It often takes years to determine the real success or failure of an NFL Draft class. Ask the Houston Texans, who didn’t find out until last year that Brock Osweiler (Rd. 2, 2012) wasn’t the pick everyone (including Denver who drafted him) thought he could be.
Still, in the “Not For Long” league, memories (and careers) are short and expectations (and salaries) are high. The team at Mile High Sports put it to a vote this weekend to see what our followers on Twitter thought of this year’s draft class – breaking up the vote into two separate polls. The Broncos made it nice and clean by selecting four players on Days 1 and 2, and four players on Day 3. (Twitter coincidentally only allows for four votes per poll.)
From the Day 1 and 2 selections, Florida State defensive end DeMarcus Walker (Rd.2, No. 51 overall) edged out Carlos Henderson (Rd. 3, No. 82 overall), the wide receiver from Louisiana Tech.
AM POLL: Which of Denver's first four picks has you most excited? #Broncos
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) April 29, 2017
It’s somewhat surprising that voters didn’t have more love for Denver’s No. 1 pick (No. 20 overall), Garett Bolles. The offensive tackle from Utah won over the Broncos with his nasty attitude on the field and teddy bear demeanor off it. (The guy brought his four-month-old son on stage with him and went all “Lion King,” for crying out loud.) Not to mention the fact that Denver’s offensive line has been the target of much ire over the past two seasons.
Still, the consensus All-American pass rusher from Florida State was the top choice among 158 voters. His 46 percent means that he earned only 73 total votes. And that’s the most surprising thing. The biggest winner came from Day No. 3.
Voters were so lukewarm on Denver’s first four picks, that the overall winner more than tripled the amount of total votes for all four of the Day 1 and 2 picks.
With 72 percent of 808 votes in the second poll, Michigan tight end Jake Butt dominated voting on all levels.
PM POLL: Who is your favorite Day 3 pick by the #Broncos?
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) April 30, 2017
Butt, also a consensus All-American, slipped to Denver with the first pick of the fifth round (No. 145 overall) due in large part to a second ACL injury suffered in the 2016 Orange Bowl. The Wolverine apparently knew it would be such an issue that he took out an insurance policy that paid him for lost wages based on how far he slipped in the draft.
The injury didn’t scare off voters, however, as Butt amassed a whopping 582 of your votes over the poll’s 24-hour lifespan.
Butt was projected as a first-round talent, so at No. 145 Denver really may have found themselves a steal if he’s healthy. Voters appear savvy enough to recognize that.