Professor

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_3688981

Is Maryland tight end big in Broncos' plans?
By Bill Williamson
Denver Post NFL, Broncos Beat Reporter

As the draft hot stove heats up, speculation making the national rounds is the Broncos will package their No. 15 and No. 22 picks in the first round to move up to No. 5 (Green Bay) or No. 6 (San Francisco) to take Maryland tight end Vernon Davis, whose football ability, size and speed make him an off-the-charts NFL prospect.

Davis is not likely to be on the board past the seventh pick. San Francisco and Oakland (the Raiders pick seventh) like him. Interest from Denver makes sense, because the Broncos need a tight end and a playmaker. Davis qualifies as both.

But there are reasons Denver might not want to trade up that high. The Broncos might not want to pay a player as much as a top-five pick would earn. Denver likely would rather spread its money between two first- round picks.

Some teams believe a tight end, no matter how highly rated, is not worth a top-five pick. Denver probably would rather take a player like Davis in the No. 8 to No. 10 range.

What to do with Lelie

The player hotly rumored to be on his way out of town is Broncos receiver Ashley Lelie. His name has been mentioned in San Francisco and Green Bay. It's all just talk, of course.

It's unclear if there is any connection between this talk and Lelie's decision to skip the first week of the Broncos' offseason workout program to work out on his own in Arizona.

In any case, there is a good chance Lelie will leave Denver after this season as a free agent.

Perhaps Denver should consider trading him. The Broncos are likely to add a starting-caliber receiver, most likely via the draft. Florida's Chad Jackson and Ohio State's Santonio Holmes are the top candidates likely to be available with the No. 15 pick. Denver also could rekindle trade talk with the Packers for Javon Walker. If Green Bay trades Walker, it will be near or during the draft.

It wouldn't be surprising if Denver makes another run at Walker and offers Lelie in a package to the Packers - who, with or without Walker, need wideouts. Lelie is a great deep threat, but he doesn't seem to fit Denver's system.

If no receiver is brought in, Lelie will be part of Denver's plans this year. But if a receiver is brought in, Lelie's absence from the offseason workouts might be the beginning of the end of his stay in Denver.

juggalo6772

If the broncos trade lelie for walker the pack whould get a total steal, lelies a better reciever and walkers coming back from acl tear, and hes been a problem off the field for the packers. No way the broncos do that.

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pumzy

I'd have to disagree and put walker above lelie, just based on what I've seen performance wise out of each of them. whether walker can come back strong from that knee injury is the bigger issue IMO. a trade could be beneficial to both clubs under the right conditions. the thing I'm wondering is if it would be a straight up player for player trade, or would extra compensation be involved.... thoughts?

Professor

i got to put walker ahead of lelie as well, at least he has performed in this league. Lelie is supposed to have exploded already, and that hasn't happened. He is a good deep threat, though.

juggalo6772

lellies is also 2 younger then walker, and a torn acl is aserious injury i agree lelie should be playing better but i still rank him ahead of walker.

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pumzy

being 2 years younger doesn't make lelie better. besides, walker is still only like 27 or 28, which isn't that old anyways. both players could easily have at least 5-6 more productive years ahead of them, so I doubt age would be too much of a factor in trade talks. the injury to walker is the stopper if the deal doesn't go through IMO. either that or the pack will want more for walker than just lelie and the broncos won't want to give it

Professor

IMO, trading walker will be GB admitting they are wrong with dealing with walker, and they won't do that, he plays or sits, he is under contract and the pack will not budge. Walker will cave, he'll have a decent year and then leave and get paid or he will get hurt again and his career will go nowhere. those are the only two options, IMO.