11 former Broncos draft picks that played better after leaving

11 players who had better success after leaving the Denver Broncos

10. Shaquil Barrett, EDGE (UDFA, 2014)

Most notable NFL team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Okay, this is definitely cheating based on the title of the post. Shaquil Barrett was not drafted by the Denver Broncos, but they were his first team in the NFL, so it kind of counts. I still remember watching the entire 2014 Denver Broncos draft class and being much more excited about Barrett than just about everyone in the class.

And he has turned out to be the best NFL player from that rookie class, which included first-round pick Bradley Roby.

Barrett was a fan favorite in Denver despite mostly playing a backup role, but he's been a superstar with the Buccaneers. He had 19.5 sacks in his first season with the Bucs, helping them win a Super Bowl. He has averaged 13.0 sacks per 17 games in Tampa Bay and is certainly no longer living in the shadow of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.

11. Kalif Raymond, WR (UDFA, 2016)

Most notable NFL team: Detroit Lions

The Denver Broncos discovered Kalif Raymond out of Holy Cross back in 2016, and even though that roster had just won the Super Bowl, he actually ended up playing in a handful of games over the course of his rookie season in Denver. Unfortunately, the Broncos drafted some "juice" in Isaiah McKenzie and Carlos Henderson back in 2017, and Raymond was pushed off the roster.

He bounced around a little bit between the Jets and Giants before latching on with the Titans in 2019. After two seasons as a modest role player for the Titans, Raymond really got a shot to play extensive snaps on offense and special teams in Detroit starting in 2021 and he has racked up 1,256 total yards from scrimmage and four TDs in two seasons along with 500 punt return yards and a punt return touchdown.

He was named as a 2nd-team All-Pro in 2022 as a return man.