You don't always need to find franchise greats in the first two rounds of the draft, as these 20 examples show.
[Editor's note: The following selections reflect the opinions of the DenverBroncos.com editorial staff.]
1 / 20
1968 - DL Paul Smith
1968 NFL/AFL Draft: Round 9, No. 222 overall
After a collegiate career with the New Mexico Lobos during which he was twice selected All-Western Athletic Conference, Smith joined the Broncos in the ninth round. The future Ring of Famer played 11 seasons in Denver and earned two Pro Bowl selections (1972-73). Even as an interior lineman, Smith was an exceptional pass rusher and had four consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks.
2 / 20
1968 - QB Marlin Briscoe
1968 NFL/AFL Draft: Round 14, No. 357 overall
An elusive and record-setting quarterback at what is now known as the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Briscoe was drafted instead to play defensive back. However, as fate would have it, Briscoe wound up back at quarterback when injuries and poor play forced the Broncos to turn to other options. In that way, Briscoe became the first Black player in modern pro football to start at quarterback. In 11 games and five starts, Briscoe threw for 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and rushed for 308 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie. Although Briscoe only spent the one season in Denver, his status as a pioneer in franchise and football history earns him a spot on this list.
3 / 20
1971 - DE Lyle Alzado
1971 NFL Draft: Round 4, No. 79 overall
The defunct Yankton College in South Dakota no longer exists, but it did help produce one of the most feared defenders in Broncos history. As legend has it, Denver's defensive line coach Stan Jones car broke down in Montana during a scouting road trip; while it was being fixed, Jones visited Montana Tech to watch some tape and noticed Alzado on the opposing side. What he saw was enough to push the Broncos to draft Alzado in the fourth round. An unrelenting player, Alzado wreaked havoc on linemen and quarterbacks alike. He helped create the "Orange Crush" defensive pressure that forced opponents into many mistakes, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 1977 and Pro Bowl selections in 1977 and 1978.
4 / 20
1973 - LB Tom Jackson
1973 NFL Draft: Round 4, No. 88 overall
A standout linebacker at Louisville, Jackson led the Cardinals in tackles in each of his three collegiate seasons, including two campaigns that earned him All-Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year selections in 1970 and 1972. Upon entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick in 1973, Jackson helped the Broncos move into the "Orange Crush" era behind a dominant defense. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (first team in 1977, second team in 1978), Jackson was a beloved personality and explosive athlete. After his Ring of Fame career on the field, Jackson became a national star in his second career as a broadcaster with ESPN.
5 / 20
1975 - DB Steve Foley
1975 NFL Draft: Round 8, No. 199 overall
During his time in college at Tulane, Foley starred as a quarterback and led the team to a bowl game as a junior. Drafted by the Broncos in 1975, Foley actually started his pro career in the World Football League with the Jacksonville Express before going to his NFL destination in 1976. As a defensive back, Foley started 136 of the 150 NFL games he played for the Broncos from 1976 to 1986, including two Super Bowl appearances. A Broncos Top 100 Team selection, Foley is also the franchise's career leader in interceptions.
6 / 20
1975 - DL Rubin Carter
1975 NFL Draft: Round 5, No. 121 overall
One of the finest defensive linemen to ever play for the University of Miami Hurricanes, Carter somehow slid to the fifth round, where the Broncos picked him up just in time to fill a crucial role in what was to become the "Orange Crush" defense. At the center of the line in Denver's 3-4 defense, Carter helped maintain a stout attack against opposing rushers. A Broncos Top 100 Team selection, he started 152 of the 166 games he played over his 12 seasons in Denver and earned second-team All-Pro honors during the Broncos' magical 1977 season.
