Broncos 5 Biggest Draft Steals of the Past Decade
The NFL summer is in full swing, with still more than three weeks to go until the Denver Broncos open up training camp under new head coach Sean Payton. With little by way of news to tide us over, what better time to look backward at the Broncos' recent draft history?
Under former GM John Elway, the Broncos had hit-or-miss success in the NFL draft, especially early on. But Elway started to find his footing as a draft artist in the final years of his tenure in the Broncos' front office. Had Elway been able to solve Denver's quarterback and head coach problems over this stretch, recent Broncos history would be different.
Elway stepped down as GM following the pandemic-racked 2020 season, hiring George Paton to succeed him. Elway lingered as president of football operations another year before serving as a consultant last year. After the Walton/Penner group assumed ownership of the Broncos, Elway officially rode off into the sunset, but perhaps with less fanfare compared to when he retired from his playing career.
Today's article will give Elway some credit, though. I'm going to break down the Broncos' biggest draft steals of the past decade. That means since 2014, so that amazingly deep 2012 draft class will be omitted.
Let's dive in.
1. Justin Simmons | S | 2016 Third-Rounder
There's no doubting Simmons' bonafides as a draft bargain. He went from being a third-round draft pick to becoming the NFL's highest-paid safety by the time his rookie contract expired.
A three-time All-Pro (second team) and a 2020 Pro Bowler, Simmons was extended on a four-year, $61 million contract in 2021. Last season, he led the NFL in interceptions with six, though a handful of players tied him for the honor.
Simmons is under contract through 2014 and is hands down, the biggest draft steal in Denver of the past decade.
2. Matt Paradis | C | 2014 Sixth-Rounder
The Broncos struck gold with Paradis, although the realization didn't come right away. After drafting him with a sixth-round pick, the Broncos stashed him on the practice squad for a year.
In 2015, however, Paradis was given the opportunity to compete for the starting center job and he won it hands down, opening the season as the day-one starter. He anchored a patchwork Broncos offensive line that would eventually help lead the team to Super Bowl 50 triumph.
Following Peyton Manning's retirement, Paradis snapped to the likes of Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum, providing Denver with Pro Bowl-caliber play at center. Following the 2018 season, the Broncos let Paradis walk in free agency, mostly due to some lingering injury concerns.
But there's no doubt that as a four-year starter, Paradis stands as one of the Broncos' biggest draft steals of the past decade, helping bring home the team's third Lombardi Trophy.
3. Josey Jewell | LB | 2018 Fourth-Rounder
Jewell has outkicked his coverage relative to draft pedigree, even if by a modest margin. A fourth-rounder out of Iowa in 2018, he started nine games out of the gates as a rookie.
Injury woes torpedoed his next season, but Jewell started all 16 games in 2020 and totaled 113 tackles (67 solo). Again the injury struck in 2021, which was frustratingly his contract year, but the Broncos still re-signed him the following offseason, even though he'd only started two games.
Jewell rewarded Denver's faith in him by producing a career campaign in 2022, totaling 128 tackles (70 solo), to go along with seven tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. He enters another contract year as the entrenched starter, but the Broncos did preemptively draft his potential replacement this year in Drew Sanders.
Jewell is an old-school linebacker with a big football brain and leadership out the wazoo. Even with his injury jacket, he's proven to be quite the draft bargain for the Broncos.
4. Trevor Siemian | QB | 2015 Seventh-Rounder
Even in his wildest dreams, Siemian could not have hoped to be the quarterback chosen by Gary Kubiak to succeed Manning as the Broncos' starter. But that's how it shook out.
Siemian went from a seventh-rounder in 2015 to opening-day starter the following season, after vanquishing Paxton Lynch in a camp competition. Siemian tamped down Lynch again the following summer, showing that two different head-coaching regimes preferred him to the gangly first-rounder.
With Siemian as the starter, the Broncos went 8-5 in 2016 with a mostly still intact Super Bowl roster. Siemian's limitations were obvious, but the talent around him helped cover his flaws. Those chickens eventually came home to roost, alas, as the Broncos went 5-6 with him as the starter in 2017.
The Broncos dealt Siemian to the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, but as a former seventh-rounder who started 24 games, the Broncos got 13 wins out of him. That's big-time draft value.
Honorable Mention: Phillip Lindsay | RB | 2018 Undrafted
It's a cheat of sorts to mention Phillip Lindsay amid Broncos draft steals because he wasn't drafted. Lindsay inexplicably fell completely out of the 2018 draft and was going to sign with Baltimore as a college free agent before his mother changed his mind about the Broncos.
Lindsay was upset at Denver because he'd been told by the team he'd be drafted, and not only was he not selected, but the Broncos spent a seventh-round pick on a running back named David Williams, who didn't even make the roster and was gone a year later. However, being Denver born and raised, Lindsay was always meant to play for the Broncos, and his mother somehow deduced what his future would hold.
As a rookie, Lindsay not only made the roster but went on an absolute tear as a 1,000-yard rusher. He posted double-digit touchdowns and earned an unprecedented Pro Bowl selection.
Lest anyone think him a flash in the pan, Lindsay followed that up with another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2019. Then, the Broncos brought in Melvin Gordon the following offseason, which coincided with Lindsay having true injury issues in Year 3.
After the 2021 season, the Broncos placed an original-round restricted free-agent tender on Lindsay, which he felt didn't recognize his contributions, so he requested the team rescind it so he could negotiate and sign with another team. The Broncos obliged, and that's all she wrote for 'The Colorado Kid' relative to the Orange and Blue.
Finding a dynamic player who became a Pro Bowler and NFL star in the undrafted ranks wasn't a one-time occurrence for the Elway front office. See: Harris, Jr., Chris. See: Anderson, C.J., and, don't forget, Shaq Barrett for further instances of Denver's prowess in the undrafted ranks.
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