also signed a total of 13 undrafted rookies, who will not count against the team's rookie pool.

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft. Keep abreast of all matters regarding the Denver Broncos at the Broncos blog Mile High Report.

2012 NFL Draft: Broncos Sign WR Eric Page As UDFA

2012-04-30T18:34:19Z

The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms with WR Eric Page according to Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post. Page makes the 13th undrafted free agent (UDFA) signed by the Broncos and only one of two UDFA wide receivers.

Page played three season with the Toledo Rockets, joining the Broncos after his junior year in 2011. He collected over 1000 receiving yards per season with a total of 3446 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns and led the Rockets in receiving yards each of his three years with the school.

With All-Pro QB Peyton Manning entering the season as the Bronco's starter, Page will have an opportunity to join a highly dynamic offensive unit. In 2010, Manning's last full season in the NFL, four of his receivers had over 600 receiving yards with WR Reggie Wayne bringing in a team-high 1355 yards.

Head over to SB Nation NFL and Mocking the Draft for more on the 2012 NFL Draft.

2012 NFL Draft Grades: ESPN's Todd McShay Tabs Wolfe, Bolden As Broncos Most Interesting Picks

2012-04-30T17:33:08Z

ESPN's Todd McShay is one of the NFL Draft's most prominent analysts, but he didn't hand out any letter grades this year. That said, he did select two standout draft picks from each team, one that he thinks will have the most "impact" and one that he thinks is the most "intriguing." The Denver Broncos were light on picks both at the top of the draft and overall but McShay zeroed in on DT Derek Wolfe and CB Omar Bolden in his 2012 draft grades.

He calls Wolfe the Broncos' impact pick, complimenting Denver for trading back to fill its need at defensive tackle instead of reaching in the first round. McShay sees Wolfe pushing for a starting job this year thanks to his "length, quickness and intensity." Bolden is the most intriguing pick, and McShay believes that he could've been a second round pick as opposed to a fourth had he not missed nearly two entire seasons due to a torn ACL. McShay especially likes that Bolden is able to balance aggression and confidence with the ability to play under control.

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