The Denver Broncos may have had the future No. 2 pick visit Dove Valley on Tuesday. Both Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson came to Colorado for interviews with John Elway, head coach John Fox and general manager Brian Xanders, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
Both players have been connected to the Broncos and the No. 2 overall pick for the last several months, given the team's needs on the defensive side of the ball. Dareus (who goes to the Broncos in the latest SB Nation 2011 NFL mock draft) would provide an anchor to stop the rush, something the team failed to do in 2010, and help kick start the return to a mainly 4-3 defense. Peterson, meanwhile, would be able to pair up with Champ Bailey in the secondary and provide immediate help against the pass. They would be one of the top cornerback pairings in the league from the start of the season (whenever that may actually be).
However, there is still that one lone report of the Broncos exploring trades out of the No. 2 pick with the Cardinals and the Redskins. If the Broncos could pull any trade down (the team moving up would likely select Missouri's Blaine Gabbert), they could still draft either Dareus or Peterson, depending on how far down they move. Still picking somewhere in the top five picks would likely give a chance at either player, but a move to No. 10 where the Redskins pick would mean picking a player such as Da'Quan Bowers, who has fallen due to questions over the long-term health of his knee.
The NFL Draft runs April 28-30.