8 draft mistakes that continue to haunt Broncos in 2024

3. Drafting Noah Fant in 2019

The Denver Broncos held the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and traded down with the Pittsburgh Steelers to number 20 overall. That decision was widely beloved at the time because of all the additional capital the Broncos acquired from the Steelers in the process, but the Broncos failed to get their own player selection right.

There were 12 eventual Pro Bowl or All-Pro players selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Broncos didn't get one.

They passed on the likes of Brian Burns, Jeffery Simmons, and Dexter Lawrence with that 10th overall pick and instead went after Iowa tight end Noah Fant, one of two Hawkeye tight ends taken in the first round of that draft.

Obviously, the Broncos desperately wanted to find ways to improve offensively going into that draft. Vic Fangio stated after the draft that something they looked for in offensive players they were drafting was guys he would hate to scheme and coach against as a defensive-minded guy. Fant obviously fit the bill, but selecting him prevented the Broncos from getting proper value out of that trade with the Steelers.

Historically speaking, you are wasting the benefits of a first-round contract when you're spending it on the tight end position. The Broncos only had Fant for three seasons before shipping him to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade.