As we count down the days to the 2024 NFL Draft, Broncos Country is hoping the team knocks one out of the park with this year's draft class.
Looking back at team history, it's easy to talk about the biggest draft busts, those that usually elicit feelings of major disappointment. But the Broncos need some positive vibes, so let's stay positive here and look at the best draft picks the team has made.
Looking across the last decade, the Broncos have had several head coaches, a couple of different general managers and a new ownership group.
Think back to some of the best picks the team has made in that time. We are going to rank the five best here in terms of overall talent, production to the team and longevity. The best draft picks are the ones that bring sustained success and are not just a flash in the pan.
The Broncos are going to need to find some of those in this draft. Here are some draft picks the team has made that could help draw some inspiration.
Ranking Denver Broncos' 5 biggest draft gems of the last decade
5. Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa (2018)
The Broncos drafted Josey Jewell in the fourth round in 2018 and got good value out of the linebacker, who spent six seasons with the team. He just left this offseason, signing a deal with the Carolina Panthers.
That was a big loss for the Denver defense, but one that was expected. In Jewell's time with the Broncos, he racked up over 450 tackles and had nine sacks and two interceptions. He became a defensive leader for the team during some tough times, but also dealt with several injuries.
He still makes the list at No. 5 for the consistency he played with when he was out there, particularly in recent years. The Broncos will be tasked with trying to replace him in the starting lineup beginning with this coming season and that may prove to be difficult.
4. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU (2018)
In the same draft where they took Jewell, the Broncos used a second-round choice on wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Aside from the 2020 season where he tore his ACL, Sutton has been solid for the Broncos.
He's not a game-breaker. He's not elite and he's more of a No. 2 wide receiver than a No. 1 wide receiver, but he has stepped up when the team has called his number, particularly this past season where he caught 10 touchdown passes.
Sutton has 298 receptions for 4,259 and 24 touchdowns during his career, which is still being played in Denver. His receptions already rank No. 12 in team history and his yardage puts him in the No. 13 spot. Obviously, at only 28 years old, he has time to add to that.
Sutton is a guy who fans have gone back and forth on. After the 2019 season, where he reeled in 72 passes, it looked like he was going to become a star. But the injury in 2020 knocked him down several pegs and he's never gotten back on that level.
But he is still an asset to the team in the passing game and if the Broncos add a quarterback in this draft, Sutton will be that player's No. 1 target as he starts to learn the ropes of the professional level.
3. Garett Bolles, OT, Utah (2017)
With the way that Garett Bolles began his career in Denver, no one would have expected to see him on this list. During his first three seasons in the league, he was flagged for holding 20 times, helping him get the unflattering nickname of "Garett Holds" from the fanbase.
But since 2020, he hasn't had more than four holding penalties called against him in any season and he's really settled into a role with the team where he is an above-average tackle, even if he doesn't always get that recognition.
The Broncos used their first-round pick to get Bolles in 2017 and though he has probably never lived up to that kind of hype, he earned a four-year contract extension in 2020 and he has made 99 career starts at left tackle. With the exception of the 2022 season where he suffered a broken leg, he's been reliable and out on the field for nearly every other game.
Bolles will turn 32 years old next month and he has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason. The Broncos will need to look for a younger option soon but at this point, Bolles is still solid and is good enough to even be a Pro Bowl tackle.
2. Pat Surtain II, CB, Alabama (2021)
It might be controversial to place Pat Surtain in this spot as he is the best player on the current roster and perhaps the most talented player the team has drafted since Von Miller, which is surprising considering how many Broncos fans were upset that the team chose him over Justin Fields with the No. 9 overall pick in 2021.
Surtain has been terrific for the team and there are many who list him as the top cornerback in the NFL right now. That makes him the Broncos' top bargaining chip in any potential trade and those talks seem to come up fairly often.
In three seasons with the team, he has started in 49 of a possible 50 career games, registering nearly 200 tackles with seven interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He is turning into one of the game's true "shutdown" corners which leads to the opponent often shying away from his side of the field.
This has led to Surtain being selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons. He will be just 24 years old this coming season so the sky is the limit for him and if this list were to be written perhaps even this time next year, following another Pro-Bowl season, Surtain would probably have a case for the top spot.
1. Justin Simmons, Safety, Boston College (2016)
The Broncos won the Super Bowl following the 2015 season and still had T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart on the roster at the safety position. So third-round pick Justin Simmons was seen by many as a developmental rookie who could maybe offer something down the line.
He was the best draft pick this team has made in the last 10 years. That was why it was so heartbreaking to see the team let him go last month.
Simmons had over 600 tackles, 30 interceptions and 4.5 sacks for the team while being selected to the Pro Bowl twice. He was the team's defensive leader and became one of the best safeties in the league and really, one of the best in Broncos history.
It's a shame that the Broncos never played in even one postseason game during Simmons' tenure but that takes nothing away from his accomplishments. He was a terrific defensive safety and one of the most likeable guys on the roster every year.
The Broncos have made some really bad picks over the last decade. The selection of Justin Simmons was a home run.