Utah's OL Zane Beadles Picked 45th To Denver Broncos

Utah's offensive lineman heads to Denver and was the second Ute to be drafted after teammate Koa Misi went to the Dolphins.  Beadles looks to play either guard or center for the Broncos, and Ute fans should know that is not going to be a problem since Beadles played across the line for the Utes, and is freaking smart as he wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal last summer.

Here is an interesting note from Mile High Report on Beadles and the draft in general:

By the way, for those still relying on media rankings and deeming this pick "yet another reach": it's time to throw those out. In a draft where Tyson Alualu goes 10th overall and Jimmy Clausen lasts until the 48th pick, perhaps we should forget about those publications that had the former projected as a second-rounder and the latter as a lock for the first half of the first round...

More reaction to the pick from Mile High Report:

Initial Reaction:  I was really quite surprised with this pick.  Not that the Broncos picked Beadles, which I thought they would eventually do, just the fact that they picked him in the second round.  Beadles was considered a fourth round choice by the prospect list I referenced, but he was also considered to be one on the rise.  Again, I was surprised that we joined the other teams early in the second round in the "reach" party, but the Broncos obviously had this kid highly rated on their board.

Pick Analysis: The three year starter is considered a very hard worker that coaches praise for his effort in practice, and he is also known as a vocal leader among his peers.  No matter which way you paint it, it looks like you can pencil Beadles in as a starter for the Broncos, most likely at left guard for the recently departed Ben Hamilton.

While many might have considered this pick a reach by our standards, the Broncos likely feel that Beadles can be a starter in this league for a long time, otherwise they wouldn't have used this high of a selection on him.  Not a flashy pick (coughGolden Tatecough), but a very solid pick and one that will help the Broncos immediately.