Broncos - Ranking Drafts of the Nineties

Okay, to start off this post, I'd like to share an e-mail from one of my loyal readers.

"Come on, man! It's been 48 hours. When do we get your ranking of the other Broncos' drafts?"

-Phil, Ireland, KY

Alright, so I made that up. There is no Phil and there is no Ireland, Kentucky. And no one actually cares what I think about past Bronco drafts. But it is fun for me, so I'm going to tell you what I think about how the Broncos drafted in the 1990s.

Drafts in the 1990s are actually not completely comparable with drafts in the 1980s. Starting in 1993, the 12-round draft went to 8 rounds, and then down to 7 the following year.

1. 1994 - As I said in my previous post, any time you obtain a Hall of Fame player, it was a good draft. Before the 1993 season, the Broncos traded their #1 pick in 1994 to Minnesota for Gary Zimmerman, who played five years and is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So that deal alone was enough to make this a success. But the Broncos spent one of three seventh round picks on Tom Nalen, who manned the center position for well over a decade and will someday be a candidate for the Hall of Fame. They also spent their #2 pick on Allen Aldridge, who started for their 1997 Super Bowl team and another one of their seventh round choices on Keith Burns, who played for the Broncos for years. And as an added bonus, the Broncos signed an undrafted rookie free agent named Rod Smith after this draft. Another guy who will be a candidate for the Hall of Fame. Clearly the best Broncos' draft of the 1990s - and it is all thanks to Wade Phillips.

2. 1995 - Mike Shanahan's first draft. Although by the time he arrived on the scene, the Broncos had traded away the first three picks already. Which given Shanahan's draft record, might have been a good thing. The second-round pick was also included in the Gary Zimmerman deal. And as I've explained above, any time you get five years of a Hall of Fame player out of a draft, it's a draft WIN. But the real story of this draft came in the sixth round, when the Broncos picked a running back named Terrell Davis - who only went on to win Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP. He may not make the Hall of Fame due to the brevity of his career, but he was a Hall of Fame talent.

3. 1990 - The Broncos surrendered their first round pick in this draft to pick Bobby Humphrey in the supplemental draft a year earlier. He was a good use of the pick, giving them two 1,000 yard rushing seasons before he held out for more money and was traded away. The star of this draft, however, came in the seventh round - Shannon Sharpe, who will someday soon be in the Hall of Fame.

4. 1998 - I'd have to go with the 1998 draft as the fourth best of the 1990s. Trevor Pryce was the first round pick - he turned into a four-time Pro Bowler with the Broncos. The Broncos gave up their second rounder to get veteran Tony Jones. He started on both Super Bowl teams and started for four years to finish out his career with the Broncos. The Broncos spent their third rounder (and sixth and seventh, to move up in the third) to select Dan Neil, who was a seven-year starter.

5. 1999 - The Broncos picked Al Wilson with the final pick of the first round. He played eight seasons in Denver and made five Pro Bowls. Nothing else big though. Olandis Gary was a fourth-rounder this year, and he had the one 1,000 yard season. The Broncos picked several players who went on to have productive careers in this draft - just not in Denver. Montae Reagor, David Bowens, Billy Miller & Desmond Clark are in that group.

6. 1996 - The Broncos picked John Mobley - who was All-Pro in 1997 and started on both Super Bowl teams. Tory James, Darrius Johnson, and Detron Smith were other players selected in this draft who spent a few years in Denver.

7. 1991 - The Broncos had the #4 overall pick this year. Too bad it was not an especially strong draft. They picked Mike Croel, who was the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year with 10 sacks, but didn't do much after that and lasted only four years in Denver. Greg Lewis (5th rd), Derek Russell (4th rd), and Kenny Walker (8th rd) were guys who made brief contributions to the Broncos. They picked Keith Traylor in the third round. He later started for their Super Bowl teams, but only after leaving Denver and coming back after playing for the Chiefs.

8. 1993 - Probably the star of this draft was Jason Elam, who was their third round pick. He was their kicker for 15 years. Other than him, though, there wasn't much. Dan Williams was the #11 overall pick, but he didn't do anything until he left Denver for the Chiefs. Glyn Milburn (2nd rd) played three years for the Broncos.

9. 1998 - Not a good draft coming off their first Super Bowl victory. Marcus Nash was their first round pick and a complete bust. They did get Brian Griese in the third round, who became the successor to John Elway, and was the starting QB for four years. But we know how that ended. Eric Brown (2nd rd) and Trey Teague (7th rd) had short careers with the Broncos.

10. 1992 - Maybe the most inexplicable draft selection in Broncos history - Tommy Maddox. John Elway was only 31 years old at the time and coming off a year in which the Broncos just missed another Super Bowl trip. But Dan Reeves was apparently fixated on replacing Elway, if not sooner, then later. Of course we know how the story ends. Reeves is fired after the 1992 season and Maddox winds up in New York with him a few years later. Elway stays in Denver and wins two Super Bowls. So maybe everything worked out for the best, but it might have been nice to have Carl Pickens and his 540 career receptions instead of Maddox. And it wasn't just Maddox - the Broncos pretty much got nothing out of this draft other than four years of Shane Dronett, their second round pick.