Draft History: Broncos had some great picks, but were victims of AFL-NFL rivalry
The Broncos have been to eight Super Bowls, five during the latter part of the 1980s and 1990s, as well as twice over the past six seasons, thanks to a dominating defense. Quarterback John Elway was a star on those five earlier Super Bowls. He was traded to Denver by the Colts after Baltimore drafted him first in 1983, but he refused to play for them. Denver is the only franchise that did not make the playoffs in the AFL before the merger with the NFL in 1970, but that was not due to a lack of a good draft strategy. The Broncos could have had even more talent in their early years if several Hall of Famers had decided to play with Denver instead of teams that selected them in the NFL draft. Among those players are Merlin Olsen (Rams defensive tackle), Bob Hayes (Cowboys wide receiver), Bob Brown (Eagles and Rams offensive tackle), Paul Krause (Redskins and Vikings safety) and Dick Butkus (Bears linebacker).
BEST
10. Tom Nalen, C (Round 7, Pick 218 in 1994) - Denver has found great value in its later round picks, so it would make sense to start with Nalen, one of the most successful seventh-round selections in recent NFL history. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who was part of a Broncos offensive line that blocked for six different 1,000-yard rushers during his tenure. Nalen was the last player left from Denver’s two championship teams in the 1990s when he retired in 2007.
9. (tie) Simon Fletcher, LB (Round 2, Pick 54 in 1985) and Elvis Dumervil, DE/LB (Round 4, Pick 126 in 2006) - The Broncos found two players who really knew how to get to the quarterback after Round 1. While Fletcher did not make a Pro Bowl, he ranked second in team history with 97½ sacks in 11 seasons, including five seasons hitting double figures. He also totaled 828 tackles, and was a part of three Broncos Super Bowl teams in four years. Dumervil was more of a one-dimension player than Fletcher, but he was very good at his job. In six Broncos seasons, he was a three-time Pro Bowler and had double-digit sack totals three times. He had 63½ sacks, including a league-high 17 in his All-Pro 2009 season. Dumervil missed the following year with a torn pectoral muscle. He missed playing in two Super Bowls with Denver when he signed with Baltimore in 2013.
8. Randy Gradishar, LB (Round 1, Pick 14 in 1974) - The Broncos did not make the playoffs until the 1977 season, but when they did, they made a splash, reaching Super Bowl XII. Gradishar was the leader of the team’s “Orange Crush” defense. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and the 1978 Defensive Player of the Year after registering four interceptions and returning a fumble for a touchdown. Although tackles were not officially kept by the league when Gradishar played, his unofficial total of 2,049 was an NFL record when he retired in 1983.
7. Dennis Smith, S (Round 1, Pick 15 in 1981) - Smith was an All-American at USC in 1980, and totaled six Pro Bowl selections in 14 seasons with Denver. He tops Denver’s all-time list with 1,158 tackles (including five years with 100 or more), and he also had 30 interceptions and 15 sacks. Smith played three Super Bowls among his 12 career playoff games.
6. Floyd Little, RB (Round 1, Pick 6 in 1967) - Little’s induction class into the Hall of Fame included the game’s all-time leading rusher (Emmitt Smith) and receiver (Jerry Rice), but the five-time Pro Bowler and 1969 All-Pro is not out of place. Although he never appeared in a playoff game, Little ranks second in Broncos history with 6,323 yards and 43 touchdowns. He led the league with 1,133 yards in 1971 (his only 1,000-yard season) and also topped the NFL with 12 touchdowns in 1973. Little also was a three-time All-American at Syracuse (1964-66).
5. Steve Atwater, S (Round 1, Pick 20 in 1989) - Denver found one of the hardest-hitting players of his era late in the first round. Atwater ranks third in team history with 1,125 tackles and added 24 interceptions, all while making receivers pay for entering the middle of the field at Mile High Stadium. The eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro was part of three Super Bowl teams, a blowout loss to the 49ers as a rookie, and back-to-back wins in the late 1990s. He will be a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2020 class.
4. Von Miller, LB (Round 1, Pick 2 in 2011) - The two-time All-American at Texas A&M is Denver’s all-time leader with 106 sacks in nine seasons. He started his career with 11½ sacks, earning a Pro Bowl nod and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Miller’s career has included eight Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections and seven seasons with 10 or more sacks, with a high of 18½ in 2012. He missed Super Bowl XLVIII due to a torn ACL, and in 2013, he was suspended six games for a drug violation. In 2015, he registered six tackles, 2½ sacks, and two forced fumbles to win MVP honors in a Super Bowl 50 win over the Panthers.
