Denver Broncos 2011 Mock Draft Part One

It’s still very early, way too early to really predict who teams will be looking at in next year’s draft. I say that simply because when people are making mock drafts this early, there’s no balance between selecting for immediate need and building for the future. For instance, it’s easy to say the Colts would love to have Andrew Luck on the roster–right now–but in April that may not be the case.

Still, this is a draft site, and mocking the draft is extremely fun, so here’s a Broncos mock draft based on their current power ranking position on ESPN.com, which is 24th, giving us the ninth pick in the first round.

1. First R0und, 9th overall: Dre’ Kirkpatrick, Cornerback, Alabama

I know Jesse had talked about Kirkpatrick being picked by the Giants potentially, and that’s certainly a possibility. I don’t foresee Kirkpatrick falling that far, but if you had told me that Prince Amukamara would last until the 20th pick in this past year’s draft, I would have probably laughed at you.

The same is certainly possible for Kirkpatrick, but I like him as a top notch option for the Broncos at this point in the first round. He is a big, athletic defender who has tons of potential, though he is still pretty raw. John Elway outlined the top four building blocks for a successful franchise as a quarterback, pass rush, left tackle, and cornerbacks, and Kirkpatrick would certainly be the next step in the Broncos’ quest to return to prominence.

Champ Bailey has said he would like to switch off to safety at some point in his career, and that transition may have already started as he is playing nickel cornerback for the Broncos in 2011 with Andre’ Goodman and Cassius Vaughn manning the cornerback spots for Denver.

Adding Kirkpatrick would give the Broncos a blue-chip prospect at the cornerback position and a guy who could step in right away and help them.