1. Rod Smith
Career with Broncos: 12 seasons (1995-2006)
Statistics With Broncos: 849 receptions (1st all time); 11,389 receiving yards (1st all time); 68 receiving touchdowns (1st all time)
Career Accolades: 3-time Pro Bowler
Without a doubt, Rod Smith is simply the best receiver to ever put on a Broncos jersey.
Smith leads the Broncos in nearly every major receiving category and it isn’t even close. His 11,389 career receiving yards are almost 3,000 more than Sharpe, who is in second, as well as 174 more receptions than Sharpe, who again is in second, and 13 more receiving touchdowns than Sharpe, who yet again is in second.
It would take Sharpe, the second best receiving threat in Broncos history, multiple years to make up this deficit Smith created.
What could be even more incredible than the numbers he put up over his career is that he wasn’t even drafted. As an undrafted rookie, he only started one game in each of his first two seasons with the Broncos. After that, Smith took over the league in the Broncos first Super Bowl season in 1997 and never looked back.
In a nine-year span, 1997-2005, Smith recorded eight 1,000-yard seasons and led the league with 113 receptions in 2001. Smith proved he was the rare combination of consistency and exceptional performance on Super Bowl winning teams, as well as teams that didn’t even make the playoffs.
Even with all of this, Smith is often overlooked as a star on the Super Bowl winning teams because of Elway and Davis. However, nothing about what Smith accomplished should be overlooked. It wasn’t a coincidence that the year Smith broke out, the Broncos got over the hump and won their first Super Bowl, and in their next Super Bowl, he had 152 receiving yards.
The only thing left to say about No. 80, is that he should hear his name for the Hall of Fame soon.