3. Karl Mecklenberg, LB (Round 12, Pick 310 in 1983) - The diamond in the rough became a star on Denver’s three Super Bowl teams in the late 1980s. Mecklenberg ranks second in team history with 1,118 tackles, including six seasons with 100 or more, and his 79 sacks are third, with a high of 13 in 1985. “The Snow Goose” was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro who suffered at least a dozen concussions during his career and was a part of litigation against the NFL for CTE issues.
2. Shannon Sharpe, TE (Round 7, Pick 192 in 1990) - The Hall of Famer was a staple of two Broncos championship teams in the late 1990s. He ranks second on Denver’s all-time list with 675 receptions, and third with 8,439 yards and 55 touchdowns. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro who had three 1,000-yard seasons. Sharpe won another title with the Ravens before rejoining the Broncos for his final two years. After spending several years as a studio analyst with CBS, Sharpe now appears on an FS1 sports debate show with Skip Bayless.
1. Terrell Davis, RB (Round 6, Pick 196 in 1995) - If not for Tom Brady, Davis might be the most successful sixth-round pick in recent history. The Georgia graduate was selected to three straight Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams from 1996-98. His rushing total climbed in four straight years, starting with 1,117 as a rookie to 1,538 to 1,750 in 1997. The following year, Davis filled up his trophy case, earning MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors after rushing for a league-high 2,008 and 21 touchdowns. The rushing totale made Davis one of only seven players in NFL history to hit the 2,000-yard mark in a season. “T. D.” was also a huge part of two championship teams. He earned MVP honors after rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 win over the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, and posted a 102-yard performance the following year against the Falcons. However, after that title, the injuries started to build. In three straight years, Davis tore his ACL and MCL, had a stress reaction injury in his lower leg and arthroscopic surgery on both knees. He retired during the 2002 preseason and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
WORST
10. Tim Tebow, QB (Round 1, Pick 25 in 2010) – Tebow is an example of someone who was great in college but could not adjust to the professional game. He was the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and was a finalist each of the next two years. The Broncos saw enough of the two-time All-American and Maxwell Award winner (as college football’s best all-around player) to trade up for a second selection in the first round. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said Tebow was a second- or third-round talent and not a potential “quarterback of the future” and, unfortunately for Denver, Kiper turned out to be right in his assessment. Despite quite a bit of press after he found success replacing the injured Kyle Orton, Tebow completed less than 50 percent of his passes. In a 2011 playoff game against the Steelers, he ran for a score and threw for two, including an 80-yard winning strike to Demaryius Thomas in overtime, but general manager and executive vice president John Elway was not impressed. Although he said he would want a guy like Tebow (a devout Christian who volunteered for several organizations) to “marry his daughter,” Elway did not want him to lead his football team. Denver signed Peyton Manning and Tebow was soon out of football. He now works as a college football analyst with ESPN and is pursuing a baseball career in the New York Mets organization. Tebow didn’t marry Elway’s daughter, but in January, he tied the knot with Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, the 2017 Miss Universe from South Africa.
9. George Foster, T (Round 1, Pick 20 in 2003) – Foster helped Georgia win 13 games during his senior season, and helped pave the way for some good rushers in Denver. While the Broncos ran for 2,539 yards in 2005, Foster totaled 17 penalties in three full seasons before being traded to the Lions for cornerback Dre Bly. He spent two years with Detroit and failed tryouts with the Browns, Saints, and Colts before retiring in 2012.
8. Freeman White, TE (Round 2, Pick 11 in 1966) – Instead of playing with the Broncos, who drafted him early in the second round, White instead chose the Giants, who selected him at 132 overall in the ninth round. The former All-American at Nebraska played four seasons in the NFL, catching just 29 passes (all in 1969, his final year in the league). White spent a year in Canada with the Ottawa Rough Riders before ending his playing career. He was defensive coordinator of the Raiders in 1996 and ’97.
7. Bob Gaiters, RB (Round 1, Pick 4 in 1961) – Like White, Gaiters chose the Giants (second round, pick 17) over the Broncos. He backed up Alex Webster as a rookie before moving on to San Francisco and Denver over the next two years. Gaiters played one year in Canada with Hamilton, then spent three seasons bouncing around the Continental Football League before retiring after the 1967 season.
