How fortunate were the Broncos to get Ryan Clady with their No. 12 overall draft pick last year?
Had he decided not to skip his senior year of communication classes at Boise State, Clady most likely would have capitalized on a watered-down left tackle class and become the No. 1 overall choice this year.
The difference between No. 12 in 2008 and No. 1 in 2009: at least $22 million.
Not that Clady is ready to become a spokesman for the Stay in School program.
“It sounds good, but I’m happy with the decision I made,” said Clady, who entered the 2008 draft after his redshirt junior season. “And I’m really happy with the place I ended up at. This is a good situation here. You never know how it could have turned out had I stayed one more year. I could have got hurt. Anything could have happened.”
The Detroit Lions are considering quarterback Matthew Stafford or one of two left tackles, Eugene Monroe or Jason Smith, with their No. 1 pick this year.
Monroe and Smith are in the 310-pound range. Clady came out at 325 pounds and has longer arms and quicker feet than both of them. The only left tackle in this year’s draft comparable to Clady is Alabama’s Andre Smith, who would have been the No. 1 overall pick had he not blown off the combine. D’oh!
The Broncos wound up getting Clady last season for an $11 million guarantee. In return, the Broncos got a mobile fortress who gave up half-a-sack in 16 starts. Clady could have commanded roughly a $33 million guarantee
this year as the No. 1 overall pick. Then again, Clady will reach his second contract a year earlier than had he stayed to take a few more speech classes.
Best draft. Many draft sites and publications are filling space this time of year by ranking the best drafts ever.
I just found the undisputed best draft of the past decade: In 2007, the New England
Patriots traded their second- round pick to Miami for Wes Welker and their first fourth- round selection to the Oakland Raiders for Randy Moss.
Go ahead, scour the draft picks of every year, for every team. Good luck finding a draft in which a team got the likes of Welker and Moss with back-to-back picks — neither of which were plucked from the first round.
Don’t be surprised if new Broncos coach Josh McDan- iels, New England’s offensive coordinator in 2007, keeps the Welker-Moss heist in mind as he enters this draft with extra picks in the first and third rounds.
Schedule quirks. No team received a tougher 2009 schedule stretch than the Seattle
Seahawks. It’s bad enough the city of Seattle is settled so far west and north of U.S. civilization that its sports teams already annually lead their respective leagues in frequent flier miles. But then the NFL schedule computer spit out three consecutive road games for the Seahawks (against Arizona, Nov. 15; Minnesota, Nov. 22; and St. Louis, Nov. 29) at the toughest portion of the season — weeks 10, 11 and 12.
And you thought the Broncos’ schedule was tough.
The first-half schedule will make it almost impossible for the New York Giants to get off to a fast start. After opening at home against the rival Redskins, the Giants play five of their next seven games on the road, including three in a row at Dallas, Tampa Bay and Kansas City.
The Giants then get a home game against Oakland followed by another three-week challenge: at New Orleans, home against Arizona and at Philadelphia. Then it’s a home game against the Chargers.
And Giants coach Tom Coughlin was worried about the Thanksgiving night game in Denver?
Think Miami will go 11-5 again this season? The Dolphins open at Atlanta, come home to play Indianapolis, then play at San Diego. It won’t be easy going 11-5 from an 0-3 hole.
Hurricane Ike forced the Houston Texans to play their first three games on the road last year. The NFL had sympathy. This year, three of their first four games are at home.
And finally, Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears open at Green Bay, then return home to play the Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Just a guess, but if the Bears start 0-2, Cutler may find there is a nasty side to Rush Street.
Mike Klis covers the NFL. Contact: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denver-post.com
First things first
With the No. 12 and No. 18 overall picks, the Broncos would take a repeat of last year’s draft when two of the NFL’s best rookie offensive players (Ryan Clady and Joe Flacco) were selected at those spots. A look at players drafted at 12 and 18 this decade:
NO. 12 PICK
Year Player Pos. Team
2008 Ryan Clady OT Broncos
Had he stayed for a redshirt senior season at Boise State, he could have been the No. 1 overall pick this year.
2007 Marshawn Lynch RB Bills
Back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons; character concerns resurfaced.
2006 Haloti Ngata DT Ravens
Run-stuffing defensive lineman who has started 48 consecutive games for one of the NFL’s top defenses.
2005 Shawne Merriman OLB Chargers
Most formidable pass rusher until he blew out his knee.
2004 Jonathan Vilma MLB Jets
Terrific 4-3 “Mike,” but switch to 3-4 sent him to New Orleans.
2003 Jimmy Kennedy DT Rams
So disappointing, he couldn’t make the Broncos’ woeful defensive roster in 2007.
2002 Wendell Bryant DT Cardinals
Long gone from the league.
2001 Damione Lewis DT Rams
A bust in five seasons with St. Louis, but found new life at Carolina.
2000 Shaun Ellis DE Jets
Had a productive career that included 8.0 sacks in 2008.
NO. 18 PICK
Year Player Pos. Team
2008 Joe Flacco QB Ravens
Delaware alum posted a 13-6 record in 19 starts last season.
2007 Leon Hall CB Bengals
A two-year starter with eight interceptions.
2006 Bobby Carpenter OLB Cowboys
A disappointment. Started just one game.
2005 Erasmus James DE Vikings
Major bust who played in just five games on special teams.
2004 Will Smith DE Saints
Dropped to a career-low 3.0 sacks last season.
2003 Calvin Pace OLB Cardinals
First four seasons were disappointing, but he’s come on the past two years, including 2008 with the Jets.
2002 T.J. Duckett RB Falcons
Nice role player, but in hindsight he was a third-round talent.
2001 Jeff Backus OT Lions
Has started all 128 games, but the Lions want to replace him.
2000 Chad Pennington QB Jets
Productive when healthy. Made the Jets regret replacing him.
