No. 12

Pick by Mile High Report Derrick Harvey Defensive End Florida

Intrigue!  Using the #12 overall selection in the 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Denver Broncos have pulled the first left-field selection of the draft and chosen Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida.  The pick may surprise, but TheSportsGuru, who heads up the intelligent group of Broncos fans over at Mile High Report, explains his thought process:

  Surprise!  Let me start by saying I have no desire to choose at #12 and I don’t think the Broncos do either.  Trading down, possibly with Minnesota (which happened in the MHR Community Mock Draft), is my first preference.  The Broncos are without a 3rd round pick and if they can recover that while moving down a few spots in the first round they’ll jump at it.  In this scenario, however, I don’t have the luxury and need to make a choice.  The popular pick the entire "draft season" has been the O-Line.  While it is a distinct possibility, Mike Shanahan has proven, despite several draft mishaps, that he can develop young offensive linemen drafted in the late rounds.  The one exception, George Foster, was actually a first round selection.  I just can’t put my brain around the Broncos drafting a lineman at #12.

With that said, I started looking elsewhere.  I was intrigued by the running back possibility, either Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart.  Both will be solid pros, but both have their share of question marks.  Stewart is coming off toe surgery and Mendenhall has quirks in his running style that could lead to injuries and issues holding onto the football.  The Broncos also have a need at receiver but not enough to take a chance on a guy like DeSean Jackson at #12.  That lead me back to the real problem area on the Broncos right now, the defense, specifically the pass rush.  For that reason I took the best athlete available on the defensive Line, DE Derrick Harvey from Florida.  A freakish athlete, Harvey has racked up 30 tackles for a loss and 15.5 sacks the past two seasons. Sure, the Broncos drafted two DEs last year, and have emerging star Elvis Dumervil, but each of these guys does something different.  Jarvis Moss, last season’s first round pick and former teammate of Harvey’s in Gainesville, is going to be a solid up-field pass rusher.  The knock on him coming out of school was his inability to stay healthy and that has proven itself already.  Tim Crowder, a 2007 2nd round selection from Texas, is a bigger DE, solid against the run.  At 5’9", Dumervil is on the small side, but has the "wing-span" of a much bigger player.  He can wear down as a game goes on however and needs to be more consistent to be a three down player.  Harvey, at 6’4" and 271 pounds is the best of all worlds, allowing the other three guys I just mentioned to play to their roles more effectively.  He also plays with that "mean streak" you want from a defensive end.  The Broncos also have John Engleberger for depth, but Harvey would be an immediate upgrade.

This is surely to be a controversial pick, especially since the Broncos used their top two picks last year on ends.  Having too many solid pass-rushers is never a bad thing, and the Broncos' inability to get pressure on the quarterback with the front 4 has been a huge problem.  It’s useless to have Champ Bailey and Dre Bly when you can’t get to the opposing QB.  Derrick Harvey will get to the quarterback and help the Broncos get back to the playoffs.

Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

I may be the one person outside Denver that really likes Ryan Harris as the team's future left tackle. I fully expect him to move into that role this year and not give it up until he retires. With that being said, Harvey gives Denver something they thought they were getting with Jarvis Moss: an athletic edge rusher. The only complaint about this pick is that Denver spent three high-round picks last year on the defensive line. With Brandon Marshall a huge question mark and little talent behind him, wide receiver would have been a solid "need" pick. If Denver is trying to copy-cat the New York Giants athletic front-four, this pick will help get them there.

Grade: B  ::  Derrick Harvey Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining - 1.  OT Ryan Clady, 2.  CB Mike Jenkins, 3.  RB Rashard Mendenhall, 4.  RB Jonathan Stewart, 5.  WR Limas Sweed

We're 12 selections deep and have no intention of slowing down.  We continue our selection process this afternoon at 3PM, when the Carolina Panthers will make their selection.  That means that Jaxon, lead dog at Cat Scratch Reader, is now on the clock.