6. Gerald Willhite, RB (Round 1, Pick 21 in 1982) – Willhite is another player who was promising in college, but had his pro career shortened by injuries. At San Jose State in 1981, he became just the second player in NCAA history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 50 receptions. With the Broncos, Willhite served as the backup to Sammy Winder when he wasn’t injured. His career included at least eight concussions, and he endured four surgeries on his right knee and also broke his leg in a game against the Vikings. The concussions have led to memory loss, headaches, body pains, and even dissociative identity (multiple personalities) disorder.
5. Tommy Maddox, QB (Round 1, Pick 25 in 1992) – Even after leading the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances, John Elway was still questioned as a leader, so Denver drafted Maddox, who had played just two years at UCLA. Maddox started four games as a rookie after Elway injured his shoulder. He showed some flashes, but went 0-4 and threw nine interceptions. Maddox played for the Rams and Giants as a kick holder before finally getting his shot to start with the Steelers. He replaced Kordell Stewart and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after throwing 20 touchdown passes and leading the team to the Divisional round in 2002. Maddox also backed up Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl XL win over the Seahawks during his final NFL season in 2005. He also played with the Arena Football League’s New Jersey Red Dogs in 2000 and earned the MVP award with the original XFL as a member of the Los Angeles Xtreme the following year.
4. Jarvis Moss, DE (Round 1, Pick 17 in 2007) – Moss was named an All-American at Florida in 2006 after a stellar season that included two blocked kicks that preserved a win against South Carolina. He was also a member of Florida’s National Championship team the following year before Denver made a trade with Jacksonville to move up to 17 and take Moss. The defensive end broke his shin as a rookie but failed to adjust being moved to linebacker, and he was not an impact player even when he was in the lineup. He was released during the 2010 season and signed with the Raiders. In six NFL seasons, Moss totaled 48 tackles and six sacks.
3. Marcus Nash, WR (Round 1, Pick 30 in 1998) – Nash seemed to find success at every level except the NFL. He was an All-American in both high school and college, but totaled just four receptions for 76 yards in two seasons in the NFL. Nash was very fortunate that his two campaigns were with Super Bowl-winning clubs (the Broncos won in 1998 and he was with the Ravens when they were champions the following year). However, he found his greatest success in the Arena Football League, where he spent six seasons. Nash was named Offensive Player of the year in 2004 after amassing 1,771 yards and 46 touchdowns with the Las Vegas Gladiators. Four years later, he suffered a career-ending neck injury during a playoff game as a member of the Dallas Desperadoes.
2. Paxton Lynch, QB (Round 1, Pick 26 in 2016) – Lynch was responsible for the two highest single-season touchdown totals (passing and rushing combined) in Memphis history, but he just could not get adjusted to the NFL. He went 1-1 as a starter in place of the injured Trevor Siemien in 2016, and lost both his starts the following year. Lynch was demoted to third-string behind the newly acquired Case Keenum and rookie Chad Kelly in 2018. When the Broncos signed Kevin Hogan, Lynch was released. He was signed by the Steelers to back up Devlin “Duck” Hodges when Mason Rudolph suffered an injury last season.
1. Maurice Clarett, RB (Round 3, Pick 101 in 2005) – Sometimes you don’t have to be a high draft pick to be considered a bust. Clarett was a high school All-American and earned Ohio’s Mr. Football Award in 2001. From there, he went to Ohio State, where he ran for 18 touchdowns and helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship as a freshman. However, he faced off-the-field issues, including drugs, alcohol and an academic scandal in which he was accused of receiving preferential treatment and not showing up for class. Clarett also challenged the NFL rule requiring a three-year wait to enter the Draft after graduating high school. He won the initial ruling, but it was overturned by the Second Circuit of the U. S. Court of Appeals (with future Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing the court’s ruling opinion). The ruling forced him to sit out a year before he was eligible to be drafted. Clarett eventually signed an incentive-laden contract with the Broncos, but failed to impress in training camp and was cut without ever appearing in a game. From there, things only got worse. He was arrested, and spent more than four years in jail due to armed robbery and an illegal u-turn incident that included leading police on a car chase, getting tased and maced and having alcohol and weapons in his car. Clarett has since changed his life around. He opened up The Red Zone, an agency that helps people with mental health and addiction issues find work, enhance their grades and improve their lives.
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Statistics courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/.
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