Denver Broncos: Grading John Elway’s last 5 draft classes
Draft Classes – Grading 2020 Broncos draft
The Broncos’ fans were excited about the potential of the team. Lock lead the organization to four wins in the team’s final five games and the team had 11 overall selections.
Surprising to many, Elway used all 11 selections to bring in a nice stable of young talent to replenish the outgoing veterans and push this team closer to completing the team’s rebuild. The Broncos got two dynamic offensive skill position players while adding some youth on defense.
Overall the team grabbed several starters and even more year one, contributor.
Rd 1 – Jerry Jeudy WR – Alabam
Rd 2 – K.J. Hamler WR – Penn State
Rd 3 – Michael Ojemudia CB – Iowa
Rd 3 – McTelvin Agim DL – Arkansas
Rd 4 – Albert Okwuegbunam TE – Missouri
Rd 5 – Justin Strnad LB – Wake Forest
Rd 6 – Natani Muti IOL – Fresno State
Rd 7 – Tyre Cleveland WR – Florida
Rd 7 – Derek Tuszka Edge – North Dakota State
Best Pick – Jerry Jeudy
Was Jerry Jeudy the right selection? Should the team have taken another WR or even a tackle at number 15 overall? No… Jeudy has had some ups-and-downs but continues to show his dynamic skill set, game-in-game-out. Jeudy will be a cornerstone player for this team moving forward.
Worst Pick – McTelvin Agim
It is hard to say a guy is a bad pick in his first season. For the sake of the exercise, Agim fits the bill as the most disappointing so far. Always seen as a project, Agim has failed to make the most out of his opportunities and only received minimal amounts of playing time even when there is a need at his position (injuries, COVID-19).
Agim has a ton of talent and there is no reason to believe he won’t continue to grow.
Summary
John Elway’s last of the five draft classes provided the team with a long term fixture at wide receiver (Jeudy and K.J. Hamler), a potential long-term center in Lloyd Cushenberry III, a talented cornerback in Michael Ojemudia, a dynamic tight end to pair with Fant in Alber Okwuegbunam, and talented interior lineman Natani Muti. The jury is still out on Justin Strnad, who the staff really thought highly of before he was injured in training camp. wide receiver Tyre Cleveland has provided good depth when called on as has edge defender Derek Tuszka.
Overall, this class has a lot to like. The team should reap the benefits of this class for many years to come.
Grade – A-
This group has foundational players all the way around. Jeudy, Hamler, and Cusheberry seemed to have solved some significant offensive issues while Okwuegbunam has a ton of talent and Ojemudia may solidify himself as a long-term fixture in the defensive secondary.
Overall – B
Outside of the Broncos 2017 draft class, the team has seen some significant success drafting over the last five years. Because of quality draft classes, the team is primed with a ton of youth that should begin to break out in the next few seasons.
Because of a strong draft record over the last few seasons, this team is close to really competing at a high level.