The Cat Could Draft

As John Elway takes the reins of the Denver Broncos once again, here's hoping he follows in the footsteps of another man who came from Stanford University to the Broncos. John Ralston was hired away from the college game back in 1972, when the Broncos were almost in as bad of shape as they are right now. The Broncos were in the Super Bowl six years later. Granted, Ralston had been fired as head coach by then, but he shares quite a bit of responsiblity for building the team that went 40-22, made three playoff appearances, won two AFC West titles, and played in a Super Bowl during Red Miller's stint as head coach from 1977-1980.

Let's quickly review the Broncos drafts from 1972 to 1976.

1972
Drafted TE Riley Odoms in the first round. Odoms went on to play 12 seasons with the Broncos. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, and was twice selected First Team All-Pro. Today he is still ranked sixth in team history in receptions and tied for eighth in touchdowns with 44.

1973
Drafted RB Otis Armstrong in the first Round. He played eight seasons for the Broncos and is currently fourth on the Broncos' all-time career rushing list. His signature year was 1974, when he led the NFL in rushing and was named First Team All-Pro.

Drafted DE Barney Chavous in the second round. He was a starter for all 13 of his seasons with the Broncos. Sacks were not an official stat for a large portion of his career. However, the Broncos estimate he had 75 career sacks, which would be good enough for third on the Broncos' all-time list.

Drafted G Paul Howard in the third round. He played 13 seasons and was a starter for 10 of them. In addition to starting on the 1977 Super Bowl team, he also started during the Broncos' 1986 Super Bowl season.

Drafted LB Tom Jackson in the fourth round. He played 14 seasons. Like Howard, he started for the 1986 Super Bowl team as well as the 1977 team. He was selected to three Pro Bowls, made First Team All-Pro in 1977, and is a member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame.

1974
Drafted LB Randy Gradishar in the first round. He played 10 seasons, made seven Pro Bowls, was twice selected First Team All-Pro, and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. He is also a member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame, and was a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist or semifinalist every year from 2003 to 2008, although he was never selected due to East Coast bias.

Drafted T Claudie Minor in the thirdd Round. He was a nine-year starter for the Broncos.

1975
Drafted CB Louis Wright in the first round. He played 12 seasons for the Broncos, started for both the 1977 and 1986 Super Bowl teams, was a five-time Pro Bowl pick, was twice voted First Team All-Pro. He is also a member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame.

Drafted WR Rick Upchurch in the fourth Round. He made his name as a dangerous punt returner - his 8 career punt returns for touchdowns remain a team record. During his nine-year career, he was selected to four Pro Bowls and was three times First Team All-Pro.

Drafted DT Rubin Carter in the fifth round. He played 12 seasons for the Broncos and was a starter for 10 of them.

Drafted DB Steve Foley in the eighth round. He was a quarterback in college, but converted to defense and played 11 seasons for the Broncos, including both the 1977 and 1986 Super Bowl teams. He holds the Broncos career record for most interceptions with 44.

1976
Drafted G Tom Glassic in the first round. He played eight seasons and was a starter for seven.

So there you have it. Twelve players. All played a significant role on the 1977 Super Bowl team. Six of them were members of the Broncos' famous Orange Crush defense. Four of them stuck around long enough to play on the 1986 Super Bowl team as well. There are a total of 25 Pro Bowls in this group, and 11 First Team All-Pro Selections. Additionally, all of these men played their entire careers for the Denver Broncos.

That's how you draft, my friend.

I understand that times are different now with free agency and everything. It's pretty rare for players to spend their entire career with one franchise. But it's still true that to build a team that is going to be a winner for a long time, you have to be excellent in the draft. And the Broncos haven't been for many, many years. Which is how they wound up in their current predicament.

There isn't another five-year period of drafts in Broncos history like 1972-1976. The only one I could come up with that even compares is 1980-1984, when the Broncos drafted Rulon Jones, Mike Harden, Keith Bishop, Dennis Smith, Ken Lanier, Sammy Winder, Gary Kubiak, Karl Mecklenburg, Clarence Kay, and of course, John Elway (who wasn't technically a Broncos draft pick, but he kind of was). That group accounts for 27 Pro Bowls, three members of the Broncos' Ring of Fame, and a Hall of Famer.

Anyways, my point is that the Broncos won 7 AFC West titles, played in the Super Bowl four times (and narrowly missed a fifth) between 1977 and 1991. Even though they did win the Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998, they haven't been as consistently good since then. Did you know the Broncos have won only three AFC West titles since 1992? Just three.

As the Broncos clean house organizationally, I hope they realize that only one thing will make them consistent winners again. Nailing the draft year after year. There can be no more Marcus Nash, no more Willie Middlebrooks, no more Jarvis Moss.