There is at least one mark-it-down-in-Sharpie guarantee in this week’s NFL draft.
“It’s unpredictable,” said Broncos coach John Fox. “You’re dealing with people, and anybody who deals with people knows that is not an exact science.”
While most draft analysts believe the Carolina Panthers will draft Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick Thursday night, Fox isn’t counting on that. Fox coached the Panthers for nine seasons and has a pretty good idea what goes on behind that team’s closed doors.
“I think quarterback is a need,” Fox said Tuesday of the Panthers. “They probably view it that way. But there are other needs that they have, so they could go receiver, defensive tackle or quarterback.
“At the end of the day, not being in that room and not knowing, I can’t honestly say. But it wouldn’t shock me if they went somewhere other than quarterback.”
What the Panthers do will impact the Broncos, who have the No. 2 pick in the draft for the first time. LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller, Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green are considered this draft’s elite players, with Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley just a sliver below those four.
The Broncos brought Peterson, Miller and Dareus to their Dove Valley headquarters for predraft visits and also had private workouts or meetings with all three.
Fox, executive vice president of football operations John Elway and general manager Brian Xanders attended Fairley’s pro day and brought him in for a predraft visit.
“There are good players at the top of this draft and we’ll get one of them,” Fox said.
Elway and Xanders have said the Broncos will listen to any trade offer for the No. 2 pick. But with the uncertainty of the league’s labor situation, including whether there will be a rookie wage scale, the market for trades may not be all that brisk.
“There are still a lot of unknowns,” Fox said. “Some people might take the approach there’s going to be a rookie wage scale. Some people might take the approach there’s not going to be a draft next year. It’s just hard to predict.
“But we know we’re at No. 2 (in the first round). I don’t want to say there’s a lot of pressure, but you’ve got to choose wisely. We know that.”
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
