How could things go if John Elway grabs a new heir to the orange throne?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos 2019 Draft ClassBroncos PodcastsBroncos 2019 ScheduleKey Offseason DatesCommunity RulesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕NFL DraftNFL Mock DraftBroncos Draft 2019Broncos Mock Draft Tuesday - The FranchiseNew Justin Hollins Denver Broncos Jersey ,147commentsHow could things go if John Elway grabs a new heir to the orange throne? Broncos Mock Draft Tuesday - The FranchiseThe Broncos have a QB. Now what? Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY SportsOne of the best parts of running Mock scenarios for me is dealing with the crippling decisions opportunity cost your faced with. There is no situation where that becomes more painfully apparent than when you grab a quarterback in the first and spend the rest of the draft trying to fill needs while finding good value. So I decided I’d try to do just that. If you hate the quarterback I went with, fill in your favorite signal caller. I’m not here to argue the merits of one QB over another (go here if you want that) but to show you how pulling the trigger will have a snowball effect on the entire draft.Let’s get after it.10. Dwayne Haskins - QUARTERBACKI thought I’d have to take Haskins over Oliver, but he went to the Bills. I kept this poll in mind as I made the pick, but if you want to believe I took Drew Lock here he was definitely on the board. (As an FYI- He’s always on the board at 10.) There is still some lingering doubt for me as to Haskins fit in the Scangarello offense because of his lack of mobility, but he’s certainly accurate. Every interview I’ve listened to has hammered home how smart he is, the Buckeye is a student of the game. Generally I’m leery of 1-year starters, but there are some who would argue it means he’s still ascending. I made a vow to let y’all believe. At least until Thursday.Now let’s build him a playoff team to step into down the road.41. Erik McCoy - CENTER/GUARDThis was tough. I looked at Jeffery Simmons and strongly considered it. While Simmons is injured, he’s also #6 on my Day 1 Big Board after all. His ceiling is enormous and the value is really good in the second, but if Haskins is pressed into duty year 1 (and let’s be honest, the vast majority of round 1 QBs see the field year 1) he’ll need strong protection up the middle. Playing in the SEC, McCoy has spent his entire career battling against future pros. He can step into a starting spot in camp and solve that position for the long term. He started every game the last 3 years at Texas A&M and should be ready to go from the opening day of training camp. 71. Jace Sternberger - TIGHT ENDIt came down to Sternberger or Dru Samia. The latter would serve as the heir to Ronald Leary, who looks like a longshot to stick in Denver after 2019. I love the Oklahoma guard’s fit in the Scangarello offense and he’s one of the best pulling linemen in this class. In the end, I just grabbed McCoy at 41 and know the 3rd to 4th swing will probably come with a run on tight ends. Haskins relied on throwing to the middle of the field at Ohio State so I want to give him a real option there.Admittedly, Sternberger is a bit of a work in progress, but is probably the second best seam stretching tight end in this class. He didn’t test as well as Dawson Knox or Kahale Warring but looks so darn fluid in pads that I’m still really high on him. He may need time to adjust to the pro game as he’ll need to improve his route running, hand placement, and footwork to reach his ceiling. That said, the Aggie gives Haskins a weapon in the middle of the field and the Broncos a promising tight end when they currently have more questions than answers at the position.125. Miles Boykin - RECEIVERI did not plan on going offense again here, but it’s hard to pass on value. I’ve got a round 3 grade on Boykin but his ceiling is as high as any receiver in this class. The 6’3 and 220 lb receiver blew up the combine, and while his production at Notre Dame wasn’t eye popping, it was plenty good enough. Especially against press man coverage. There is a bit of a positional overlap between he and Courtland Sutton, but if both can grow into their skillsets the Broncos will have two receivers who can run the top off the D and bully DBs at the catch point.Sternberger Justin Hollins Denver Broncos Jersey , Boykin with Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton give both Flacco and eventually Haskins a talented corps to distribute to. Giving the new franchise QB a chance to light up the scoreboard. 148. Germaine Pratt - LINEBACKERThis was one of those picks where I knew it’d probably be a linebacker. The number of starting caliber guys is shrinking quickly here. I’m not as high on him out of his rookie camp as others, but given time I think Pratt has 3-down upside.Pratt started just one year for Boston College and still managed to lead the conference in tackles per game. A former safety, he has the kind of range that can’t be taught and brings experience in space. If he can get better at taking on blocks and working angles in both coverage and against opposing ground games, he could be special. 156. Jimmy Moreland - CORNERBACKIt came down to Hjalte Froholdt, Foster Moreau, and Moreland. I’m really high on Burr-Kirven but thought it could be good to grab a ball hawk corner. Moreland will need time to make the jump from James Madison and it could take a little time. The payoff could be worth the wait though, as his ball skills and hands are elite. 