DENVER — It is potential, the possibility of a better tomorrow, that incites so much enthralling anticipation for the NFL Draft.
As a practical matter, the draft is only one part to building a championship roster. Trades, waiver claims and various forms of free agency are other parts.
Of the 30 players inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame, only 15 were draft picks by the team. And only five Ring of Famers were selected by the Broncos in the first round – Floyd Little, Randy Gradishar, Louis Wright, Dennis Smith and Steve Atwater. Von Miller and Demaryius Thomas will eventually make it seven.
There will be no first round selections for the Broncos this year. Nor will they pick in the second round, at least not as the draft commences with the first round on April 27. The Broncos’ do have two picks, back to back, high up in the third round.
The acquisition of quarterback Russell Wilson via trade with Seattle last year and head coach Sean Payton in a proprietary swap with New Orleans this year left gaping holes at the top of the Broncos’ draft.
But again, the draft is only one part of constructing a winning team. The Broncos compensated by focusing on another of the four parts – free agency, where they outspent all other NFL teams last month.
How well have you, Broncos’ fans and observers, followed the team’s draft picks over the years? Take this draft version of the latest Broncos trivia quiz.
Get 7+ correct and you belong on the 50 yard line, 12 rows up. Answer 6 correctly and you’re the go-to-person for Broncos knowledge at the summer pool party. Score 5 right and it means you probably have been on the Broncos bandwagon since the Orange Crush years.
Get 3 or 4 correct and you, too, qualify as a Broncos’ Insider. If you only answer 2 or fewer correctly its because your contribution to Broncosmania is limited to bringing chips and queso to the Sunday watch gatherings.
Good luck!
Questions
1. In a battle of No. 1 overall draft picks, this former Bronco retired Darryl Strawberry on a bunt back to the mound in the 1979 L.A. City high school baseball championship game at Dodger Stadium to kill what had been a two-on, no out threat.
2. The Broncos’ first selection in the 2023 NFL Draft is not until No. 67 in the third round. To date, the most productive player the Broncos have ever taken with the No. 67 pick is:
A. Dan Neil
B. Chris Watson
C. Nate Irving
D. Ronnie Hillman
E. The Broncos have never had a No. 67 selection in the draft.
3. The Broncos also have the No. 68 selection in the upcoming draft. The best-ever Broncos player taken with the No. 68 overall pick:
A. Goldie Sellers
B. Claudie Minor
C. Jason Elam
D. Ryan Harris
E. The Broncos have never had a No. 68 draft pick.
4. The Broncos do not have first- or second-round picks in the upcoming draft for the first time since:
A. 2022 (first player taken was Nik Bonitto)
B. 2012 (first player taken was Derek Wolfe)
C. 2005 (first player taken was Darrent Williams)
D. 1995 (first player taken was Jamie Brown)
E. 1990 (first player taken was Alton Montgomery)
5. The best draft that never was for the Broncos was in 1964, when they selected three future Pro Football Hall of Famers, none of whom played for Denver. Who were those three future HOFers who opted to sign with NFL teams instead of the Broncos?
A. Curley Culp, Dick Butkus, Kermit Alexander
B. Merlin Olsen, Hewritt Dixon, Willie Brown
C. Bob Brown, Paul Krause, Bob Hayes
D. Ron McDole, Ray Mansfield, Wally Hilgenberg
6. In the past 20 years, the Broncos have taken seven cornerbacks in the third round with none of them becoming full-time starters with the team. Dominique Foxworth had the most starts with 18 in his three seasons here. Name the two, third-round cornerbacks of the past 20 years who never started a game for the Broncos. (Half point for each cornerback disappointment).
7. The Broncos have drafted more quarterbacks in the 7th round (8) than any other round. The latest was Chad Kelly in 2017. The next most quarterbacks came in the 4th round (5), then the first round with 4 (Jay Cutler, Tommy Maddox, Tim Tebow, Paxton Lynch). Only once did the Broncos take a quarterback in the third round. Who was he?
A. Mark Hermann
B. Brian Griese
C. Gary Kubiak
D. Brock Osweiler
E. Marlin Briscoe
8. Broncos’ draft picks have produced three offensive Rookie of the Year winners. Mike Anderson (2000) and Clinton Portis (2002) were the latest. Who was the first and in what round was he drafted?
A. Terrell Davis, 6th round, 1995
B. Floyd Little, 1st round, 1967
C. Billy Joe, 11th round, 1963
D. Abner Haynes, 1st round, 1960
E. Ricky Nattiel, 1st round, 1987
9. Not including undrafted players like Rod Smith and players from the original 1960 team, the Broncos have five players in their Ring of Fame who Denver drafted in the sixth round or later. Four of those players are Terrell Davis (6th round, 1995), Shannon Sharpe (7th round, 1990), Tom Nalen (7th round, 1994) and Karl Mecklenburg (12th round, 1983). Who is the fifth Ring of Famer drafted in the sixth round or later?
