Five things we learned from the Denver Broncos’ 2016 draft class

The Broncos entered the 2016 NFL Draft with likely the largest question mark in the league: Who’s the quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champions. And that question was defining the franchise, even more so than the Lombardi Trophy that just took up residence in their training facility.

For months, it was all ESPN, NFL Network, Mile High Sports and every other Denver sports media outlet could talk. First it was Osweiler, then it was Kaepernick, then it was Manziel, then it was Keenum, then it was Hoyer and so on and so on. Toss a rock and you’re likely to hit a quarterback that was rumored to be coming to the Broncos.

About two hours into the draft, though, John Elway and the Broncos answered that question. And whether you agree with their decision or not, the selection of Paxton Lynch gives a clear view into the direction Elway plans on taking this franchise.

So, with that said, here are five things the Denver Broncos 2016 draft class has taught us about the franchise going forward.

Mark Sanchez is the short-term solution

Forget Colin Kaepernick, forget Tyrod Taylor, forget everybody. Heck, forget Paxton Lynch. When the Broncos take the field Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, it’ll be Mark Sanchez getting the start.

So, uh, get used to it.

And really, is it that bad? I mean, it’s not great, but as I wrote on Friday, there wasn’t really a great option out there. Kaepernick’s the guy everybody had their eyes on, but he’s just as big of a risk as anyone; he’s been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league the last two years.

You can toss that on the disfunction of the San Francisco 49ers organization, but that’s unfair; Kaepernick deserves a lot of the blame.

It’s fine to like Kaepernick more than Sanchez, but you can’t make the argument that he’s been the better quarterback in recent years:

Kaepernick’s Last Eight Starts: 2-6 record; 59% completion; 1,615 yards; 6 touchdowns; 5 interceptions; 78.5 QB Rating

Sanchez’s Last Eight Starts: 3-5 record; 66% completion; 1,998 yards; 12 touchdowns; 10 interceptions; 85.3 QB Rating

The fact of the matter is that Sanchez is a very good backup and a not-so-good starter. But his floor his relatively high — relatively being the key word — and that’s about all the Broncos can ask for at this point. Hand the ball off, don’t turn the ball over and let the defense do its work; that’s all he needs to do.

Is that a winning formula? It was last year. Only time will tell if it’ll be repeatable this season.

Peyton Manning‘s replacement is Anderson, Booker and Hillman

If we stop thinking about this as a “quarterback” problem and start thinking about it as an “offense” problem, things begin to look a whole lot more appealing.

No matter how they got there — and they probably spent too much money/assets — the Broncos now look to have one of the most interesting, if not best, running back corps in the NFL, especially if the offensive line can take a big leap forward this year.

C.J. Anderson was great last year, averaging over 6 yards per carry (most in the league) after Denver’s bye, and he single-handedly won several games for the Broncos with game-changing runs. Throw in Devontae Booker, who was a steal in the fourth round, and you’ve got another three-down back who can make plays in every stage of the game. And that’s without even mentioning Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson or Kapri Bibbs. None of those guys may be Pro Bowlers, but as your third and fourth options, they’re pretty darn good.

It’s clear that Elway is crafting a team that is going to pound the ball and take as much pressure off the quarterback as possible. He understands that he’s not going to create a top-10, even top-15, quarterback out of thin air; if he’s going to improve this offense, it’s going to be by developing one of the best rushing attacks in the league.

With the revamped offensive line up front, it’s not unreasonable to hope Denver can verge on a top-10 rushing offense. From there, you rely on your defense to do what they do and your quarterback to limit mistakes.

This is officially Gary Kubiak‘s team

From the moment Gary Kubiak got hired until the moment Peyton Manning retired, people were asking how a 39-year-old shotgun quarterback was going to play in Kubiak’s under-center, play-action offense. And as we all now know, he wouldn’t. While there may have been vague visions of a bootleg from time to time (often ending in a self-sack), the Broncos were running a Manning offense last year, plain and simple.

Moving forward, though, the Broncos are going full-Kubiak, and that’s really, really good news.

In Kubiak’s 20 years of coaching, both as a coordinator and head coach, his offenses have only ranked lower than last year’s 19th-placed effort (in terms of points per game) twice: his first and final years in Houston. Otherwise, he’s had a top 10 offense 14 times in his career (70% of the time), including 10 top-five rushing offenses

So, he’s a good coach, and he knows what he’s doing.

Last season, based on Kubiak’s standards, was an extremely disappointing year. The Broncos finished with the 19th-ranked scoring offense, the 17th-ranked rushing offense and the 14th-ranked passing offense.

This offseason, Elway has done everything in his power to construct an offense around Kubiak’s wishes, and he’s done a fantastic job. We’ve already talked about the running backs, but the additions of Russell Okung, Donald Stephenson and Connor McGovern across the line are huge.

And with Paxton Lynch, the Broncos got a guy who fits the Kubiak quarterback to a T: big, athletic and strong.

Oh, and to cap it all off, they drafted a fullback! A fullback!

Buh bye Britton Colquitt

Britton Colquitt may be one of the better punters in the league, and that’s a definite positive. Unfortunately, he’s also getting paid like it, and that’s a definite negative.

Colquitt is set to make $3.25 million this season, which is second most in the league for any punter, only trailing is brother, Dustin ($3.6 million). There had been speculation that Elway would try to get out from underneath that money, and with the selection of Riley Dixon in the seventh round, it would now be a surprise if Colquitt plays another game for the Broncos.

If Denver had simply wanted to give Colquitt some camp competition, they would have brought a guy in during free agency. The fact that they actually drafted Dixon shows that Elway wanted him, specifically.

Unless Dixon completely flames out or Colquitt agrees to a massive pay cut, the six-year Bronco veteran will be looking for a new job.

The Broncos are in win-forever mode, not win-now mode

Year after year, John Elway has made one thing very clear: He’s not going to mortgage the future to satisfy the present.

Elway is interested in the long game, and that’s what he exemplified this offseason.

Yes, the Broncos are champions, and they want nothing more than to repeat this season, but Elway’s equally concerned about competing for a championship in 2017, 2020, 2025 and every year in between. That’s why he played hardball with Colin Kaepernick, and that’s why he drafted Paxton Lynch.

You can argue about whether he’s making the right decision, but it’s very clear that that’s the decision he has made.

Only time will tell if it pays off.