Throughout the course of the team's history, there haven't been many other NFL teams that can boast the type of success the Denver Broncos have had in the NFL Draft. That has obviously translated into the Broncos being one of the best teams in the NFL over the last 40 years. Despite the team's struggles from 2017-present, the Broncos are still one of the NFL's best teams (5th-best winning percentage) since 1983, when John Elway came to the Mile High City.
To have that kind of winning percentage requires making a lot of good decisions in the offseason, and specifically in the NFL Draft. But which players are the best Denver Broncos draft picks of all-time?
Let's look at the top 15.
Top 15 best draft picks in the history of the Denver Broncos
Honorable mention: Pat Surtain II, CB (1st round, 2021)
Although Pat Surtain II still has quite a long way to go in his NFL career, he's quickly ascended into one of the best cornerbacks in football and it looks like he's not going anywhere anytime soon. Surtain was an All-Pro in just his second NFL season, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl as well and being recognized by many media outlets as either the first or second-best cornerback in the game.
Surtain was a first-round pick out of Alabama in the 2021 NFL Draft and you just rarely see guys of his. caliber falling anywhere near the 10th overall pick. Cornerbacks are highly coveted in the NFL today and Surtain was somehow not even the first corner off the board in his own class (Jaycee Horn, Panthers). Now he looks like he's going to be a superstar for many years to come.
15. Clinton Portis, RB (2nd round, 2002)
Clinton Portis may have only played two seasons for the Denver Broncos before he was included in a blockbuster trade for Champ Bailey, but there's no denying that he's one of the best draft picks in franchise history. Portis won the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2002 after he ran for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns. He racked up over 1,800 yards from scrimmage and had 17 total touchdowns in his rookie season.
By year two, Portis had over 1,900 yards from scrimmage and only played in 13 games that season. But the Broncos were so desperate for help in the secondary that they traded him to Washington in the 2004 offseason. Portis would go on to have a very successful career in Washington, but he didn't have nearly the impact Champ Bailey did in Denver.
14. Elvis Dumervil, DE (4th round, 2006)
They simply don't make them like Elvis Dumervil very often. A wildly productive pass rusher at Louisville, Dumervil fell to the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft because he is only 5-foot-11. It's rare for every-down edge rushers in the NFL to be that short, but Dumervil made up for his lack of height with long arms, a strong base, and a lightning-quick first step.
As a pass rusher, his presence was felt immediately in the NFL. He had 8.5 sacks in his rookie season and 8 QB hits. Over the course of his first four NFL seasons, he had 43.0 total sacks, 61 QB hits, and 10 forced fumbles. He was a star pass rusher, first-team All-Pro, and Defensive MVP candidate.
Although he missed the 2010 season with a pectoral injury, Dumervil came back and made the Pro Bowl in 2011 and 2012 as the Denver Broncos began their resurgence in the AFC. A contract issue in the 2013 offseason involving a fax machine led to Dumervil leaving Denver for Baltimore where he was a star for the Ravens as well. Dumervil was a first-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher in Baltimore.
He finished his NFL career with 105.5 total sacks.
13. Brandon Marshall, WR (4th round, 2006)
In hindsight, Brandon Marshall is certainly one of the ones that "got away" from the Denver Broncos. All thanks to Josh McDaniels.
And maybe a slight push from a McDonald's bag?
If you know, you know. At any rate, Brandon Marshall ended up becoming one of the best draft picks in Denver Broncos history even if his career took him to a wide variety of NFL cities. He was a Pro Bowl receiver for the Broncos, Bears, Dolphins, and Jets. He seemingly got better with age as he earned first-team All-Pro honors at the age of 28 with the Bears and then again at the age of 31 with the Jets.
Shockingly, Marshall never played in a single playoff game.
He finished his NFL career with eight 1,000-yard seasons, more than 12,000 yards in total. He had 83 career touchdowns and 970 career receptions. Despite how often he moved around, he actually played more games for the Denver Broncos (61) than any of the other teams he played for and as a result, had more yards with the Broncos than any other team he played for.
