30 greatest Denver Broncos players of all time

18. Tom Nalen, C

A seventh-round pick out of Boston College, Tom Nalen went on to have a fantastic career. He played in seven games as a rookie in 1994 with just one start but then took over as the starting center full-time in 1995. He held that job until 2007, when he played in just five games due to injury.

During his career, he was praised as the leader of an incredible offensive line that paved the way for six different running backs to top 1,000 yards. He made the Pro Bowl five times and was the final player from their 1990s Super Bowl teams to retire, which he announced in 2009.

17. Simon Fletcher, LB/DE

At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Simon Fletcher was able to play on the defensive line as an end but also spent time as a linebacker during his NFL career. He spent all 11 years with the Broncos and developed into a weapon as a pass-rusher. After posting modest numbers from 1985 through 1987, Fletcher notched 9.0 in 1988. He then had at least 11.0 in each of the next five seasons. His best campaign was in 1992 when he was credited with 16 sacks.

Fletcher even set an NFL record by posting 10 straight games with a sack. DeMarcus Ware later tied him, and eventually, Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs surpassed them.