A whirlwind weekend for the Denver Broncos comes to it’s completion with the selection of ten players in the 2018 NFL Draft — many players the Broncos are hoping to hit the jackpot on as they progress as professionals in the league.
Headlined by what many believe is the best defensive player, the Broncos went digging in familiar positions from last year, but how did the Broncos do overall in rounds one through seven?
Radio hosts on the Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 give a letter grade to the Broncos and as to why they either hit the jackpot or simply missed the mark.
David Hurlbut – Host of The Morning Huddle. Weekdays 6-7am
B+ for me. Chubb, Sutton and Freeman are excellent picks, but when Connor Williams falls and you have an opportunity to solve your achilles-heel for this team over the past several years, I don’t know why you pass on him. He is a star and only allowed one sack in college. He was first-round talent who fell to the second-round and it would’ve been beneficial to look his way.
Shawn Drotar – Co-Host of Morning’s at 5280. Weekdays 7-9am
Grade: B+.
Pluses: The Broncos found immediate contributors in DE Bradley Chubb (he’s not a linebacker, Vance!) , WR Courtland Sutton and RB Royce Freeman — who might even become their starting halfback. CB Isaac Yiadom should be a valuable special-teams performer, at minimum, and LB Josey Jewell, WE DaeSean Hamilton and TE Troy Fumagalli should all make the roster. Local product OL Sam Jones’ versatility might him more than just a heartwarming story, and UDFA Philip Lindsey could become the Broncos’ kickoff returner.
Minuses: Sutton might have been a reach in the second round; he has a tendency to round off routes, and doesn’t utilize his 6’3″ build to his advantage. The Broncos didn’t address their offensive line until the sixth round, and impact guard Will Hernandez might have been available in the second round had Denver been aggressive in wheeling and dealing.
Standout: Jewell. Iowa’s first-ever three-time captain had three seasons of 120-plus tackles. A heady player, the only real knock on Jewell was his underwhelming 40-yard dash time at the combine — but linebackers never run in a straight line, and a good decision made one-tenth of a second faster than a ball-carrier neutralizes the speed differential. There’s a little Karl Mecklenburg in Jewell, and he should contribute as a backup for Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis.
Benny Bash – Co-Host of Morning Mayhem. Weekdays 9-11am
C, for we shall ‘C’ if any of the quarterbacks that Denver passed on evolves to be a franchise quarterback.
This Broncos draft will not be graded based on the players they selected — but rather the players that Denver passed on, particularly at the quarterback position.
Joe Williams – Co-Host of The Joe Williams Show. Weekdays 1-2pm
Give them a B. Passed on drafting a franchise quarterback and failed to address the offensive line.
Kent Erickson – Co-Host of The Joe Williams Show. Weekdays 1-2pm
They get a B. Grading this draft comes down to one question. Quarterback or not?
The picks they made in rounds two-through-five all are very good prospects with a chance to be valuable starters in the years ahead. If you don’t think they need a quarterback, Chubb makes it an A.
If you’re like me and will be closely watching the Buffalo Bills offense in the near future, it gets a B.
Sean Walsh – Co-host of Walsh and Notaro. Weekdays 2-4pm
Incomplete. Every year it’s impossible to judge a draft the Monday after. Did Denver get what appear to be solid players? Yes; however, they failed to address one of my biggest concerns, the offensive line.
I like Josey Jewell. He was the best tackler in the Big Ten. There’s potential there for a pro bowl linebacker in time.
Eric Goodman – Co-Host of Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro. Weekdays 4-6pm
The Chubb pick is so good that even if everyone else doesn’t pan out and Chubb plays to the level of Von Miller, the grade at a minimum is a B+.
Also, like they drafted mature players as opposed to some players who were not ready for the NFL.
Les Shapiro – Co-Host of Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro. Weekdays 4-6pm
The only sensible grade would be “I” for “Incomplete.” I can say — with some certainty — this draft deserves a high grade for character.
After drafting purely for “juice” last year and ignoring other traits, John Elway decided to go for character and intelligence this year (as well as talent.)
Ronnie K – Producer of Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro. Weekdays 4-6pm
Denver get a ‘B’ from me. Failing to find the franchise quarterback was a mistake and while Chubb was a safe pick. The rest of the draft may not provide enough bang for Denver in the immediate future.
Freeman has a lot of tread on his tires already (remind you of Montee Ball?) and linebacker was not a high enough need to select Josey Jewell early in the fourth round. Isaac Yiadom appears to be a solid pick at first glance, but when will he actually see the field?
There was a lot of doubling up on picks from last year. Meaning the Broncos either are putting nearly the entire 2017 draft class on notice because of multiple disappointments last year, or there was a real emphasis on depth for this year — both reasons don’t bode well for the short term future in 2018 for a team who wants to win now.
Connor Cape – Co-Host of The Connor Cape Show. Tuesday through Thursday 8-10pm
The Broncos get a B.
Chubb should be an instant impact player for this team, but they failed to address a major position, quarterback.
Potential week one starter Royce Freeman was a nice selection, who averaged nearly six yards per carry, scoring 64 touchdowns. That’s a lot and something the Broncos didn’t do often in 2017.
Saif Khan – Co-Host of The Wheelhouse. Sunday’s 8-10am.
A-.
The signings and draft picks seem reasonable and picking up a host of positions where they needed them.
Running back Royce Freeman could be joining a three-headed running back committee and his speed and ability to capitalize on gaining crucial yards in short yardage situations is appealing.