The #2 overall pick is the highest pick the Broncos organization has ever had in the NFL Draft. The Broncos have selected a player within the first 5 overall picks of the NFL Draft only 3 times in their history. This includes TE Riley Odoms with the 5th pick in 1972, G Chris Hinton with the 4th pick in 1983, and LB Mike Croel with the 4th pick in 1991. It is generally agreed that Hinton was an excellent pick since he was traded away (with others) to bring in the savior of our franchise, John Elway. Odoms had a spectacular 12-year career for the Orange and Blue where he started 134 games, played in 4 Pro Bowls, and appeared in the Super Bowl after the 1977 season. Croel, on the other hand, played only 4 seasons for the Broncos before moving on and eventually finishing his career in the XFL. Croel was a big disappointment because he started his career so well and looked like he was going to be a star, but his star quickly faded. This tells us is that the Broncos, like every other team, have had both hits and misses with high picks over their history.
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