With nearly a week to now digest the entire 2023 NFL Draft and more specifically, the players that were added by the Denver Broncos, it's time to take a look at how to grade this class.
The Broncos made some moves around the board and still wound up with five new players on the roster. Though the team didn't address the positional needs that most were expecting it to, the combination of George Paton and Sean Payton were looking for high character guys who fit the system that will be put into place.
Time will tell how long it will take for each of these players to make an impact as the Broncos are a team in need of a major jolt having missed the playoffs every year since 2015.
To see how I graded last year's draft class, click here. Eric Edholm of NFL.com also handed out a grade for this year's class.
Wide receiver was not the Broncos' No. 1 need going into this draft and they likely didn't need to trade up to get Marvin Mims, but he obviously did enough to impress Paton and Payton and wound up being the team's top pick in this draft.
His selection puts both K.J. Hamler and Montrell Washington on immediate notice as Mims can line up all over the formation and he can also contribute as a return man. Hamler hasn't been able to stay healthy and if he can return punts and kicks, he makes Washington close to obsolete.
The Broncos will use Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton as their top two pass-catchers but Payton will absolutely sprinkle in the rookie and give him a big role in 2023. He is a quick receiver who can rack up yardage after the catch. He is a bit on the smaller side but we can't knock him too much for that because he held up against top competition at Oklahoma.
I'm not going to pretend that I loved this pick, but it is definitely one that could pay off in a big way for the team.
Like Mims, the selection of Drew Sanders didn't fill a pressing need but he was obviously the top player on the Broncos' board at pick No. 67.
He will come in and support the duo of Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton as a rookie but because he offers much more in the way of a pass-rusher than the two of them, he could see the field often as a rookie and be worked into several packages.
Sanders had one year of quality production at Arkansas but he registered 9.5 sacks last season and that is why most teams saw him as a pass-rusher at the next level and who knows, that could be where he offers the Broncos the most value.
But because of his versatility, he could be a guy who can help the team in many ways. In Arizona, new Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph had Isaiah Simmons, a player that helped the team from the linebacker position as both a pass-rusher and in pass coverage.
Sanders doesn't have all of the athletic traits that Simmons possesses but he is a savvy football player who, with the right direction, could become one of the best defensive players on this team.
With the No. 83 overall pick, the Broncos may have landed on tremendous value with Riley Moss, who could easily become one of the team's starting cornerbacks, either on the inside or outside.
A true ballhawk in college, Moss had 11 career interceptions and he returned three of those for touchdowns. But that's not all he does. He puts a good hit on the ball carrier and though he does miss some tackles, he is an overall terrific tackler.
Coming into the draft, many teams saw him as a player that should move to safety. But Moss has above-average skills in coverage and in the right package, he is going to pay big dividends for the Broncos.
The Broncos have Patrick Surtain but all of the other cornerbacks on the roster have something to prove. It's not inconceivable for Moss to earn a lot of playing time right out of the gate.
To get a player like Moss, who has a ton of pro potential, in the third round, has to be considered a big win for the Broncos.
In the later rounds of the draft, finding a potential productive player becomes much harder to do. But with the selection of JL Skinner, the Broncos seem to have found one.
Boise State safety JL Skinner had a much higher draft grade from many of the draft analysts out there and the Broncos got him exactly 100 picks after they took Moss.
Skinner is a big, physical, hard-hitting safety who is loaded with athletic ability. In four seasons with the Broncos, he had over 200 tackles and seven interceptions, including four this past season.
Paton has shown a fondness for drafting safeties and Skinner joins a group that could use a big boost behind Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns. Skinner will need to show he can contribute on special teams in order to get snaps over P.J. Locke and Delarrin-Turner Yell, but in my opinion, he offers more on the defensive side of the ball than both of those players.
Skinner could turn out to be a valuable sixth-round pick.
If you are able to find a player that has a chance to make the team with pick No. 257 in the draft, you have to consider that a good pick. And center Alex Forsyth does have a chance to make this team.
The Broncos have Lloyd Cushenberry listed as the current starting center, but his name is penciled in, meaning that it could easily be erased.
The Broncos also have Luke Wattenberg but he can play other positions as well. Forsyth, who made 27 starts at center while at Oregon, could be Cushenberry's main competition.
Forsyth is not going to do anything that jumps out, but he is a smart, consistent football player with an above-average work ethic. He is very coachable and could find a role with this team that keeps him in the league for many years to come.
Overall Grade
The Broncos didn't have much to work with in this draft due to the trades that brought in Russell Wilson and Sean Payton, but the team still managed to navigate the waters of the draft quite well.
They didn't land any marquee players from the college ranks but that doesn't mean they can't become solid, productive pros. The Broncos found five guys who should slot in quite well this coming season and have a chance to make an immediate impact on the team's rebuilding process.
I would have liked to see the team address the running back position and that would be my only complaint about this draft. Others would argue that the offensive line needed to be addressed in a more impactful way but Forsyth appears to be a good pick for where he was taken. If the team gets good, injury-free seasons out of Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey then bypassing a tackle in this draft will not be a big issue.
The running back position is a different story as the team's future at that position certainly contains questions. But if Javonte Williams gets back to being the player we saw early on in his career and Samaje Perine is even a semi-decent backup option, the team is probably fine there too.
All in all, we could complain about the needs that weren't addressed but for what it was (5 picks in the third round or later), it's hard to argue with the class the the Broncos came up with.
Overall Grade: B