The Denver Broncos praised Virgil Green all preseason and they spent a high draft pick on Jeff Heuerman during last year’s NFL draft, but apparently neither of those men are the answer at tight end.
Today, John Elway called up the New England Patriots and traded for second-year tight end A.J. Derby.
Broncos traded a 2017 draft to New England for TE AJ Derby, per source. https://t.co/q4iAghsnQM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 25, 2016
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, that draft pick is a 2017 fifth rounder.
Derby was selected in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft and has failed to record a single reception during his professional career. NFL.com’s draft profile of Derby labeled him as an athletic, yet raw prospect, having only played one year of tight end at Arkansas.
Obviously, the Broncos must value his upside if they’re willing to give up a draft pick to get him, especially when you consider that they gave up a higher pick (5th) than the Patriots originally used to select him (6th).