7 / 20
1975 - WR Rick Upchurch
1975 NFL Draft: Round 4, No. 95 overall
After splitting his collegiate years between a junior college in Iowa and the University of Minnesota, Upchurch entered the NFL with the Broncos as a fourth-round pick who boasted tremendous speed no matter how his teams chose to utilize him. In the pros, he was more than just a dependable and dangerous wideout, as he also starred as one of the best return specialists in NFL history. A 2014 Ring of Fame inductee, Upchurch earned four Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro nods, but his most impressive feat may have been his selection to both the 1970s and 1980s NFL All-Decade teams.
8 / 20
1980 - G Keith Bishop
1980 NFL Draft: Round 6, No. 157 overall
A sixth-round pick by the Broncos, Bishop moved into a starting role in 1983 and proceeded to be a reliable blocker for Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway for nearly a decade. That stint included two Pro Bowl selections, and Bishop is etched into franchise lore forever for his words before the Broncos' 98-yard game-tying fourth-quarter drive in the 1986 AFC Championship against the Browns on the road: "We've got them right where we want them."
Eric Lars Bakke
9 / 20
1981 - T Ken Lanier
1981 NFL Draft: Round 5, No. 125 overall
Despite starting every game for Florida State since his second outing as a freshman and earning second-team All-America honors as a senior, Lanier fell to the fifth round and the Broncos in 1981. Denver was better off for it, though, as he played 13 seasons in Denver and helped the team to three Super Bowl appearances during his time with the team.
Eric Lars Bakke
10 / 20
1982 - RB Sammy Winder
1982 NFL Draft: Round 5, No. 131 overall
A former walk-on for the University of Southern Miss, Winder became the Golden Eagles' No. 2 all-time rusher by the end of his collegiate career. It wasn't enough to push him into the top four rounds, but the Broncos snagged him in the fifth round. Within his first two seasons, Winder was a Pro Bowler and added a second selection in 1986. When he finished his NFL career, he placed second in career rushing yards for the Broncos, behind only Floyd Little. Today, he is third, behind Terrell Davis and Little.
Eric Lars Bakke
11 / 20
1983 - LB Karl Mecklenburg
1983 NFL Draft: Round 12, No. 310 overall
While the Broncos made huge news around the 1983 NFL Draft by trading for John Elway, the Broncos' final pick also became a Ring of Fame player in Denver. "The Albino Rhino" became one of the most-versatile defenders in NFL history, able to play along the defensive line, on the edge and at inside linebacker as needed. A six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, Mecklenburg was inducted into the Ring of Fame in 2001 and was selected to the Broncos Top 100 Team in 2019.
Eric Lars Bakke
12 / 20
1986 - WR Mark Jackson
1986 NFL Draft: Round 6, No. 161 overall
A member of the famous "Three Amigos" receiving corps for the Broncos, Jackson led the team in receiving yards in three seasons and helped the team reach three Super Bowls. As a rookie, Jackson also played a pivotal role in one of the most important moments in team history, catching the game-tying touchdown pass from John Elway to cap "The Drive," which led to an overtime victory against the Browns in the 1986 AFC Championship Game.
Rod Hanna
13 / 20
1987 - DB Tyrone Braxton
1987 NFL Draft: Round 12, No. 334 overall
One of two 12th-round picks who became Pro Bowlers for the Broncos, Braxton played 12 years in Denver and started 132 games as a cornerback or safety. A reliable player and 1996 Pro Bowler, Braxton also was opportunistic in big moments, recording three postseason interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a sack in 19 playoff games, including the Broncos' first two Super Bowl victories.
David Gonzales
14 / 20
1990 - TE Shannon Sharpe
1990 NFL Draft: Round 7, No. 192 overall
The younger brother of Sterling Sharpe, the seventh-overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, Shannon had a much different experience as a seventh-round pick out of Savannah State. Although he was an All-American, Shannon profiled as a "tweener" to some NFL decision-makers due to a combination of size and speed that placed his ideal position between wide receiver and tight end. The Broncos took a flyer on him with a seventh-round pick anyway, eventually finding a perfect role for him in a high-powered offense led by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. A three-time Super Bowl champion (including two with the Broncos), eight-time Pro Bowler (seven with Denver) and four-time first-team All-Pro, Sharpe is widely considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history.
