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Well, the first pick is in the books, and by the very slimmest of margins. . .only three out of the 596 votes cast. . .the Carolina Panthers select. . .
Cameron Newton, quarterback, Auburn University
Newton received 129 of the 596 votes cast, while Blaine Gabbert wound up with 126. Newton's teammate, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, was a third with 98 votes.
So, with that, we move on to the second pick of the 2011 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft with a look at the Denver Broncos.
Quarterback won't be among the options for the Broncos, as they've got their quarterback of the future in Tim Tebow, who they gave up a pretty handsome package of picks to move up for in the 2010 NFL Draft. Pretty much all of Denver's needs are on the defensive side of the ball, as they have pretty decent talent at the skill positions, and there really aren't any offensive linemen that are worth the team taking with this pick. Defensively, they were dead last in the league in points and yards allowed per game, and second-to-last in the NFL against the run.
Fortunately for the Broncos, the top of this draft is heavy with defensive talent, and if the Panthers decide to go quarterback with the top pick, the Broncos have their pick of any defensive player they wish. They could solidify the interior of their defensive line, they could give themselves a young defensive back to play opposite or learn from Champ Bailey. . .when your defense is as bad as Denver's, you really can't go wrong with anybody on that side of the ball
So, I'm making all of the options for Denver defensive players. If you'd like to make the case for an offensive player for them, you can choose "other" and make your argument in the comments.
Voting is open for 24 hours, so here we go!