With the 28th pick in the NFL draft, John Elway and the Broncos should select:

A) Alabama running back Eddie Lacy.

B) Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

C) Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner.

D) None of the above.

The answer is D.

There is not enough value to be had at No. 28 in the first round of the NFL draft.

Go big or go home.

The Broncos must trade. They can trade up. They can trade down. But it makes little sense to stay at No. 28.

Lacy figures to be off the board before it is Elway’s turn to choose at No. 28. If the Broncos want Lacy, it seems probable they will have to trade up. And that would be a move extremely difficult for Elway to justify.

Why? Running back is a position that has decreased in importance for a league obsessed with the pass. The Broncos hold only six picks in the seven-round draft. It would seem foolhardy for the team to surrender even more draft resources to land Lacy.

While Elway wasn’t scared off from Te’o by the untimely death of the linebacker’s fake girlfriend, it seems to me the Broncos have never been too smitten with the Notre Dame star. Alec Ogletree of Georgia seems to be a better fit for Jack Del Rio’s defensive scheme, but he also projects to be gone before Denver selects.

Bjoern Werner? He might be a fine replacement for Elvis Dumervil at defensive end. But will Werner be substantially stronger on the edge than Margus Hunt of SMU or Sam Montgomery of LSU?

So it seems to me Elway has two choices:

Mortgage the future to win a Super Bowl with quarterback Peyton Manning, and trade into the top 10 of the draft for a pass rusher such as BYU’s Esekiel Ansah or Alabama’s Dee Milliner, considered this year’s can’t-miss prospect at cornerback.

Or, Elway can do what he did last year. Realize that all players chosen from 20-45th will largely be a matter of a scouting director’s individual taste. Trade out of the opening round. Maybe add an extra draft choice in the deal. Then pick somebody like Boise State cornerback Jamar Taylor or Wisconsin running back Montee Ball.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053, mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla



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