Now that all of the drafts have ended for the four Denver major professional sports franchises, it is time to compare the top picks of each team and figure out which pick will be the best and most-valuable in the future.
The Denver Broncos traded-up and selected QB Paxton Lynch from Memphis with the No. 26 pick. Denver had nearly no choice but to draft a quarterback after they lost both Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler in the offseason.
Lynch has all the tools to fit in the Gary Kubiak offense. He is tall, athletic and has the smarts to scan and understand the field quickly. Lynch has a strong arm and good leadership abilities. However, his development has been slow to this point. There is a clear gap heading into training camp between Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian compared to Lynch.
The Colorado Rockies took RHP Riley Pint from Overland Park, Kansas with the No. 4 pick. Pint is young and will most likely take his time through the minors before joining the club.
The good news is that Pint has been clocked at over 100mph and he has a very good pitching frame at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds. The criticism so far on the young right-hander is that he struggles with command and consistency.
The Denver Nuggets selected SG Jamal Murray from Kentucky at No. 7. Denver again experienced the fortune of having a higher-rated prospect fall to them in the draft.
Murray’s strength is shooting the basketball, something the Nuggets desperately need. He also can double at point guard if Denver needs him to. Murray does need to improve his passing and work on his defense as he gets ready for his first NBA season.
The Colorado Avalanche took C Tyson Jost from Penticton at No. 10 overall. Jost will play at least his freshman season at North Dakota before deciding what to do next.
Jost seems to be a smart and versatile hockey player. He can play at both ends and should be a spark on the power play. The question is whether or not Colorado needed to draft a center that early. The Avalanche has a need for size and could have used another defenseman.
The huge difference in these drafts is that Murray is ready now to be a large part of the Nuggets, while the others are not quite there yet. If Lynch has a very strong training camp and closes on Sanchez and Siemian, he could be called upon sometime during the regular season. In the cases of Pint and Jost, it will no doubt take some time to see if their high selections were worth it.
The one consistent between all of these teams is that they have some very good young talent on the horizon.
Which Denver team will benefit the most due to their recent drafts?
To listen to more talk on Denver’s newest additions, listen to the podcast below …
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