The Denver Broncos had what was widely considered one of the best rookie draft classes in the 2021 season.
Incoming general manager George Paton made the most of his first draft with the team, one that started with the bang of trading for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
As the draft began, rumors began to fly that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wanted out and the Broncos were a potential destination. That thought teased Broncos fans throughout the draft, but Paton did not let it become a distraction, making each of his selections with a calculated approach.
Time will be the ultimate judge of how this draft actually went but at least for the first season, by and large, this rookie class was a home run for the Broncos. One that should bring positive returns for years to come.
Here, I will take a player-by-player look at each draft pick before handing out a letter grade for each. See how these grades compare with those from the 2020 draft, which was the last handled by former general manager John Elway.
Seventh-round picks
Kary Vincent, CB, LSU
This was a pick that I loved when the Broncos made it last April, but the team never seemed to see much value in him once the pads were on. Vincent spent a brief time with the Broncos before he was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles for a sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft.
The Eagles will see what they can get out of the young defensive back going forward. As for Denver, the team got a solid return in the trade so that should receive a high grade, but the pick itself doesn’t. The coaching staff either didn’t know how to use him or didn’t see him as a good fit.
Grade: C
Jonathon Cooper, LB, Ohio State
This was a fantastic pick by the Broncos by any metrics you’d like to use. Cooper was taken with the 239th overall pick and was one of the biggest bright spots in Denver this season.
As a seventh-round pick, he played in 16 games for the team and registered 38 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. He did that while playing on just 41.9 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
He appears to be a huge part of the team’s future and may have more long-term value than a guy like Malik Reed. This was a fantastic pick.
Grade: A
Marquiss Spencer, DE, Mississippi State
Marquiss Spencer had some moments in training camp this past summer where it appeared the Broncos had another draft steal who could be a quick contributor. Instead, he spent most of the season on the practice squad and the sidelines but the Broncos signed him to a futures contract following the season, showing they see something in him.
Grade: C
Sixth-round: Seth Williams, WR, Auburn
The Broncos decided to take a shot on a raw receiver in Auburn’s Seth Williams in the sixth round. Because the team was deep at the wide receiver position, they could afford to allow him to develop, and he did.
Williams spent nearly the entire season on the practice squad before being promoted to the main roster ahead of the season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught one pass for 34 yards in that game and who knows, maybe that one catch will give him a ton of confidence going into year two.
Williams will again be buried on the depth chart next summer so he will have to lean on his physical abilities and the experience he gained as a rookie to earn a spot on the roster.
The ability is there and in Nathaniel Hackett’s new offense, he may be able to find a role. But his rookie season was a bit too quiet to warrant a grade that is better than barely passing.
Grade: C-
Fifth-round picks
Caden Sterns, safety, Texas
In round five of the draft, the Broncos chose to take a pair of safeties but their rookie seasons could not have been more different.
First, the good. Caden Sterns was an absolute stud.
He played in 15 games for the team despite the Broncos having a fantastic tandem in Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. He tallied 28 tackles and had two interceptions while even showing he can get after the quarterback, posting two sacks.
Sterns looks like a future star and that could convince the Broncos to move on from Jackson, who is an unrestricted free agent.
Grade: B+
Jamar Johnson, safety, Indiana
Jamar Johnson never really got off the starting blocks as a rookie and was listed as a gameday inactive for just about the entire season. The Broncos finally did activate him in three games toward the end of the year and he played exclusively on special teams.
That wasn’t the end of the world for Johnson due to the fact that the team has Simmons and Jackson and they got a huge rookie contribution out of Sterns. But in year two, Johnson will need to be a much bigger part of the team.
Because he wasn’t given as much of an opportunity on game days, we can’t be too harsh with this grade. At the same time, he needs to create a role for himself so that making him a scratch on game days is not an option.
Grade: C-
Third-round picks
Quinn Meinerz, OL, Wisconsin-Whitewater
The Broncos may have used Quinn Meinerz during his rookie season a bit more than they would have liked to as he ended up making nine starts for the team this season. But that experience could prove invaluable.
Meinerz is just a stout football player and one that with a bit more progression, could become an integral part of this team.
Of all of the Broncos’ 2021 draft picks, Meinerz was the most interesting due to the small school he came from and the wild workout routine that went viral during the draft.
Meinerz was good as a rookie and should only get better.
Grade: A-
Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State
The Broncos plucked two players off the Buckeyes’ 2020 defense and both Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper could provide dividends for the Broncos for many years to come.
Browning missed most of the summer with an injury and it looked like he would end up falling behind and having much of his rookie season go to waste. But he bounced back well and showed himself to be the player that many saw as a high draft pick.
Browning played in 14 games and finished in a tie for third on the team in tackles with 58. He is very clearly a key piece of the future of this defense.
Grade: B-
Second-round: Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
The Broncos traded up in the second round to select Javonte Williams and as a result, fans were excited to see him on the field. There was good reason to be excited.
Najee Harris and Travis Etienne were the only running backs taken ahead of Williams, who was a huge positive for the Broncos this year. So positive, that I chose him as the team’s Most Valuable Player in my end of season awards.
Williams rushed for 903 yards and four touchdowns on the season while also catching 43 passes for 316 yards and three more scores. Only Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant caught more passes for the team this season.
But what made Williams so fun to watch this season was his style of play, running over and right through defenders en route to establishing himself as one of the best young backs in the league.
It was well worth trading up a few slots to select Williams and it is a move that Paton is likely quite happy with. This was a terrific pick.
Grade: A
First-round: Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
Many fans were surprised when the Broncos called out the name of Patrick Surtain with the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, particularly with Justin Fields sitting right there.
I have made it no secret that I felt the team should have drafted Micah Parsons out of Penn State (and still feel that way) but it’s hard to argue with the way Surtain played. In addition, having a shut-down cornerback can be a key ingredient for any defense and it is possible that the Broncos have that here.
Surtain had 58 tackles and four interceptions as a rookie, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He also led the team with 14 pass breakups. In year two, he should be a focal point of the defense with the chance to prove himself as even better than some may think.
Surtain was the guy that Paton wanted with the No. 9 overall pick and while it can be debated that the pick should have been used on a different player, there is no way to knock him for this pick, which was another high mark on the report card.
Grade: A
Overall grade
As you can see, Paton knocked it out of the park with this draft class and as a result, the team should reap the rewards for years to come. Any time you have four players in one draft class that can be considered as an ‘A’ on the report card, you did well for yourself.
That should bring much encouragement to Broncos Country as Paton prepares for his second draft in the general manager’s chair.
Overall grade: A-