With the Second Pick in the 2011 Dawgs By Nature Mock Draft, the Denver Broncos Select...

With the second pick in the 2011 Dawgs By Nature Community Mock Draft, the Denver Broncos select...

Marcell Dareus, DT, University of Alabama

This selection and write-up was made by Bernie19Kosar:

This was tough. I almost went with Patrick Peterson and Da'Quan Bowers. I even put myself in the shoes of John Elway (I seriously threw up in my mouth writing that) and thought about taking A.J. Green.

But when it breaks down, the Broncos didn't lose many games last season because they couldn't score, they lost because they couldn't stop a running nose, let alone a running back. Darren McFadden scored 27 times against them in one week (it's true, I looked it up on Wikipedia).

With the Broncos switching to a 4-3, they need bodies up front. Bowers would have been nice at DE, but you figure Elvis Dumervil to bounce back and bring some nice pass rush off of the edge. What the Broncos need is a pocket-collapsing, run-stuffing monster that can clog the middle. Dareus is the best DT in this draft. He played injured his senior season, yet was still a major factor for the Tide. He has amazing strength and athleticism that should be illegal in a man his size. He and Dumervil should be a match-up problem for the rest of the AFC West for years to come.

Dareus would step in right away and give the Broncos' run defense a boost. He needs to work on his pass rush, but the tools are there. He could be a Richard Seymour/Kevin Williams type player in the future. Very high upside. I hate helping John Elway. On second thought, I pick Ryan Leaf!

Just how well did the Broncos do at defending the run last season? They averaged giving up 154.6 yards per game on the ground, good for 31st in the league. They also had the lowest number of sacks in the NFL with 23, which was three sacks behind the next closest team. As much as Cleveland needs defensive help up front after releasing Shaun Rogers and Kenyon Coleman, the Broncos need it just as much. A receiver might be the more exciting pick for Denver, but if they want to contend next season, they need to get their defense together again. Marcell Dareus should contribute to that effort.

The Buffalo Bills are on the clock next (email has been sent to discoinferno083).