Why do Broncos like drafting injured players?

[cutthemdown]

I was thinking that it seems like every year the Broncos will select a player that is injured and destined for the injured reserve. This past year it was Hixon. Is this a purposeful decision because they feel with limited roster spots injured reserve is a good spot to stash a young player and see how he develops? Sometimes it drives me crazy that they do this but who knows maybe they have a reason

[chrisp]

I thought hixon didn't get injured untill camp?

Eitherway, the biggest reason for Broncos drafting injured players is becuase that's sometimes a way to get hold of talent that you wouldn't otherwise be able to draft.

Yeah, I know Foster sucks, so he's a bad example, but we drafted him becuase he was coming off an injury and might not have been able to had he been healthy.

You take a gamble - if the injury heals and they get back to 100% you have a steal. Let's face it, how would you feel now with the benefit of hindsight if we'd stayed away from JW - he was coming off a major injury after all.....

[Florida_Bronco]

I thought hixon didn't get injured untill camp?

Eitherway, the biggest reason for Broncos drafting injured players is becuase that's sometimes a way to get hold of talent that you wouldn't otherwise be able to draft.

That pretty much sums it up right there. Injured players drop in the draft, so you see teams start to take gambles with them.

In Hixon's case, we got a tall (6-2) and very fast WR who is a great return man and even has experience as a safety for just a 4th round pick.

[2KBack]

not to mention that there is nothing a team of coaches loves more than to look smarter than the guys next to them.

[cutthemdown]

That pretty much sums it up right there. Injured players drop in the draft, so you see teams start to take gambles with them.

In Hixon's case, we got a tall (6-2) and very fast WR who is a great return man and even has experience as a safety for just a 4th round pick.

Broncos selected Middlebrooks in 1st round when they knew he was injured. It's not just Hixon there is one of these injured picks in almost every draft.

[sirhcyennek81]

So? The Bills drafted a RB with a shredded right knee and he is nearly a workhorse back for them. Even tho the attitude coming from him in Buffalo is a bit much.

:Broncos:

[bendog]

Middlebrooks was a reach, though pre-injury he had DeAngelo Hall type skills. Hixon went about where he was expected to go, I think. Not a bad pick no matter how he pans out.

[Florida_Bronco]

Broncos selected Middlebrooks in 1st round when they knew he was injured. It's not just Hixon there is one of these injured picks in almost every draft.

That can pretty much be blamed on David Gibbs, who coached Middlebrooks back in college.

[Drek]

I was thinking that it seems like every year the Broncos will select a player that is injured and destined for the injured reserve. This past year it was Hixon. Is this a purposeful decision because they feel with limited roster spots injured reserve is a good spot to stash a young player and see how he develops? Sometimes it drives me crazy that they do this but who knows maybe they have a reason

Its always an attempt to steal talent that has slid due to injury. That mindset is why we took Hixon, Middlebrooks, Foster, etc.. The last couple years we've stopped doing it with our early picks, I hope that trend continues. I'm all for a high risk/high reward pick on the second day though, and I still think Hixon was a good selection. If he can return to his pre-injury level he'd provide a hell of a fire starter on returns and special teams coverage, as well as a speedy slot threat to challenge Kircus.

[Elway777]

If Michael Bush falls to the Broncos in the second round do the Bronco take a change on him. Would Bush fit the Broncos scheme .

[Dedhed]

I think that as much as it's an attempt to steal talent, it's a way to keep a young and raw talent in the system without using a valuable roster spot. A player like Hixon wouldn't likely contribute as a rookie, and now we'll have him healthy and with knowledge of the system. Where last year we may have had to cut him loose.

It's a way to get an extra body into the system who may have NFL talent but not be NFL ready without having to "waste" a roster spot on them.

[Garcia Bronco]

****...llook at Adrain Peterson...he can't stay on the field, but somebody is looking to make him a top pick. Why?

[broncosteven]

I think it was predicated more on fact that Broncos are always drafting in the 20 slot or higher.

My take is that they seem to be willing to take a risk on a player that others pass on because the targeted players at those rounds have been taken. They still want a guy with slot 1-10 value & ability & the only way to do that at bot of round is take a guy that has been passed over.

I would be more concerned if they were taking flyers on these guys while drafting in higher slots like 1-15.

At least when they moved up last year they took a Healty Cutler!

[DrFate]

Value pick - good players with injury problems drop.

[BroncoBuff]

Classic human nature ... trying to "get over" on the competition, thinking they're "smarter" than the other teams. And simply trying to get a bargain.

Nothing beats the Middlebrooks/Toviessi 1-2 fiasco. In fact, I recall Mel Kiper calling the Middlebrooks pick a reach when it happened - and he wasn't referring to the injury, just to Willie's skills (or lack thereof).

Hixon was 'inside info' as I recall, that Shanahan got from a college coach friend. And he wasn't really all that "hurt." If you recall, there was a huge logjam at WR in pre-season (David Terrell, Darius Watts, several others...), and they really just milked Hixon's injury to stash him for a year. That's the impression I got.

