Ian Allan

There was some speculation that the Broncos, picking 12th, might select Rashard Mendenhall in the first round. But I have no problem at all with the team instead going for tackle Ryan Clady of Boise State.

Mike Shanahan has a long history of finding adequate running backs in the later rounds (or in free agency). And I’m not talking about Clinton Portis in the second, I’m talking about guys like Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, Mike Bell and Selvin Young. Andre Hall might be pretty good for them, and they may have gotten another one of those kind of backs when they grabbed Ryan Torain in the fifth round out of Arizona State. Torain had a solid college career until suffering a Lis Franc foot injury.

The problem with the Broncos isn’t at running back. It’s been the offensive line, which has steadily eroded in recent years. Tom Nalen is 36 and missed 11 games last year. Matt Lepsis played poorly last season and then retired. And the team missed on the only first-round pick it has used on a blocker in the last 10 years – George Foster in 2003.

So the choice of Clady, who’ll start immediately at the left tackle spot that Lepsis vacated, definitely makes sense.

As an example of how much this offensive line has slipped consider these numbers:

Rushing in “and 1” situations, 2005
39 attempts, 31 conversions
(79 percent, 7th in NFL)

Rushing in “and 1” situations, 2007
25 attempts, 13 conversions
(52 percent, 30th in NFL)

Rushing inside 2-yard line, 2005
18 carries, 15 yards, 11 TDs
(61 percent TDs, 11th in NFL)

Rushing inside 2-yard line, 2007
11 carries, -10 yards, 2 TDs
(18 percent TDs, last in NFL)

—Ian Allan

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