A. Simon Fletcher
B. Rick Upchurch
C. Steve Foley
D. Paul Smith
E. Tom Jackson
Answers
1. John Elway
Although he rarely pitched in high school because of control issues, Elway was brought in from third base and pitched 4 2/3 innings to lift suburban Granada Hills High School to a 10-4 championship upset victory over inner-city Crenshaw High School, which was loaded with future professional ball players. Strawberry would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 MLB Draft; Elway was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL's 1983 Draft. Elway also twice struck out future MLB All Star Chris Brown in the city championship game, including for the final out.
2. A. Dan Neil
Neil was a seven-year starter at right guard, including in the Broncos’ back-to-back Super Bowl winning seasons of 1997-98, making him the best No. 67 pick in Broncos history.
Also selected at No. 67: Watson played one year for the Broncos in 1999 then three more for Buffalo; Irving was one of the last of the draft-pick holdouts in 2011 and only started 12 games in four seasons for the Broncos; Hillman also didn’t start until his fourth season, although that happened to be the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50-winning season when he led the team with 863 yards rushing.
3. B. Claudie Minor
Minor is the only No. 68 draft selection in Broncos history and he was a good one, starting nine seasons at offensive tackle – seven on the left side and two at right tackle. Sellers was a No. 66 pick in 1966, Elam was the No. 70 pick in 1993 and Harris was the No. 70 selection in 2007.
4. D. 1995
Only twice before did the Broncos not have draft picks in the first and second rounds – 1995 and 1986 when they also didn’t have a selection in the third round. Offensive tackle Jamie Brown was the Broncos’ first selection in 1995 – a draft otherwise rescued by Terrell Davis in the sixth round. Jim Juriga, a guard, was the Broncos’ first pick in 1986, when he was also taken in the fourth round.
Nick Bonitto (2021), Derek Wolfe (2012), Darrent Williams (2005) and Alton Montgomery (1990) were all second-round picks, but first players taken by the Broncos in their respective drafts.
5. C. Bob Brown, Paul Krause, Bob Hayes
Brown, the Broncos’ first-round pick in 1964, was a 10-year right tackle for the Eagles, Rams and Raiders. Krause, whom the Broncos took in the 12th round, was a 16-year safety, primarily with the Vikings, and is still the NFL’s all-time interception leader with 81. Hayes, whom the Broncos selected in the 14th round, was a 10-year receiver for the Cowboys.
Three other Broncos draft picks who never played for them also went on to Hall of Fame careers – Curley Culp, Dick Butkus and Merlin Olsen. Culp was with the Broncos in his rookie training camp and preseason of 1968 but was traded to the Chiefs before the start of the regular season because coach Lou Saban wanted him to play offensive line. Culp wanted to play defensive line and he became a Hall of Fame nose tackle for the Chiefs.
6. Jeremy LeSueur and Brendan Langley
LeSueur was a third-round pick in 2004 who tried switching to safety in 2005 but was cut before the regular season. He never appeared in a game for the Broncos. Langley was a third-round pick in 2017 who tried switching to receiver in 2019 but was cut prior to the regular season. He played in 16 games for the Broncos, mostly on special teams, over his first two seasons.
The other third-round cornerbacks from the past 20 years with their games started for the Broncos: Dominique Foxworth (18), Michael Ojemudia (12), Isaac Yiadom (9), Karl Paymah (5), Kayvon Webster (2).
7. B, Brian Griese
After beating out Tom Brady for the starting QB job at Michigan, Griese was the Broncos' third-round draft pick in 1998 -- Elway's last season. Griese was then the Broncos' starting quarterback the next four seasons before coach Mike Shanahan turned to free agent Jake Plummer in 2003.
8. C, Billy Joe, 1963
The fullback was the American Football League’s Rookie of the Year after he rushed for 646 yards and 4 touchdowns and had 15 catches with another touchdown. He was traded two years later to Buffalo for Cookie Gilchrest.
Haynes was the AFL’s first Rookie of the Year in 1960 when he was with the Dallas Texans, who later became the Kansas City Chiefs. Terrell Davis finished second in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to New England’s Curtis Martin in 1995
The Broncos have also had two Defensive Rookie of the Year winners – Mike Croel in 1991 and Von Miller in 2011.
9. D, Paul Smith
The defensive tackle was a 9th-round selection in 1968. Simon Fletcher was a second-round pick in 1985. Steve Foley, an 8th round pick in 1975, is not in the Ring of Fame. Tom Jackson was drafted in the fourth round of 1973; Rick Upchurch was taken in the fourth round of 1975.
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