Mock draft roundup: Cook's rising

C/G Cody Whitehair, Kansas State "The need for stability at quarterback is a clear issue, but there isn't a likely Week 1 starter available at No. 31, and there's still time to make a trade to help the situation there. What I do have is an obvious need for another offensive lineman, and Whitehair is a potential starter at guard, where there is a clear need, with experience at tackle." [April 19]

LB Darron Lee, Ohio State "The Broncos will not necessarily head into the draft thinking they must find Danny Trevathan's replacement early, but should the board fall like this—with Lee tumbling a bit—they would jump." [April 20]

OT Germain Ifedi, Texas A&M "Ifedi needs to work on his technique, but the raw tools are there. He has the length (36-inch arms), quickness and balance to thrive in pass protection. He could develop into a solid right tackle or guard at the next level." [April 21]

QB Connor Cook, Michigan State "They should wait on a quarterback, and instead take a defensive lineman such as Mississippi State's Chris Jones, who could be great if he had a demanding DL coach such as Bill Kollar. But it would be fascinating to see Cook, who has some John Elway-esque confidence, land on a team with such good supporting pieces around him." [April 14]

DT Sheldon Rankins, Louisville "Rankins should help fill Denver's need at DT." [April 20]

OT Le'Raven Clark "The offensive line needs to be addressed, and Clark has the length and athleticism to fit well in Gary Kubiak's offense." [April 19]

FS T.J. Green, Clemson "This might seem a bit early for Green, but he had a tremendous combine and there are teams that believe he has enough coverage potential to move around the field in sub-packages. While he wouldn't be my choice here, Denver could use an athletic safety with coverage ability." [April 14]

DT Chris Jones, Mississippi St. "John Elway fortifies the Broncos' championship defense with a rugged interior defender who has a non-stop motor and sneaky athleticism." [April 15]

DT Chris Jones, Mississippi State "His stock keeps rising in the eyes of the public, but the league already knows that he can be an explosive inside rusher and can aid Derek Wolfe in keeping the edge pass-rushing lanes open for Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Shane Ray." [April 20]

DT Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi "Denver lost a lot of pieces of that defense after they won the Super Bowl. Nkemdiche isn't a perfect prospect, but he can be productive from day one in sub-packages, and has huge upside down the road." [April 21]

QB Connor Cook, Michigan State "The trade of the No. 1 pick in the draft has reverberations all the way through the end of the first round. There was an outside shot that Lynch would have been available with this pick, but quarterbacks are at a premium so he may not slide." [April 18]

DE Bronson Kaufusi, Brigham Young University "If the Kaepernick trade goes through, the Broncos might wait to get their quarterback until the second or third round. Even if the trade doesn't work out, another team could leapfrog Denver to get Connor Cook. So for now, I'll have John Elway trying to replace Malik Jackson up front to keep their strength a strength -- sometimes that's better than trying to correct a weakness by reaching for a lesser-valued player." [April 15]

QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis "John Elway reacted quickly to Osweiler's surprise signing in Houston by trading for Mark Sanchez, but the Broncos are likely to re-invest at quarterback on draft day with Trevor Siemian the only other quarterback on the roster. The 6-7, 244-pound Lynch bears a striking resemblance to the 6-8, 240-pound Osweiler. Surprisingly athletic and boasting a live arm, Lynch has first-round upside but he's viewed by most as a project and therefore may "slip" lower on draft day than some of his hype suggests. He might be the perfect project, however, for coach Gary Kubiak to develop." [April 20]

QB Connor Cook, Michigan State "The Broncos are almost out of options to address their need at quarterback, which might force their hand with this pick. Cook has NFL starting traits, which might be enough for John Elway to pull the trigger here." [April 20]

DT Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi "If not for off-field issues, he's a top-10 pick. The Broncos would get great value with this choice." [April 20]

DT Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi "Nkemdiche will cause more problems for opposing quarterbacks than for himself if he winds up with the Broncos." [April 21]

"The range for Nkemdiche to go off the board would appear to start with the Bills at No. 19. Seattle is an intriguing possibility at No. 26, and has the organizational confidence to take a chance on a supremely talented player who needs guidance and teammates' support. But in Denver, he would find the perfect fit of scheme, coaching (Bill Kollar) and a strong locker room. Nkemdiche wouldn't just be good for the Broncos; the Broncos would be good for Nkemdiche." [April 15]

QB Connor Cook, Michigan State "Is this reminiscent of 2011 when we saw the quarterback value go through the roof? The Broncos need a quarterback and it might be cheaper to test one out in the first round than to deal with a Colin Kaepernick trade." [April 20]