National Football League

Brian Billick's thoughts for March 9

Published Mar. 17, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Billick weighs in on the Denver Broncos' draft needs, the NFLPA's request that owners open their books and linebacker prospects.

Broncos likely thinking defense for draft

The Broncos have the second overall pick in the 2011 draft and have two principals, new president John Elway and second-year general manager Brian Xanders, who have never run a draft so it may be tough to predict what their thinking might be.

The Broncos have not made a top-10 pick since 1991 when they chose LB Mike Croel out of Nebraska.

Denver was 13th in the NFL in offense in 2010 and have a young and improving core to continue to build around. Certainly the quarterback position is pivotal going forward, but with Kyle Orton and last year's No. 1 pick Tim Tebow, it is unlikely that the Broncos will feel the need to do anything at this position in the first two days of the draft.

That’s good, because the Broncos were last in the league in total defense and points allowed. The Broncos have been bad on defense for a while and are going to have a tough time improving on their 4-12 record until they get better on that side of the ball.

New coach John Fox knows what solid defense looks like coming off a nine-year stint with the Panthers and will likely make rebuilding that side of the ball priority No. 1.

Getting a solid edge pass rusher to complement Elvis Dumervil could be the top priority for the Broncos in a draft heavy in defensive linemen.

In addition to having the No. 2 overall pick the Broncos have four selections among the first 100 players and it would not be a surprise to see all four go to the defensive side of the ball.

Denver will face the AFC East and the NFC North as their out-of-division foes along with games against Cincinnati and Tennessee.

Owners don't need to open books

It is being reported that one off the sticking points for a new collective bargaining agreement is the players wanting the owners to “open their books.”

I hope this does not become an issue that delays the eventual deal that we all know will get done.

In my opinion this is likely a “throwaway” part of the negotiation, meaning that the players will hold on to it until they need something and will use this as a lever to get what they want. The fact is, they really don’t need for the owners to do this. The NFLPA has all the relevant numbers it needs to determine the fair percentage the players should be getting. Things like stadium revenue, tickets revenue, TV money, player cost and operation costs are all figures that are easily obtainable.

This is more about embarrassing the owners rather than actually obtaining important information. Almost every team is basically a family business. Like most family businesses, expenses and cost of the family are typically run through the business. This is neither illegal nor inappropriate. It is simply the way our tax system requires those with small businesses to operate.

Regardless of the huge sums of money and the public attention, each team in the NFL individually is really nothing more than a small business.

Hopefully, the NFL Players Association will move past this point quickly so we can all get back to the business of football. A deal will get done. That much we know. The question is how much damage will be done to the game and the relationship between the owners and the players along the way.

Tar Heels' OLB a good 'value' pick

Where will teams look once outside linebackers Von Miller, Justin Houston, and Akeem Ayers have been selected? I think they’ll turn to North Carolina's Bruce Carter. Here is a more in-depth analysis ...

Bruce Carter is a tremendous athlete at 6-foot-1 1/2 and 241 pounds. In high school, Carter played quarterback, running back and safety.

After just six weeks at UNC, he took over as the starting outside linebacker. Unfortunately, because of a late-season knee injury, he was unable to display that athleticism at this year's Combine — it was rumored that he runs a 4.4 when healthy!

When watching him on the field, Carter shows a short explosive burst and reliable tackling technique. In pass coverage he plays very aggressively, often jumping underneath routes to makes plays on the ball. While he doesn’t have elite instincts, he does a pretty good job of reading his keys and reacting quickly.

He has good feet that allow him to chase plays down and not get caught up in the mess at the line of scrimmage. When evaluating Carter’s career, you will find a steady decline in numbers as teams were able to key and scheme around him (which wasn’t difficult considering half his team was suspended).

Obviously his progress from knee surgery will be a huge factor, but Bruce Carter shows the athleticism and skill set to be a great “value” pick in this year's draft.

Don't discount Michigan St. LB

Michigan State’s Greg Jones is one of the most productive players in school history after leading the Spartans in tackles four straight years.

Despite his impressive statistics, NFL scouts aren’t overly impressed by his size and strength. He did only 21 reps in the bench press and ran a 4.80 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine.

I will say this, his leadership, work ethic and durability are going to persuade teams to overlook those lackluster combine numbers. Jones will give his future team versatility at linebacker by being able to play him either inside or outside — his college coach suggests that he translates better on the outside in the NFL rather than the middle that he played in college.

On tape, he shows great instincts and reaction and is rarely caught out of position to make a play on the ball. He has great hip movement in pass coverage and plays well in space. He is a reliable tackler who hustles through the whistle on every play.

I believe that the tape shows he plays a lot faster than the 4.80 40 time suggests. And forget being too small, Greg Jones hasn’t missed a game in the last three years! He adds great immediate depth at all four linebacker positions and will be a great special teams player until he settles into a starting role on the defensive side of the ball. Look for him to go in the late third to fourth round.