Denver Broncos: Grading John Elway’s last 5 draft classes
Draft Classes – Grading 2018 Broncos draft
The Broncos first losing season since 2010, brought them a rare opportunity at a top-5 selection.
The team was pegged to get a quarterback with their selection, however, published targets such as Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and USC’s Sam Darnold were off the board. John Elway had a deal to move back in the first round until pass-rusher Bradley Chubb out of North Carolina State was still on the board.
The Broncos went on to focus their selections on former captains and team leaders in a 180-degree philosophy from the previous year’s draft classes. Here are the Broncos 2018 draft selections.
Rd 1 – Bradley Chubb Edge – NC State
Rd 2 – Courtland Sutton WR – SMU
Rd 3 – Royce Freeman RB – Oregon
Rd 3 – Isaac Yiadom CB – Boston College
Rd 4 – Josey Jewell LB – Iowa
Rd 4 – DaeSean Hamilton WR – Penn State
Rd 5 – Troy Fumagalli TE – Wisconsin
Rd 6 – Sam Jones IOL – Arizona State
Rd 7 – David Williams RB – Arkansas
Best Picks – Bradley Chubb and Courtland Sutton
Bradley Chubb and Courtland Sutton are both Pro-Bowl players, earning nods in their first three seasons. As both players have been lost to ACL injuries for entire seasons, the team has felt the impact of the absence of both players.
Chubb lost the majority of the 2019 season and the defense struggled to get pressure outside of Von Miller. Sutton was lost for the 2020 season and the passing offense has struggled to gain traction. Both players are long term fixtures for the team’s long term plan.
Worst Pick – Isaac Yiadom
Yiadom was supposed to make up for the faults of Brendan Langley but was unable to remain impactful over his two seasons with the team. Often, Yiadom was a step behind and failed to make a play on the ball when he had opportunities to. His inability to remain on the field lead to his departure before the 2020 season.
Yiadom has caught on with the New York Giants and played well in a scheme that seems to fit his traits more effectively.
Summary
The 2018 draft class produced two elite players in Sutton and Chubb. Additionally, linebacker Josey Jewell has shown to be a solid starter for this team. Tight end Troy Fumagalli has turned into a nice 3rd tight end.
DaeSean Hamilton has turned his career around in 2020 and provided signature plays in the passing game while also being an above-average blocker in the run game this season. Whether Hamilton sticks moving forward, he has shown why he was drafted.
The limited production of Sam Jones and David Williams keeps this class from being really great. Jones had a chance to find a role as an internal offensive lineman while David Jones beat out by the team’s diamond in the rough Phillip Lindsay.
Grade – B
The grade is solid and shows the bounce back needed from a disastrous 2017 draft. Sutton and Chubb are major building blocks and Jewell has been a nice surprise for a team looking for stability inside at linebacker.