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

Denver Broncos 2016 re-draft pick: Chris Jones, DL, Mississippi State

Original pick (26th overall): Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

I think looking back, a lot of fans would certainly take Dak Prescott in this particular slot and understandably so, but we already re-drafted Russell Wilson so that’s not an issue.

At the time the Paxton Lynch selection was made, not everyone was sold on Lynch but there were certainly more teams than just the Broncos that bought his hype.

Namely, the Chiefs and Cowboys were vying to trade up for Lynch but the Broncos got the deal done.

Instead of getting Lynch, the Kansas City Chiefs landed Chris Jones near the top of round two (36th overall) and proved that sometimes it’s the deals you don’t make that help you the most.

Instead of successfully trading up and landing Lynch, the Kansas City Chiefs are living in an alternate universe where they have Chris Jones — one of the best interior defensive linemen in the game today — and Patrick Mahomes, who they selected with their top pick in 2017.

Things worked out okay for them, I’d say.

From the Denver Broncos’ perspective, this was the beginning of a torturous six years in quarterback purgatory, and the failed development of Lynch was a big reason why.

The team would have been better served punting this need to 2017 or even just taking Jones with their top pick and then taking Dak Prescott in round two (or three, or four).

The Denver Broncos did land Justin Simmons in the 2016 NFL Draft but they missed out on another potential cornerstone piece of the defense by passing on Chris Jones out of Mississippi State.