With the forty-sixth pick in the 2011 BGN Mock Draft, David_K selects...
Kyle Rudolph - TE, Notre Dame
So far in this draft, the Broncos have been drafting defensively with CB Patrick Peterson and DT Marvin Austin- two strong players that should make an immediate impact. While there are still many holes in this defense, I am going to go with an offensive pick. Kyle Rudolph is the best tight end coming into this draft. He's got great size at 6'6" 265.
Now, I know, I know.... nobody likes Notre Dame so I am expecting to hear from a lot of naysayers, but there's no denying that he is a solid blocker with excellent catching ability. Especially with RT being a weak spot for the Broncos, Rudolph will be able to pick up some slack and help bring the Broncos out of the "top 10 most sacked" club.
The Broncos' Daniel Graham is 32 years old and just not cutting it anymore. Also, any time you can get a #1 prospect in their respective position with the 46th pick, you should jump on it. I debated choosing an ILB, but decided against it due to the depth of LB's still available: Greg Jones, Bruce Carter, Quan Sturdivant, Brooks Reed, KJ Wright... the list goes on. The Broncos can still grab good LBs down the line (which they desperately need). I also thought about Safeties, but there aren't really any worth taking this high especially after drafting Peterson. That being said, I think most picks after this one should weigh heavily on the defensive side of the ball.
More after the jump...
In the last six years, a Bronco's tight end has only gone over 300 yards receiving once, and the following number of touchdowns since from 05-10 (six seasons) starting with the most recent: 0, 1, 4, 2, 2, 3. That's not much offensive help. With a team that is ranked 7th in passing yards and tied for only 15th in TD's, they need help in the red zone. This is where Rudolph with his large size and dependable hands comes into play. He reminds me of a young Tony Gonzales. With his blocking ability and red zone assistance, I think Rudolph would make a great fit with the Broncos.
The one glaring downside to this is that he injured his hamstring last season that eventually became a season-ending injury (missed last 6 games). He was actually on pace to having a record-breaking season at Notre Dame. Luckily, hamstrings most always heal back 100% as opposed to ACL/MCL injuries so I do not think it will be a problem in his future. He participated during his pro day at a very high level and showed he is fully recovered.
Next on the clock will be firstroundpick with the St. Louis Rams.
Previous Picks: 1 - Nick Fairley 2 - Patrick Peterson 3 - Blaine Gabbert 4 - Cam Newton 5 - Von Miller 6 - Marcell Dareus 7 - Prince Amukamara 8 - A.J. Green 9 - Da'Quan Bowers 10 - Corey Liuget 11 - Robert Quinn 12 - Julio Jones 13 - Tyron Smith 14 - Jimmy Smith 15 - Mark Ingram 16 - Cameron Jordan 17 - Ryan Kerrigan 18 - Anthony Castonzo 19 - Mike Pouncey 20 - Adrian Clayborn 21 - Phil Taylor 22- Stephen Paea 23 - Brandon Harris 24 - Aldon Smith 25 - Gabe Carimi 26 - Torrey Smith 27 - Justin Houston 28- J.J. Watt 29 - Nate Solder 30 - Akeem Ayers 31- Derek Sherrod 32 - Cameron Heyward 33- Muhammad Wilkerson 34 - Allen Bailey 35 - Jabaal Sheard 36 - Marvin Austin 37 - Jonathan Baldwin 38 - Jake Locker 39 - Colin Kaepernick 40 - James Carpenter 41 - Christian Ponder 42 - Aaron Williams 43 - Ryan Mallett 44 - Rahim Moore 45 - Leonard Hankerson