The top All-Time Broncos taken in each round of the NFL Draft

LB Tom Jackson – 4th Round, 1973

Tom Jackson is also synonymous with the Orange Crush defense, and he is absolutely on that era’s Mount Rushmore.

He may well have been the first great Broncos OLB.

An athletic wonder, especially for the times as a 5’11” 220 linebacker with a 4.45 40 time, his tools out of Louisville were unheard of in those days. While he was considered a bit undersized to play inside linebacker, he was a perfect fit outside.

With his speed and football instinct, he was an incredibly versatile edge defender, excelling vs the run, in coverage and blitz packages. His sideline to sideline speed was unmatched at the time, and he was able to smother his half of the field for 14 years in Orange & Blue.

His career is the perfect intersection of athletic ability, hard work, and longevity, and Tom Jackson is one of the best to ever line up at OLB in Denver.

He, like Rubin Carter, saw the days of Floyd Little and John Elway, playing from 1973-1986 for Denver. Jackson had 40 sacks according to those Pre-1982 numbers, and 20 interceptions as well.

Three All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowls alongside two Super Bowl appearances and honors in the Ring of Fame are feathers in the cap of this Broncos legend. He also won a Pete Rozelle Award for his broadcasting career in 2019.

Honorable Mentions

WR Rick Upchurch – 1975

DL Lyle Alzado -1971

DE Elvis Dumervil -2006

WR Brandon Marshall – 2006