5. Drafting Bradley Chubb (2018)
It’s hard to say a team got a ‘steal’ in the NFL Draft when that player was the fifth overall pick in his class, but the Denver Broncos got a steal with Bradley Chubb in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Widely expected to be the first defensive player off the board as a clean prospect with high productivity and playing a premium position, the Denver Broncos were shocked to find Chubb sitting there for them when they selected fifth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Chubb was as-advertised in 2018, racking up 60 tackles, 12 sacks, 21 QB hits, and 14 tackles for loss.
Chubb was expected to take a huge leap in 2019 and establish himself as one of the league’s premier defensive players when he tragically tore his ACL against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth week of the season.
Losing Chubb was obviously a huge blow to the Broncos, but he will be back in 2020 and will again be expected to be one of the team’s key pieces defensively.
The Broncos won’t soon forget their good fortune when Chubb slipped past the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft.