Hindsight is always 20/20, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft. It's torturous to go back and look at what players went after your team selected, but it's especially torturous to go back and cherry-pick the best ones. Circumstances, coaching, and fit are all major factors when it comes to draft picks working out at the NFL level, but it's possible that a 1-5 team like the Denver Broncos could already be regretting some of the decisions they made in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Heading into Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season, the Denver Broncos' 2023 rookie class has not been nearly as impactful as this team has needed them to be. Some of that is their own doing (Marvin Mims not getting enough playing time) and others are simply the fact that players were raw coming out (Drew Sanders) or got hurt (Riley Moss).
But what players did they miss out on?
3 picks the Denver Broncos may have whiffed on in the 2023 NFL Draft
1. Took Drew Sanders, could have had pass rusher Byron Young
I will admit, I was not exactly on board for the Denver Broncos using a high pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the EDGE position. But when they took a linebacker (Drew Sanders) with the 67th overall pick, I guess at that point you can't help but wonder why they wouldn't just go after a more traditional pass rusher? I wasn't on board for EDGE, but I certainly wasn't on board for an off-ball linebacker.
Drew Sanders received some first-round hype last season, where he was an All-American at Arkansas, but the Broncos had Byron Young in the building for a pre-draft visit and perhaps could have significantly upgraded their pass rush depth, avoiding the Frank Clark fiasco altogether.
Byron Young is an older rookie, just over 100 days away from being 26 already, but he's made an impact on the Rams with three sacks, a forced fumble, and 11 QB hits. Sanders has been limited in his playing time, but ultimately there's hope he can take over a full-time starting spot as soon as later this season, if the team were to trade Josey Jewell.
2. Took CB Riley Moss, could have had RB De'Von Achane
The Denver Broncos made a bold trade up the board in the 2023 NFL Draft to secure Iowa cornerback Riley Moss. They were seemingly done on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft after moving up for Marvin Mims and taking Drew Sanders a few picks later, but then they jumped up nearly 20 spots, leap-frogging the Miami Dolphins to get to pick no. 83 overall.
Perhaps the Broncos were afraid that Vic Fangio was going to target Riley Moss to play in his defense, which would have been a good fit, but ultimately, it was the Miami Dolphins -- just one pick later -- who ended up getting one of the best values of the entire rookie class so far.
The Broncos traded a future 3rd-round pick to move up and get Moss, while the Dolphins stayed put at pick no. 84 overall and selected speedy Texas A&M running back De'Von Achane. Achane has been sensational this season with over 500 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns in just four games.
He also ran all over the Denver Broncos.
Riley Moss, in the meantime, had spent the majority of training camp on the mend from a core muscle injury. He's been getting action on special teams since he came back, but hasn't been playing cornerback yet, even with the brutal stretch of play we've seen from Damarri Mathis.
3. Took JL Skinner, could have drafted WR Trey Palmer
I will continue to harp on the Denver Broncos for this, because up to this point, GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have seemingly mismanaged the wide receiver position. The Broncos did use their top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Marvin MIms, so at least they recognized the need at the position, but the depth at the position in this particular draft class and the lack of depth or any certainty on Denver's roster should have dictated the team making multiple investments at that spot.
A lot of the die-hard NFL Draft fans in Broncos Country were really pumped about the JL Skinner pick because people had him rated as a potential top-100 prospect, but the same could have been said about former Nebraska and LSU receiver Trey Palmer.
Palmer proved in his final collegiate season with the Nebraska Cornhuskers that he was a dynamic big-play threat. And going just eight selections after the Broncos took JL Skinner is torturous. The Broncos had multiple sixth-round picks in this draft, and JL Skinner has done nothing to impact this roster.
Palmer has a couple of touchdowns already on just eight catches and has made some big plays for the Buccaneers' offense.
4. Used a 6th-round pick to trade for TE Adam Trautman, could have drafted K Anders Carlson
One move that was really exciting during the 2023 NFL Draft for the Denver Broncos was the trade of a 6th-round pick to get former Saints tight end Adam Trautman. Trautman was a third-round pick by the Saints back in 2020, and felt like he could thrive in Denver in Sean Payton's offense.
We have yet to see if Trautman is capable of making a bigger impact on the offense, which could happen over the course of the season, but the Broncos could have potentially avoided a very odd situation that transpired with Brandon McManus in the 2023 offseason (as well as trading draft capital for Wil Lutz) if they would have just drafted Anders Carlson.
Anders Carlson is the brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, and he's been perfect up to this point for the Green Bay Packers, who pulled the trigger on drafting him right before the end of the sixth round.
Carlson has a big leg, and has made all seven of his field goal attempts so far for Green Bay. He's made all 10 of his extra point attempts as well. Perhaps taking a kicker isn't the most exciting move, but it certainly would have saved the Broncos some offseason drama and headache to know there was a long-term plan in place. The whole situation with Brandon McManus felt very much like the Broncos were being reactive instead of proactive.