Ryan McKee
15 / 20
1994 - C Tom Nalen
1994 NFL Draft: Round 7, No. 218 overall
The best interior lineman in franchise history, Nalen barely was drafted at all, as Denver selected him with the 218th-overall pick out of 222. By his second season, he was a starter. Two years after that, Nalen earned his first Pro Bowl selection, kick-starting a run of four consecutive Pro Bowl nods that also featured back-to-back Super Bowl victories. Over his 14-season career, he earned five total Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro nods and started the second-most games in franchise history.
Eric Lars Bakke
16 / 20
1995 - RB Terrell Davis
1995 NFL Draft: Round 6, No. 196 overall
A Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2017 and a Ring of Fame inductee in 2007, Davis entered the 1995 NFL Draft with some injury concerns that pushed him down draft boards and resulted in him being the 17th running back drafted. Famously, Davis became the Broncos' star back after a big special-teams tackle during an America Bowl preseason game in Japan. In his first four seasons, Davis rushed for more than 1,000 yards each year and improved each season, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors from 1996-98. He capped this run with one of the greatest stretches by any running back in NFL history, winning two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XXXII MVP, 1998 NFL MVP and surpassing 2,000 rushing yards in the 1998 season, which was just the fourth time an NFL player had reached that mark. In addition to holding several franchise rushing records, Davis is arguably also the best postseason rusher, as he holds the NFL postseason record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games with seven. He crossed that threshold in each of Denver's seven playoff games that finished the 1997 and 1998 championship seasons, totaling an incredible 1,049 rushing yards in that span.
Rich Clarkson
17 / 20
2006 - OLB Elvis Dumervil
2006 NFL Draft: Round 4, No. 126 overall
A Broncos Top 100 Team selection in 2019, Dumervil was a former standout at the University of Louisville. Albeit perhaps undersized at 5-foot-11, Dumervil excelled in college, setting the Big East's single-season sack record with 20 sacks in 2005 and winning unanimous All-American honors, along with the Ted Hendricks Award and Bronko Nagurski Award as college football's best defensive end and linebacker, respectively. With the Broncos, Dumervil became a reliable and explosive pass rusher, recording three double-digit sack seasons in his five seasons as a starter, earning three Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro nod in Denver.
Gabriel Christus/Gabriel Christus 2011
18 / 20
2006 - WR Brandon Marshall
2006 NFL Draft: Round 4, No. 119 overall
The 14th wide receiver selected in the 2006 NFL Draft, Marshall became easily the best wideout of his class — and one of the best players of this draft, period. In just his second season, Marshall recorded 102 receptions and 1,325 yards, his first of seven consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons. With Denver in his first four NFL seasons, he earned two Pro Bowl selections and set an NFL single-game record with 21 receptions. In 2019, Marshall was picked to the Broncos Top 100 Team.
© Eric Lars Bakke/© Eric Lars Bakke 2007
19 / 20
2012 - DE Malik Jackson
2012 NFL Draft: Round 5, No. 137 overall
A Day 3 pick and the sixth selection of the Broncos' seven-man 2012 draft class, Jackson became a starter in a crucial 2015 season after years of promising play as a reserve. As the Broncos formed a historic defense, Jackson played a critical role in helping create the kind of interior pressure that allowed edge rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware to wreak havoc. To cap that season, Jackson came up with the fumble recovery that scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl 50, leading to Denver's third Super Bowl title.
Eric Lars Bakke/ Denver Broncos/© Eric Lars Bakke/ Denver Broncos
20 / 20
2016 - S Justin Simmons
2016 NFL Draft: Round 3, No. 98 overall
Selected with a compensatory pick near the end of the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Simmons began his career as a reserve defensive back for Denver's acclaimed "No-Fly Zone" secondary before emerging in his own right as a star player. Over the years that followed, Simmons earned two Pro Bowl selections, four second-team All-Pro nods and three Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year team nominations.
