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How have Broncos fared the last 3 times they didn’t have a first-round pick?

By Travis Wakeman

Gerard Warren, left, and Darrent Williams (87) of the Denver Broncos fight with Randy Moss of the Oakland Raiders durin g NBC Sunday Night Football game at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, October 15, 2006. (Photo by Kirby Lee/NFLPhotoLibrary)
Gerard Warren, left, and Darrent Williams (87) of the Denver Broncos fight with Randy Moss of the Oakland Raiders durin g NBC Sunday Night Football game at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, October 15, 2006. (Photo by Kirby Lee/NFLPhotoLibrary) /
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Denver Broncos, Elvis Dumervil
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 16: Defensive tackle Derek Wolfe #95 of the Denver Broncos celebrates with teammate Elvis Dumervil #92 after sacking quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens (not pictured) in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 16, 2012, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Denver Broncos won, 34-17.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Broncos make the most of 2012 draft

The Broncos had a first-round pick in 2012, which was the team’s first draft after signing Peyton Manning in one of the biggest free-agent deals in league history.

But John Elway traded that pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and moved down five slots (from No. 31 to No. 36) in order to jump up 25 slots when the teams swapped fourth-round picks.

The team chose Derek Wolfe with the 36th overall pick, a choice that seemed to have fans and analysts scratching their heads at the time. But the pick ended up being a good one and Wolfe would have to be considered one of the best second-round picks in team history.

Wolfe spent eight seasons in Denver in which he racked up nearly 300 tackles to go along with 33 sacks. Despite always being one of the most overlooked defensive players in the league, he was a team leader in Denver and a key part of one of the best defenses in recent memory, the one that led the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl 50.

The Broncos also found Brock Osweiler, Ronnie Hillman, Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan in this draft so despite not having a first-round pick, it was one of the better draft classes of the last decade.

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