Just imagine if the Broncos had never traded Brandon Marshall and he got to play with Peyton Manning during that stretch from 2012-15...
12. Louis Wright, CB (1st round, 1975)
The Denver Broncos used a first-round pick on cornerback Louis Wright in the 1975 NFL Draft (17th overall) and the former Arizona State star ultimately became one of the best defensive players in franchise history.
Wright had 9 interceptions in his first five seasons and made it to the Pro Bowl three times while also gaining some recognition as an All-Pro as well as Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 1979. As his career went along, Wright became even more consistent, and made two more Pro Bowls in his 30s while also picking up 17 passes in the final five seasons of his NFL career.
Wright played his entire NFL career -- 166 games in total -- as a member of the Denver Broncos and ranks 9th in franchise history with 26 career interceptions.
11. Tom Nalen, C (7th round, 1994)
When you think about the Denver Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams, Tom Nalen might not be the first guy that comes to mind, but he was undoubtedly one of the most important.
Nalen was the anchor for the Broncos' offensive line, which was one of the best in the NFL at the time. He was a 7th-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, one of many late-round picks in the 90s that ended up making a massive impact on those legendary Denver Broncos teams. He made five Pro Bowls from 1997-2003 and played 194 career games for the Denver Broncos as the team's starting center.
He was the quintessential leader of the zone blocking scheme. Nalen was undersized at just 280 pounds but he was the leader of one of the most dominant offensive lines in the NFL and he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame in 2013.
10. Karl Mecklenburg, LB (12th round, 1983)
As a 12th-round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, Karl Mecklenburg qualifies as possibly the biggest NFL Draft steal in Denver Broncos history. At least one of them.
Mecklenburg played his entire career from 1983-1994 with the Denver Broncos where he was a three-time first-team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowl selection, and one of the most well-rounded defensive players in Denver Broncos history. He had over 1,100 total tackles and 79.0 sacks in his career and helped the Broncos win three AFC Championships.
Many Denver Broncos fans who know the impact Mecklenburg made on the team believe he is one of the franchise's biggest Hall of Fame snubs.
9. Randy Gradishar, LB (1st round, 1974)
Randy Gradishar is not only one of the best Denver Broncos players of all-time, he's also one of the biggest current Pro Football Hall of Fame snubs out there. Gradishar made a case over the course of 10 years to be enshrined in Canton where he was dominant nearly from the very beginning.
In addition to playing on one of the best and most widely recognized defenses in NFL history (the Denver Broncos' "Orange Crush"), Gradishar was named individually to 7 Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pros, and he was the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
A first-round pick in the 1974 NFL Draft, Gradishar certainly lived up to his billing as a top draft choice and deserves a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
8. Floyd Little, RB (1st round, 1967)
Nicknamed "The Franchise", the late Floyd Little was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a one-time first-team All-Pro throughout the course of his NFL career, which began in 1967 as the very first first-round draft pick to actually sign with the Denver Broncos organization.
Little was immediately impactful upon his arrival to the NFL, averaging almost 17 yards per punt return before becoming one of the league's most dominant running backs. He has since been enshrined into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he was classmates in 2010 with the likes of Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.
Little's jersey no. 44 is one of the few to be retired in the Denver Broncos organization.
7. Demaryius Thomas, WR (1st round, 2010)
At one point in time, there was a great sense of disappointment over the selection of Demaryius Thomas. At the time he was selected (1st round of the 2010 NFL Draft), fans simply couldn't believe the Denver Broncos would pass on someone like Dez Bryant, who was perceived to be arguably the best receiver prospect in the class and inexplicably fell to the Broncos' range in the 2010 draft.
Given the team's need for a receiver, Bryant seemed like the sure thing, but Josh McDaniels took a bigger, faster, perhaps less refined player in Demaryius Thomas out of Georgia Tech. Thomas' contributions to Georgia Tech were obviously impressive given they are a Triple Option offense. For DT to stand out as a first-round prospect is impressive in its own right.