182. Ben Burr-Kirven - LINEBACKERThis was an either or between BBK, Evan Worthington, and Drew Sample, but I went with my favorite Day 3 sleeper in this class. I’ve covered him at length here, but think a coaching staff that can look past his size will find an early contributor to nickel sets and a potential starter down the road. He doesn’t come without weakness, of course. He could find some trouble outside of a Washington defense that had a mammoth defensive line to protect him, but the Husky is slippery off blocks and he seemingly knows where the ball’s headed before the offense does. He simply pops off the tape. 237. Greg Gaines - DEFENSIVE LINESo this came down to Donald Parham, Gaines, and Malik Gant. It was a tough choice as all three intrigue. Parham is a 6’8 athletic phenom from tiny Stetson who projects as an chess piece and mismatch receiver at the next level. Gant is a thumping safety from Marshall who looks like a stud special teamer. Between the two is Gaines, who probably has a lower ceiling than Parham but will do more on defense than Gant. The 6’1 and 312 lb Gaines is every bit the plug you’d expect him to be. He’s not quick, but wins with effort and understands what he’s required to do his job. At his best he’s probably a 2-down Nose Tackle who eats the interior gaps in the base 3-4. In an NFL where the Patriots and others are moving to more I-Form and run focused attacks, that’s enough for a 7th round pick. Final ThoughtsAs I mentioned at the top, I wanted to do one last mock where I tried to build around a QBOTF. In order to help Haskins’ (or Lock’s) success I would prioritize building the offense so he could find early success. I think I did quite well with that in mind, but it’s impossible to wonder about some of the defensive players I passed on. Be sure to let me know what you think Broncos Country. Kareem Hunt spent the first few weeks of the season doing what he called "dirty work," which mostly amounted to carrying the ball late in games as the Kansas City Chiefs tried to run out the clock.The Chiefs didn't really need the NFL's reigning rushing champ the way Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the offense was sizzling. So there he was, one of the breakout stars of last season Justin Hollins Jersey 2019 , getting brutally tough yards when the entire opposing defense was stacking the box.He never complained. Never seemed down.In fact, the second-year pro insisted all along that he would have his opportunities, once the rest of the league decided they'd better pay attention to the Chiefs' passing game.And lo and behold, that's exactly what has happened the past few weeks, when the Chiefs have been able to pry open massive holes for him in the running game and Mahomes has been able to find him in the passing game."We don't count touches," Chiefs offensive lineman Cam Erving said. "We have a lot of weapons and when a team schemes for one thing, we have another one to pop it back with. Kareem has just done a great job of being patient and waiting for those moments to come."He grabs those moments," Erving added, "and he finishes."He certainly lets the woebegone defender that gets in his way know, too. Rarely does the bruising, Walter Payton-esque running back go down on first contact. Often not second or third.Take his most impressive run last week against Cincinnati, when he appeared to be bottled up near the sideline. Hunt made a nifty spin move to shake one defender, darted to his left to avoid a few more and then hurdled — without getting any head of steam — yet another before finally going down.It was the biggest highlight on a night Hunt scored three touchdowns."I probably made the wrong read," Mahomes said of the run-pass option, "and then I handed it to him. It should've been a tackle for a loss and then he broke a tackle and jumped over a dude. This is a very talented (Bengals) defense who have a lot of guys who are built to stop the run, and it just speaks to the strength and the power he has when he runs the football."Those raw physical skills have been on display the past four weeks, beginning with a win in Denver when Hunt ran for 121 yards and a touchdown and caught three more passes for 54 yards.He followed up with a touchdown against Jacksonville, had 185 yards from scrimmage and another score against New England, and had 86 yards rushing and three touchdowns total against Cincinnati."(Hunt) makes it all go because you can't simply ignore the guy," said Broncos coach Vance Joseph, whose team gets another shot Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. "Our first game, he made most of the big plays Cheap Justin Hollins Jersey , honestly. He's a guy that runs downhill and he catches the ball in the pass game."In other words, he's the perfect running back for a system that is predicated on misdirection."He did well last year, too," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, "but he's playing as well as any running back in the National Football League. He's not only running the ball like crazy, he's also catching the football. I actually took him out before he broke the 100-yard mark last week."He's punishing people right now," Reid added with a grin, "and it's something to watch."Yet just like Hunt took his relative lack of production the first few weeks in stride, he's done just the same with his sudden surge of success. He heaped praise on his offense line, showered Mahomes and the rest of the offense with accolades and complemented his coaches on getting him the ball."I'm just a guy who is going to come in and try my best to make every effort possible to score a touchdown," he said. "It's not even about me. It's about the team winning. Whatever I can do to help the team win, I'm a team guy. I'm down to do whatever."Hunt did finally let his bravado show a little when Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris, who was dressing nearby, described him as "a bull." Hunt thought for a moment and decided that was a pretty good label, then he realized that bulls don't really carry much workload."I like to be an ox, too," he said.Notes: Free safety Daniel Sorensen (broken leg) returned to practice Wednesday. He'd been on the IR since early in training camp and is eligible to play in games beginning Week 8. ... Strong safety Eric Berry (heel), Linebacker Justin Houston (hamstring) and center Mitch Morse (concussion) did not practice. ... Linebacker Terrance Smith tore his ACL on a kick return against Cincinnati, Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said. He went on IR earlier this week.