Re-drafting the Denver Broncos last 10 first-round picks

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Patrick Surtain II poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell onstage after being selected ninth by the Denver Broncos during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Patrick Surtain II poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell onstage after being selected ninth by the Denver Broncos during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos offseason; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) during AFC practice for the Pro Bowl at Las Vegas Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Broncos 2013 NFL Draft re-draft pick: Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati

Original pick (28th overall): Sylvester Williams, DL, North Carolina

The 2013 NFL Draft has gone down as one of the worst in recent NFL history, and for good reason.

It was a brutal quarterback class overall. The top pick in this draft was offensive tackle Eric Fisher.

As a matter of fact, let’s just take a look through the top 10 picks in this draft overall:

1. Eric Fisher, OT
2. Luke Joeckel, OT
3. Dion Jordan, EDGE
4. Lane Johnson, OT
5. Ziggy Ansah, EDGE
6. Barkevious Mingo, EDGE
7. Jonathan Cooper, OL
8. Tavon Austin, WR
9. Dee Milliner, CB
10. Chance Warmack, OL

The top 10 of this draft is somewhat of a microcosm of the entire class itself, but there were gems throughout.

The best player from this entire class is probably Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was taken with the top pick (63rd overall) of the third round out of Cincinnati.

Kelce has put together a Hall of Fame type of career for the Chiefs and the Denver Broncos would have obviously been better served selecting him over Sylvester Williams.

The 2013 season would be the first of Julius Thomas’ breakout for the Denver Broncos, which lasted two seasons, but imagine being able to replace Thomas in 2015 with Kelce instead of an older, grizzled veteran like Owen Daniels…

Even having Kelce to work in tandem with Thomas for a couple of seasons would have been a preferable option for the Denver Broncos than Williams, who was a solid starter on the Super Bowl defense.

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