Thomas ended up proving any doubters he had extremely wrong. He quickly became a beloved player, one of the most beloved in franchise history. His signature moment early on was the overtime touchdown against the Steelers in the 2011 playoffs but that was merely the launching off point for Thomas' Ring of Fame caliber career.
From 2012-16, Thomas was one of the most dominant receivers in the game and he became an absolute force when Peyton Manning took over as the team's quarterback. In nine years in Denver, Demaryius Thomas became the team's second-leading receiver of all-time with 9,055 yards and adding 60 touchdowns.
He tragically passed away in December 2021 at the age of 33, but DT will forever be one of the greatest players in Denver Broncos history and he will always be no. 88 in orange and blue.
6. Justin Simmons, S (3rd round, 2016)
It may feel a little premature to include Justin Simmons on a list like this, but he's undoubtedly deserving. Simmons was a third-round pick (98th overall) out of Boston College in the 2016 NFL Draft. It's hyperbole to say he was an "afterthought" in the NFL Draft but as a late Day 2 pick, he certainly wasn't coveted as much as he should have been by NFL teams.
Since coming into the league, Simmons has been a turnover machine. He has double-digit interceptions in every season of his NFL career, including a career-high six interceptions in the 2022 NFL season. What's amazing about that? Simmons only played in 12 games last season, and not only did he pick off six passes, but he forced three fumbles and recovered a fourth. He was responsible for 10 turnovers in 12 games.
Simmons has been frustratingly named a second-team All-Pro in three of the last four seasons. He's eight interceptions away from surpassing Champ Bailey and Tyrone Braxton for fourth all-time in Broncos history on the INT list.
Is Justin Simmons on a Hall of Fame trajectory? The next couple of years could determine that. If he can continue to have individual success along with the Broncos possibly winning some more games than they have been, he could go down as one of the franchise's all-time greats.
5. Steve Atwater, S (1st round, 1989)
Steve Atwater. The Smiling Assassin.
One of the nicest human beings in Denver Broncos history is also known for being one of the most violent hitters in league history.
Atwater was a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 1989 NFL Draft (20th overall) out of Arkansas. The 6-foot-3 safety brought a physical presence to the back end of the defense, but make no mistake about it -- he was a playmaker in every regard.
Over the course of his first five NFL seasons, Steve Atwater averaged 150 tackles and picked off 14 passes. He was an immediate impact player for the Broncos, finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in his 1989 season and then following that up with seven straight Pro Bowl campaigns and three All-Pro selections.
Atwater ended up making the Pro Bowl eight times as a member of the Denver Broncos and was obviously a key part of the team's back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the 90s. He was finally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 after being enshrined in the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame in 2005.
4. Chris Hinton, OL (1st round, 1983)
Some of you reading this are probably wondering who Chris Hinton is. Some of you are wondering why he's on the list at all.
I just didn't think it would be right not to include him among the top NFL Draft picks in Denver Broncos history. Of course, Chris Hinton never played for the Denver Broncos. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft and subsequently included in what Sean Payton dubbed the "worst trade" in NFL history.
That trade, of course, was the trade that sent quarterback John Elway to the Denver Broncos. Hinton was the primary piece going back to the Baltimore Colts in the deal. Now, to his credit, Hinton played an outstanding NFL career. He was selected to three All-Pro teams and made it to the Pro Bowl seven times. He played for the Colts until 1989 before moving to Atlanta in 1990, and he did tremendous work for both franchises.
But the Broncos got John Elway.
3. Shannon Sharpe, WR/TE (7th round 1990)
Shannon Sharpe has become such a successful media personality these days that many sports fans probably know him better as "Unc" than they do as no. 84 for the Denver Broncos. But if you grew up in the 90s or if you were a football fan way back then, you certainly remember Sharpe as being one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league and one of the NFL's most vibrant personalities.
It's not a surprise in the slightest that he's ended up becoming so successful in the sports talk arena.
