This may sound a bit strange, though, it is probably accurate.
The longest tenured member of the most popular team in our area is somebody you might pass on the street and maybe not even recognize. Think about it: Tom Nalen has been with the Broncos since they picked him in the 7th round of the 1994 NFL Draft, but because of where he plays----on the offensive line----he may go abit under the radar. In itself, this seems a bit perplexing becuase you could argue Nalen helped lead the unit that allowed the Broncos to be the rushing envy of every team in the NFL for many years. Although, when you play a position that goes barely noticed, you get barely noticed.
It looks as though that is about to change.
The Broncos have a huge hole at left tackle and need somebody to fill it. Ryan Clady, the team's first round pick, has said he is prepared to compete for that starting spot. That sounds great, but whoever wins the position better play great, since it will be quarterback Jay Cutler's blindside he will be charged with trying to protect.
Will we see the highly skilled but barely experienced Clady start? If we do, is there any reason for concern? Let's check.
Clady was picked 12th overall by the team in April.
In the last ten NFL Drafts, these players were picked at the tackle position at or higher than Clady was. Overall draft number is denoted in the parentheses.
2008- Jake Long (1).
2007- Joe Thomas (3) and Levi Brown (5).
2006-D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4).
2005-None Picked Higher Than Ryan Clady.
2004-Robert Gallery (2).
2003-Jordan Gross (8).
2002-Mike Williams (4) and Bryant McKinnie (7).
2001-Leonard Davis (2).
2000-Chris Samuels (3).
1999-None Picked Higher Than Ryan Clady.
With that, only 10 players drafted on the offensive line in the last decade have been higher selections than Claddy was. The results of the previous group are mixed.
From an analytical standpoint I would rate them this way:
Highly Above Expected Level: Thomas and Davis.
Above Expected Level: Gross and Samuels.
At Expected Level: Brown, Ferguson, and McKinnie.
Below Expected Level: Gallery and Williams.
Incomplete: Long, until he plays a down in an NFL game.
Of those players, only two have performed way above expections, in my personal estimation. Only five total were at least at the immediate expected level of performance. Two of the ten struggled. Those two teams, Oakland and Buffalo, still are looking for a combination that will work. I guess what I am trying to say is that this is a spot you just can't miss at. You can take a tackle that fails to flourish and move him elsewhere on the offensive line to give you security at another position. Though, even with that, you still have to fill that hole at tackle once the player moves over to another place on the interior line. Free agent tackles are very expensive, but worth the cash. Walter Jones received.$52.5 million from the Seahawks and Steve Hutchinson got a $49 million offer from the Vikings. In that span, Shaun Alexander and Adrian Petersen have been able to shine playing behind Jones and Hutchinson respectively.
As the Denver line continues to fade, so has their rushing attack. They need Clady to perform well, to not just protect Cutler and help the running attack, but to be a indicator of measured team success for many seasons to come.
Have a nice day.
-"z"
