Broncos 2020 Draft: We'll See

I've seen the Broncos' 2020 draft grade as either an A or an A+, but to quote Michael Scott, I completely forgot there was such a thing as an A++.

I don't know how I feel about draft-day grades. If you go on NFL.com every team received an A or a B except for one. You know a lot of these guys aren't going to work out, but for now, they are all future Pro Bowlers. I don't really follow college football so I don't know one way or the other. I had never heard most of these guys before they showed up as Bronco draft picks.

Maybe Jerry Jeudy will be up on the Broncos Ring of Fame in 20 years. Maybe he won't even be on the roster in 5 years. We don't really know for sure. I like that the Broncos are trying to improve the offensive skill positions. Maybe there's only so much an offensive line can do if the quarterback has nowhere to go with the ball. It's the highest pick (#15) they've ever spent on a wide receiver, and the first since Demaryius Thomas in 2010. He was unquestionably the best-ever first-round Broncos wide receiver, earning four Pro Bowl selections during his time in Denver. The other first-round receivers have been a little more spotty.

Ashley Lelie had a couple of good seasons in the Jake Plummer era after being drafted 19th overall in 2003, but didn't last long. Marcus Nash was picked 30th in 1998 and was one of the all-time Broncos draft busts. Ricky Nattiel was picked 27th in 1987 and hung around for several seasons, but really his only claim to fame was rounding out the Three Amigos. So here's hoping Jeudy follows in D.T.'s footsteps.

The Broncos picked KJ Hamler, another wide receiver, with the #46 overall pick. The Broncos have picked up some good wide receivers in the second round: Courtland Sutton (#40 in 2018), Eddie Royal (#42 in 2008), and Vance Johnson (#31 in 1985). But they've also had their fair share of misses: Cody Latimer (#54 in 2016), Darius Watts (#54 in 2004), and Orlando McDaniel (#50 in 1982). Based purely on pick position, Hamler could go either way.

I thought this year was a real alphabet soup of a draft. Check it out: Cushenberry....Ojemudia....Agim....Okwuegbunam...Strnad...Tuszka.
 
A lot of people seem to like the center, Lloyd Cushenberry, in round 3. Hopefully he pairs with last year's pick, Dalton Risner, in providing stability to the offensive line for years to come. The Broncos have had tough luck in that area for many years. They received high marks for LB Justin Strnad in the fifth and G Netane Muti in the sixth because they would have been picked much higher if not for their injuries. Well, that's the real problem with injuries, isn't it? Sometimes you're never the same. I remember everyone being super excited about drafting the injured Jake Butt a few years ago because without the injury, he was like a first-round talent. But that hasn't worked out so well because in three years he's played three games.

So we'll see. A year from now, we'll have a pretty good idea if the high marks were warranted.