While the NFL has changed significantly since its inception, at least one thing holds true; and it's how good, winning football teams are constructed. I viewed yet another NFL mock draft in which the Denver Broncos took a cornerback in the first round, and it's beginning to really bug me.
Not only do the Broncos have a plethora of young cornerbacks, including the best CB in the NFL in Patrick Surtain II, taking one in the first round not only doesn't make the team better, but it's not at all how you build a winning and sustainable NFL team.
First of all, and most obvious, the single most important position that a team needs to sustain success in the NFL is a franchise quarterback. Now, there are levels to these franchise passers. You have the most elite ones like Patrick Mahomes who can and will lead teams to Super Bowls.
And then you have lower tiers of passers like Lamar Jackson who will always keep you competitive but might not be quite good enough to lead a team to a championship. The Broncos simply need a franchise QB, and if they get one, it would take several years to truly see if they are good enough to lead the team to a championship.
After getting the QB right, the tried and true way to build a successful NFL team is to build it from the inside, out.
But what does that mean exactly? Well, building a team from the inside, out means prioritizing the offensive and defensive lines, investing draft picks and financial resources into those units, and continuing to build the roster, moving from the inside, out. Good, successful NFL teams have at least two things in common
1. A high-end, franchise QB
2. Stout on the OL and DL
This isn't a mystery or some secret that is still being found out. This is how an NFL team is built to sustain long-term success. For the Denver Broncos, even without Lloyd Cushenberry at center, the OL is one of the better units in the NFL, and it's certainly far from a weakness. It could use a young tackle prospect, but beyond that, the unit has very good starters and good depth.
However, the defensive line, including the outside linebackers, are a huge liability and got exposed in a big way in 2023. The Denver Broncos struggled to stop the run and had an inconsistent at best pass rush. So, when you view mock drafts and maybe even do your own, think twice before you mock a first-round cornerback to the Broncos, as having elite CBs and a bad defensive line is a much worse situation to be in than an elite defensive line and bad CBs.
Good NFL teams are built from the inside, out.