Gabriel Christus/© Gabriel Christus
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Earlier this month, the team at DenverBroncos.com identified the franchise's top draft pick at each position for Round 1, Rounds 2 and 3 and Rounds 4 and beyond.
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, there's time for just one more ranking.
This time, we're picking Denver's top draft pick from each of the Broncos' six-plus decades in the organization's history. In some of the decades, the choice was clear. In others, the decision could not have been more difficult.
Ultimately, we came up with a list of six players that represent the very best of the Broncos' draft selections.
[Editor's note: These selections are the opinion of the author.]
As we start our list, let's head back to the beginning:
1960s: RB Floyd Little (1967, No. 6 overall)
We couldn't begin this list with anyone other than "The Franchise." Little wasn't inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame until 2010, but his impact in Denver was felt decades earlier. Little earned five all-star nods and a first-team All-AFL honor in 1969, and he helped the Broncos earn their first winning record in 1973. In an era in which top players spurned the AFL for the NFL, Little joining the Broncos was a turning point for the organization.
1970s: LB Randy Gradishar (1974, No. 14 overall)
The Broncos' lone Hall of Famer drafted in the 1970s, Gradishar is the clear choice here. Gradishar earned 1978 Defensive Player of the Year honors and was the key cog in the famed Orange Crush defense. Denver selected him in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft, and the team's choice proved prescient. Gradishar is one of just two Hall of Famers selected in the first round of that year's draft, joining wide receiver Lynn Swann. Cornerback Louis Wright, with his five Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors, was another stellar Broncos pick who is deserving of recognition — and also perhaps of enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
1980s: S Steve Atwater (1989, No. 20 overall)
Linebacker Karl Mecklenburg and safety Dennis Smith are among the Ring of Famers the Broncos selected in the 1980s, but safety Steve Atwater earns this selection. Drafted in the final year of the decade, Atwater played in a Super Bowl as a rookie and would later be a key piece of the Broncos' back-to-back championship teams. He earned two first-team All-Pro nods and eight Pro Bowl appearances, which earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame in 2020.
1990s: RB Terrell Davis (1995, No. 196 overall)
A truly impossible choice. Deciding between a pair of Hall of Famers in Davis and Shannon Sharpe — selected in the sixth and seven round, respectively — is an unenviable task. Sharpe posted more Pro Bowls and All-Pro selections, but Davis gets the slight nod here for reaching heights that just two other players in franchise history have also attained. Davis earned league MVP honors in 1998 for his 2,000-yard campaign — joining John Elway and Peyton Manning as the only MVPs in team history — and he also earned MVP honors in Denver's first Super Bowl win.
2000s: T Ryan Clady (2008, No. 12 overall)
There were plenty of deserving choices in the 2000s, including wide receiver Brandon Marshall, EDGE Elvis Dumervil and running back Clinton Portis. Yet while all three of those selections played significant portions of their careers with other teams, Clady earns the nod for spending the bulk of his career in Denver. Clady was a six-year starter and earned four Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections. Were it not for injuries, Clady's career may have reached even greater heights.
2010s: OLB Von Miller (2011, No. 2 overall)
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had a stellar career, and a couple of Broncos still with the team have also posted promising starts to their careers. And yet, Miller stands alone. The Super Bowl 50 MVP was the first defensive player selected in 2011, and he earned three first-team All-Pro nods and eight Pro Bowls during his career in Denver.
2020s: CB Pat Surtain II (2021, No. 9 overall)
The decade is not yet halfway done, but Surtain already has a strong resume. The second defender off the board in 2021, Surtain has posted a pair of Pro Bowl appearances and a first-team All-Pro honor. The exciting part of the NFL Draft, though, is you never know which player could come next. When the Broncos make their selections in less than a week, perhaps they'll find a player that can challenge Surtain for a spot on this list.
