Denver Broncos: Five prospects Elway passed on during 2019 NFL Draft

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MADISON, WI – NOVEMBER 18: Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines intercepts a pass during the third quarter of a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

The Denver Broncos, by all means, had a stellar 2019 NFL Draft, but there were five draft prospects they surprisingly passed on over draft weekend.

Draft weekend has come and gone, and the dust has finally settled for a Denver Broncos fan base eager to see success on the field. Much like last year, fans and media alike were able to walk away from draft weekend pleasantly surprised with how things shook out for John Elway and the rest of the front office.

Not historically known as a draft wizard by any means, Elway has rebounded in the last two years to pull together impressive draft classes and let’s be honest, he needed to.

The 2016 and 2017 draft classes were brutal.

In 2016, the Denver Broncos made a splash move trading up to select Memphis gunslinger Paxton Lynch, and boy did that turn out to be a bust that will continue to haunt Elway. That pick could have been Chris Jones, Hunter Henry, or Dak Prescott.

Then in 2017, Elway missed on five (and arguably seven) of the eight draft picks Denver held. Instead of DeMarcus Walker in the second round, Denver could have had JuJu Smith-Schuster or Alvin Kamara. Although Walker has been a bust so far, he is one of only four players remaining from that group. Only Garrett Bolles has received significant playing time and third-round pick Brendan Langley is attempting to convert from cornerback to wide receiver.

Now, just a few short years later, it seems that John Elway has figured out what the secret sauce is to drafting successfully, and while we can’t fully know how this class will pan out for another few years, on paper, it looks good.

Despite the successful draft, there were a few guys left on the table that surprised me and many Denver Broncos fan throughout the country. Hopefully we aren’t looking back in three years and wondering what might have been, but nonetheless, the exercise is a valid one with the 2019 NFL Draft officially concluded.

Here are the five prospects John Elway passed on in the 2019 NFL Draft.

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