John Elway's Last Draft as GM Has Helped Torpedo 2022 Broncos

The Denver Broncos have received little contribution from their 2020 NFL draft class.

Each week, the Denver Broncos spiral deeper into the abyss that has become the losing culture in the Mile High City for over a half-decade. This Sunday, the 3-8 Broncos travel for a matchup against the 7-4 Baltimore Ravens, who are eight-point favorites in Week 13. 

While the Broncos limp through the hardest part of their schedule over the next six games, the Ravens have a divisional title they’re playing for in a competitive AFC North.  

As this season has unraveled in spectacular fashion, Broncos Country has taken aim at GM George Paton, head coach Nathaniel Hackett, and Russell Wilson for another miserable campaign that wasn’t supposed to happen. This past offseason, the buzz was about how the Broncos would contend in the AFC West and make a playoff run. 

Yet, here the Broncos are in familiar territory, having not won a football game in the United States since Week 4's one-point victory over the San Francisco 49ers, which was over two months ago.

Hackett is a nice guy with a good heart, but he’s not a head coach. Paton needs to give Hackett his walking papers, and he’ll have to answer to ownership for that failure and attempt to right that wrong. 

It’s all about fit in the NFL, and without a head that can lead Wilson and utilize his strengths, the Broncos will suffer disastrous results.

But to what degree does former general manager John Elway deserve some blame for this season's trainwreck? The same man responsible for leading the Broncos franchise to back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998 outdid himself as an NFL executive, leading Denver to a third Lombardi Trophy with Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning and the famed Super Bowl 50 defense in 2015. 

Elway is nicknamed the 'Duke of Denver’ for a reason.

Almost two years ago, Elway hired Paton as GM of the team, and old No. 7 currently serves as an outside consultant to the Broncos and directly advises his successor. But it’s Paton who’s still feeling the sting of Elway’s curtain-call draft class of 2020. 

I’m not making excuses for the 2022 Broncos, who are an embarrassment to professional football. Instead, I’m examining the cold, hard facts of the players that Paton inherited from Elway's last draft class as GM. Let's examine. 

The Best That Never Was

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On Thursday, Jerry Jeudy was still listed on the team’s injury report recovering from an ankle injury. Drafted one round after Jeudy in 2020, KJ Hamler apparently had a setback in his recovery, and it’s doubtful to see him again this year. 

Jeudy’s last game played was in Week 10 when he went down on the first play of the first offensive series for the Broncos. Hamler was last seen in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars across the pond in Week 8.

In what was purportedly the best wide receiver class ever, Jeudy was the second player taken at his position with the No. 15 overall pick. His viral route running was prized and was meant to be an instant hit for the Broncos. 

Instead, he’s battled injuries, social media banter, underproduction, and an arrest for which charges were eventually dropped. In 35 games, the former Alabama star has only scored six touchdowns.

Elway doubled down in the 2020 draft by selecting another receiver in Hamler out of Penn State with the team’s second-round (No. 46) pick. The speed demon immediately drew comparisons to Tyreek Hill. 

Much like his fellow teammate, Hamler has dealt with injuries since his arrival and has also failed to maximize his potential. He’s played in 23 games and has scored just three touchdowns in his short career.

Tyrie Cleveland was also drafted by Elway in this same draft class and has played in 23 games, recording eight receptions for 91 yards. He’s currently on the team’s practice squad and has never impacted a game as a receiver.

Defenders Failing to Launch

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Cornerback Michael Ojemudia was drafted in the third round (No. 77) and has rarely seen the field. He spent most of his greenhorn season in Vic Fangio’s doghouse and has most recently been plagued with an elbow injury that landed him on injured reserve to open this season. It’s unlikely that the Broncos will include Ojemudia, who's shown nice flashes at times, in their future plans.

I was gushing over Elway drafting defensive tackle McTelvin Agim with the No. 95 overall pick out of Arkansas. I saw him during my annual scouting trip to the Shrine Game. 

I loved Agim's potential as a prospect with loads of physicality and burst. Instead, he’s struggled with mental errors, most recently in training camp, when he threw fists at a helmeted teammate during drills. In 17 games, Agim has logged 1.5 sacks, 12 tackles and is currently on the team’s practice squad.

Linebacker Justin Strnad could most likely use a change of scenery. He’s had five starts in 27 games and has had small flashes of good football, but losing his entire rookie season to a wrist injury set him back. While Strnad is athletic and has some good instincts, he never made a consistent place for himself on special teams, either. Strnad has 41 tackles as a Bronco.

A Swing and a Miss on the O-Line

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Elway’s selection of Lloyd Cushenberry III in the third round (No. 83) out of LSU has been the most successful of the draft class, but that's not saying much. While I can feel a collective scoff at that last sentence, ‘Cush’ has battled as a starter since his rookie year. 

He’s had 40 career starts and ended up on injured reserve this season after suffering a groin injury. What he lacks in overall aggressiveness and power in the NFL, he makes up for with his football IQ and work ethic. If given the chance, the Broncos will surely draft a center next spring. I wonder whether Cushenberry could be a guard and backup swing player on the interior.

Netane Muti was the man who bench-pressed the most reps at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. The mauling guard is a beloved teammate but has lacked technique when given opportunities. 

Muti never quits but is too often beaten off the snap with limited lateral quickness. The Hawaiian native, who played at Fresno State, has competed in 19 games for the Broncos with four starts and is currently on the practice squad.

Albert O' is M.I.A.

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Is it acceptable to point out the obvious when Elway drafted then-QB Drew Lock’s bestie out of Missouri with the No. 118 overall pick? While everyone struggled to pronounce Albert Okwuegbunam's name, his athleticism became blatantly obvious to even his predecessor Noah Fant. 

Okwuegbunam has played in 23 games for the Broncos, scoring three touchdowns. His last game played was in a 12-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts when he caught one pass for five yards. Nowadays, he’s usually inactive on game day and has caught a total of seven receptions for 50 yards this season.

The One That Got Away

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On the same draft trip where I scouted Agim, I witnessed a hardworking, solid football player in rush linebacker Derrek Tuszka, who was drafted by the Broncos in the seventh round (No. 254) out of North Dakota State. The slender 6-foot-4, 246-pounder showed immediate promise in camp as a rookie, earning him playing time that didn’t amount to much. 

Tuszka logged six tackles, with one for a loss, in nine games before flaming out in Denver. He’s currently with the Los Angeles Chargers after he was claimed off waivers last September. He’s made sporadic appearances for the Bolts in eight games, having logged 10 tackles (six solo).

Tuszka proved not to be the second coming of Von Miller or the next T.J. Watt. But the Broncos could sure use some pass rushing, and Tuszka is now a veteran player who will play for a long time in this league. 

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