Every Denver Broncos fan wants to see as many of the team's draft picks reach a second contract as possible. General manager George Paton has a pretty great track record so far, getting a number of players at every turn of the NFL Draft to second deals already.
The very first draft class for Paton alongside head coach Sean Payton was back in 2023, and the Broncos felt like they had a solid vision for one player, in particular, that simply has yet to manifest itself. That player is third-round pick Drew Sanders, an All-American linebacker out of Arkansas.
All of the NFL Draft analysts were touting Sanders as a possible 1st-round talent coming out in that 2023 class, so when the Broncos got him in the early portion of the third, it felt like a complete steal. However, injuries have perhaps led to the point now where we all need to accept the reality that it's not going to work out.
Broncos' Drew Sanders pick looking worse with each passing week
Sanders was the 67th overall pick in the 2023 draft, just four picks after the Broncos traded up in the 2nd round to get Marvin Mims Jr. Even though Mims's involvement in the offense has been a bit of a disappointment up to this point, he's been a Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro each of his first two NFL seasons.
And he's tracking for a third.
Sanders was taken before the likes of pass rusher Byron Young (Rams), tight end Tucker Kraft (Packers), running back De'Von Achane (Dolphins), and even another linebacker in DeMarvion Overshown (Cowboys) who has looked better so far despite injury issues.
The Broncos have had to compensate for Sanders' lack of availability in other ways, such as going after big-money free agent Dre Greenlaw. But ultimately, the linebacker position is still one which lacks future clarity for the Broncos. You would hope Sanders could be part of the solution, but what are the Broncos supposed to do here?
They can't bank on Sanders being a starter next season, because over three seasons, there's almost no tape to evaluate of him playing linebacker in the NFL. Even when Sanders has played, it's been mostly special teams with a couple of reps here and there defensively.
With just four games left in the 2025 regular season (including Sunday's Packers game), Sanders is closing in on having played just 21 games in three NFL seasons. And considering there were question marks about where he would end up positionally at the NFL level (the Broncos have changed his position twice already), the missed time on task is detrimental for his overall on-field development.
With one year left on his contract after this season, the Broncos don't have to cut Sanders or move on from him, but the sad thing is, they can't bank on him at all. They can't project him as a starter, they can't plan on him even competing for a starting job.
Hopefully, at some point, Sanders can get on the field and flip the script.