[usedupbraids]

hmmmmmmm (thinking) hmmmmmmmmm (thinking what to say) hmmmmmmmm (whats on tv tonight) hmmmmmmmm (hmmmmmm) :)

[Florida_Bronco]

Classic human nature ... trying to "get over" on the competition, thinking they're "smarter" than the other teams. And simply trying to get a bargain.

Nothing beats the Middlebrooks/Toviessi 1-2 fiasco. In fact, I recall Mel Kiper calling the Middlebrooks pick a reach when it happened - and he wasn't referring to the injury, just to Willie's skills (or lack thereof).

Hixon was 'inside info' as I recall, that Shanahan got from a college coach friend. And he wasn't really all that "hurt." If you recall, there was a huge logjam at WR in pre-season (David Terrell, Darius Watts, several others...), and they really just milked Hixon's injury to stash him for a year. That's the impression I got.

Toviessi would have been a good player had he not got injured in camp. I forget if it was Wabbit or Mediator, but one of them remarked about how he was really kicking ass in camp before the injury.

[cutthemdown]

So? The Bills drafted a RB with a shredded right knee and he is nearly a workhorse back for them. Even tho the attitude coming from him in Buffalo is a bit much.

:Broncos:

actually hasn't he had a slight problem with missing games even since he came back?

[cutthemdown]

Classic human nature ... trying to "get over" on the competition, thinking they're "smarter" than the other teams. And simply trying to get a bargain.

Nothing beats the Middlebrooks/Toviessi 1-2 fiasco. In fact, I recall Mel Kiper calling the Middlebrooks pick a reach when it happened - and he wasn't referring to the injury, just to Willie's skills (or lack thereof).

Hixon was 'inside info' as I recall, that Shanahan got from a college coach friend. And he wasn't really all that "hurt." If you recall, there was a huge logjam at WR in pre-season (David Terrell, Darius Watts, several others...), and they really just milked Hixon's injury to stash him for a year. That's the impression I got.

Thats what I was thinking. Maybe sometimes they don't care the player is injured because they want a certain amount of young players on injured reserve to stash for the following year. I wasn't really saying I thought Broncos were wrong for trying it, i was only asking why they did it? People are a little defensive on this site lately.

[BroncoBuff]

Toviessi would have been a good player had he not got injured in camp. I forget if it was Wabbit or Mediator, but one of them remarked about how he was really kicking ass in camp before the injury.

Toviessi was hurt in camp?! I thought he came in with a chronic problem ??

[Florida_Bronco]

Thats what I was thinking. Maybe sometimes they don't care the player is injured because they want a certain amount of young players on injured reserve to stash for the following year. I wasn't really saying I thought Broncos were wrong for trying it, i was only asking why they did it? People are a little defensive on this site lately.

I didn't see anyone attacking you for this thread. ??? Personally I think it was a very valid question.

[Florida_Bronco]

Toviessi was hurt in camp?! I thought he came in with a chronic problem ??

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. If I remember correctly, he had a knee injury (ACL maybe) in his sophmore or junior year that was rehabbed and thought to be fine, but he hurt his knee again in camp and was then discovered he had degenerative knee condition.

Again though, that is just what I recall from memory and may be mistaken about it.

[cutthemdown]

I didn't see anyone attacking you for this thread. ??? Personally I think it was a very valid question.

maybe I'm starting to get paranoid.

[broncolife]

Man we should have never drafted Ashley Lelie with his hamstring injury and took Ed Reed.

[broncolife]

Toviessi was hurt in camp?! I thought he came in with a chronic problem ??

So did I

[youcandoit1687]

Marcus McNeill and Antonio Cromartie were both injured/major injury concerns when they were drafted. McNeill is ripping it up, Cromartie has shown major potential. Castillo was injured the year before. Those are just a few examples off the top of my head.

[azbroncfan]

If you can't figure out why Denver drafts injured players you need to hit the books more. Pretty simple and already been stated, When you draft late in the rounds you look to find the falling talent and injury is usually why.

[-Slap-]

I don't mind rolling the dice on a medical risk now and then, but I don't like doing it in round one. I'm also leery of guys who didn't play a lot in college, for whatever reason.

We got Michael Brooks in the third round because of a knee injury his senior year. He played some strong football for us. When he wasn't drunkenly flipping his SUV on deserted roads at 2:15 AM, and then rocking the vehicle back onto its wheels by himself.

[bendog]

Grads was regarded a risk, coming off a major knee injury at Ohio St. I think that's why he retired early. He had more of a career than he might have had, and still got out realitively healthy. Generally, however, I think its way risky to take guys in the first round either because of a perceived need at a position or as a reach.

I was thinking maybe Foster was a reach, but man, what a crummy draft. Even assuming anyone wanted Den's pick, trading down might not have helped. Though, Steinbach is definitely a better tackle than The Cheeseburger.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2003/draft/news/2003/04/26/round1_analysis/