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Denver Broncos: Ranking top 5 draft classes in team history

By Travis Wakeman

DENVER - SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Jay Cutler #6 and wide receiver Eddie Royal #19 of the Denver Broncos celebrate after defeating the San Diego Chargers 39-38 during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 14, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. Cutler connected with Royal for the final touchdown of the game and the ensuing game winning two point conversion in the final minute. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER - SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Jay Cutler #6 and wide receiver Eddie Royal #19 of the Denver Broncos celebrate after defeating the San Diego Chargers 39-38 during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 14, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. Cutler connected with Royal for the final touchdown of the game and the ensuing game winning two point conversion in the final minute. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos, Brock Osweiler
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Brock Osweiler #17 of the Denver Broncos looks on late in the fourth quarter of the Broncos 27-11 loss to the Washington Redskins at FedExField on December 24, 2017, in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

As the 2021 NFL Draft quickly approaches, it’s always fun to look back at the history of picks made by the team.

As the countdown ticks until Thursday night’s first round, you will see some draft flashbacks here at Predominantly Orange. Here, we will be looking at the team’s best-ever draft classes.

What makes a strong draft class?

Obviously, it’s more than one pick. The Broncos have made some good choices in drafts, such as 1995 for example when they got Terrell Davis in the sixth round. However, the rest of that draft class is basically forgettable, largely due to the fact that the team didn’t have a single pick until the fourth round.

But other draft classes, in which the team received multiple players that helped lead the franchise to success, is what we will be discussing here. Starting with this class from 36 years ago.

5. 1985

Denver Broncos, Simon Fletcher
LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 9: Quarterback Jeff Hostetler #15 of the Los Angeles Raiders sets up to throws a pass as defensive end Simon Fletcher #73 of the Denver Broncos applies pressure in the 1993 AFC Wild Card Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 9, 1994, in Los Angeles, California. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 42-24. (Photo by Rob Brown/Getty Images) /

The 1985 draft was a fruitful one for the Broncos, at least in the first two rounds, in which they had three picks.

Of the 12 picks the team had in that draft, those three were the only players that materialized into anything useful, but they all became intricate pieces of a team that would go to three Super Bowls in four seasons.

The Broncos used their first-round pick in 1985 on running back Steve Sewell. Though easily lost in the shuffle of Broncos history, Sewell was a do-it-all back that was one of the better receiving running backs in team history. He was a true Swiss Army knife for John Elway.

Vance Johnson was drafted in the second round and would become the first  wide receiver in a famous group that would go on to be known as the Three Amigos. Johnson was Elway’s No.1 target for many years.

Simon Fletcher was taken with the team’s second pick in the second round and he went on to become one of the best defensive players in team history. Fletcher retired as the team’s all-time leader in career sacks, a mark that was just broken by Von Miller in 2018.

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