Tomorrow is the 2025 NFL Draft, and to set the stage, the Denver Broncos draft picks of the last 5 years were recently examined.

The Athletic reviewed all 32 teams’ picks over the last half-decade, and Denver landed just above the mid-way mark.

Let’s examine where they fell in the rankings and how that compares with other AFC teams.

Where the Denver Broncos draft picks over the last 5 years rank

Denver comes in at No. 15 on The Athletic’s rankings of all 32 teams drafts over the last five years.

Here’s what they wrote:

15. Denver Broncos (7.34)
Top 50 picks: 5
Pro Bowls: 7
Starting seasons: 26
Best pick: CB Patrick Surtain II (No. 9, 2021); Worst pick: WR KJ Hamler (No. 46, 2020) Best value: edge Jonathon Cooper (No. 239, 2021)
The Russell Wilson trade hurt Denver, but it’s hard to argue the Broncos haven’t done a great job finding quality players in the mid- and late rounds. Cooper, Quinn Meinerz, Nik Bonitto and others have made life easier.

In recent years, many Broncos fans have been upset and fed up with general manager George Paton’s handling of the team. Both, in the NFL Draft and in free agency.

Paton trading for Russell Wilson, and then giving him the massive contract before he played a single down in Denver, is why.

But when we zoom out, Paton has done better than average.

Not just on The Athletic’s list, but when we examine the Denver Broncos draft picks since he took over in 2021.

In 2024, the Broncos had five All-Pros, including Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain. As The Athletic mentioned, Surtain was the best pick of Paton’s Era.

However, keep in mind that Paton also drafted First-Team All-Pro Quinn Meinerz out of D-III Wisconsin Whitewater. He even found Meinerz in the third round.

Paton drafted four-of-five All-Pros from last year, including Nik Bonitto in 2022 and wideout/punt returner Marvin Mims in 2023.

Of course, Bo Nix could become the next All-Pro Paton and Sean Payton drafted. And not only was Jonathan Cooper an absolute steal in the seventh round in 2021, but Javonte Williams was a beast in his rookie year.

15th may seem a little low for the Broncos, but that also includes 2020 with first-round bust Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and others before Paton was on board.

Chiefs lead AFC as best-drafted team over last 5 years

The No. 1 team in The Athletic’s rankings were the Detroit Lions, with the Kansas City Chiefs leading the AFC right behind them.

It’s not surprising, really, about the Chiefs. They constantly bring in top-tier talent, including interior linemen Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis were taken in the first round in 2022 and each of them have been cornerstones of Kansas City’s defense as of late. Obviously, he’s not included in the rankings because he was taken in 2017, but Patrick Mahomes was also drafted by the Chiefs.

Kansas City leads all AFC teams in the rankings, with a total of seven in the conference drafting better than Denver the last five years.

They are:

  • Kansas City, 2
  • Baltimore, 3
  • Miami, 6
  • Cincinnati, 7
  • Buffalo, 8
  • LA Chargers, 10
  • Pittsburgh, 12
  • Houston, 14
  • Denver, 15

And there are a few things to note from that list.

The Chiefs and Bills made the playoffs the last five straight years, the same timeframe as the draft list. Baltimore (4), Pittsburgh (3), and Miami, LAC, Cincinnati, and Houston each made it twice.

The only teams to make it twice over that same timespan where there Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans.

So, good drafting seems to correlate to making the playoffs.

Beyond that, the Chiefs–the best-drafted team in the AFC–was the best team in the entire league. They went to four Super Bowls and won two over the last five seasons.

The Bengals lost a Super Bowl and made another AFC Championship, while the Bills lost two AFC Championships over that span.

Certainly, there are a lot of factors that make a team competitive and a true contender. But these numbers seem to suggest drafting well is directly correlated with winning.

Meanwhile, the Chargers and Dolphins are outliers because they can’t get out of the Wild Card Round.

Ultimately, a team is built in the draft first and in free agency second. And considering the Denver Broncos draft picks as of late, they’re in good hands with George Paton calling the shots.

Now, all eyes are on Paton and Payton starting at 6 p.m. MT on Thursday as Denver has the No. 20 pick. That is, if they don’t trade up.