Sharpe has been talking forever.
"We need the National Guard! We need as many men as you can spare because we are killing the Patriots!"
Selected in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL Draft out of Savannah State, Sharpe actually entered the NFL as a wide receiver prospect. The Denver Broncos and Mike Shanahan turned him into a Hall of Fame tight end.
Sharpe was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times in his Hall of Fame career. He was named to four first-team All-Pro teams. He helped the Denver Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls and then went and helped the Baltimore Ravens win one as well.
Sharpe had three seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving and ended up with over 10,000 receiving yards for his NFL career as a whole. From 1990-2003, he was simply dominant every time he touched the field. He averaged over 900 yards and 6 touchdowns ever 17 games he played.
Even at the end of his NFL career, Sharpe still had 62 receptions for 770 yards and 8 touchdowns. He could have probably kept on playing and if you see the guy's physique nowadays, you might wonder how he's not still playing. The guy looks like he was chiseled out of marble.
Not only is Shannon Sharpe one of the best Denver Broncos draft picks of all-time, but he's also one of the biggest NFL Draft steals in history.
2. Terrell Davis, RB (6th round, 1995)
Terrell Davis is one of the best running backs in NFL history, and everything he accomplished happened within a very small window of time.
Davis finished second in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 1995 after rushing for 1,117 yards and racking up 8 TDs from scrimmage. He was an MVP finalist in 1996 and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year as well as a first-team All-Pro. In his first four NFL seasons, Davis averaged almost 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns.
He was the NFL MVP in the 1998 season, Super Bowl XXXII MVP, and he had an astounding 1,271 rushing yards in just eight playoff games. During his Super Bowl MVP run, Davis had eight rushing touchdowns.
Unfortunately, knee issues limited Davis to just 17 games from 1999-2001. He effectively only played five NFL seasons and still made the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Terrell Davis is a legend.
1. Von Miller, EDGE (1st round, 2011)
Three former first-overall picks have played for the Denver Broncos, but Von Miller is the highest draft pick in franchise history. The former first-overall picks to play for the Broncos -- John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Courtney Brown -- were drafted by the Colts and Browns.
The Broncos have never held the number one overall pick themselves, and they've never held the second overall pick more than once. Von Miller is their highest draft pick ever, so it's fitting that he would end up being their best draft pick ever.
Back in 2011, Miller's draft status was pretty hotly contested. There wasn't really a consensus about him because, at the time, there was a lot of debate about whether or not he could hold up off the edge in the NFL because of his more slender frame. There was still this idea that EDGE players in the NFL needed to be 260-275 pounds in order to hold up against offensive tackles, but the Broncos took Miller in an absolutely loaded draft class.
They would have been justified at the time in taking someone like Marcell Dareus or Patrick Peterson instead of Von Miller. They might even have been justified in taking AJ Green or Julio Jones. Taking Von Miller wasn't a no-brainer at the time, but in hindsight, can you even imagine the Broncos with anyone else?
Von Miller became one of the NFL's most legendary pass rushers in his time with the Denver Broncos, setting a franchise record with 110.5 sacks in 142 games. Miller was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2011, a second-team All-Pro, and a Pro Bowler.
By his second season, he finished second in the league in Defensive MVP voting. He was suspended and injured in 2013, but he made the Pro Bowl every year from 2014-2019. He has been selected to eight Pro Bowls in total, and is now a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Thankfully, one of those was as a member of the Denver Broncos and arguably the greatest defense of all-time. During the 2015 season, Miller's dominance led to a win in Super Bowl 50. He won Super Bowl MVP which really could have been an NFL playoffs MVP award, and what made the victory even sweeter was that it came against the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton, the one player selected ahead of Miller in the 2011 NFL Draft.
The future Hall of Famer is currently playing with the Buffalo Bills and won a second Super Bowl as a member of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season. He will go down as the best defensive player in Denver Broncos history someday, and is unquestionably the best draft pick the franchise has ever made.