This is the third and final look at the draft-related trades made by the Broncos. The first article looked at the drafts from 1961 to 1979. The second covered the period from 1980 to 1999. This post will look at the draft-related trades that took place between 2000 and 2010.
It was interesting to discover that from 1961 to 1979, Denver participated in nineteen drafts and made eighty draft-related trades (an average of 4.2 per draft). During the twenty drafts from 1980 to 1999, the Broncos made seventy-one trades (an average of 3.6 per draft). Denver participated in eleven drafts from 2000 to 2010 -- a little over half as many in the two previous time periods -- but also made forty-nine draft related trades in those eleven drafts. This is approximately two-thirds as many trades in one decade as were made in each of the sets of two decades. In other words, from 2000 to 2010, the Broncos did a lot of "wheeling and dealing." There were players traded away for picks, picks traded for picks, and picks traded for players. There were even three occasions in which the Broncos engaged in a "3-team" trade.
Take a jump and see what the Broncos did with their wheeling and dealing.
During this period, the Broncos traded thirteen veteran players to other teams in return for one or more draft picks. In one case the trade was a player for a player and a draft pick. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of years the player was on the Broncos' roster.
| Year | Player Traded | Trading Partner | Draft Pick | Player Acquired |
| 2000 | RB Derek Loville (3) | Rams | 2000 6th (#189) | RB Mike Anderson (3) |
| 2000 | DB Chris Watson (1) | Bills | 2001 4th (#110) | |
| 2000 | LB Nate Wayne (2) | Packers | 2001 4th (#113) | G Ben Hamilton (7) |
| 2000 | DE David Bowens (1) | Packers | 2001 7th (#219) | |
| 2003 | DT Lionel Dalton (1) | Redskins | 2004 6th (#171) | WR Triandos Luke (1) |
| 2004 | RB Clinton Portis (2) | Redskins | DB Champ Bailey (7) and | |
| 2004 2nd (#41) | RB Tatum Bell (4) | |||
| 2007 | DT Gerard Warren (2) | Raiders | 2008 5th (#139) | RB Ryan Torain (1) |
| 2008 | G Chris Myers (3) | Texans | 2008 6th (#183) | LB Spencer Larsen (3) |
| 2008 | QB Jake Plummer (4) | Buccaneers | 2008 7th (#227) | RB Peyton Hillis (2) |
| 2008 | WR Keary Colbert (<1) | Seahawks | 2009 5th (#140) | |
| 2009 | DB Domonique Foxworth (3) | Falcons | 2009 7th (#235) | |
| 2010 | WR Brandon Marshall (4) | Dolphins | 2010 2nd (#43) | and |
| 2011 2nd (#??) | ||||
| 2010 | G Montrae Holland (4) | Cowboys | 2010 5th (#158) |
There were four players who were traded along with four draft picks to acquire two veteran players along with five draft picks.
| Date | Player/Picks Traded | Trading Partner | Draft Pick/Player | Player Acquired by Pick |
| 2004 | DB Deltha O'Neal (4) | and | ||
| 2004 1st (#24) | and | |||
| 2004 4th (#117) | Bengals | 1st (#17) | LB D. J. Williams (7) | |
| 2007 | RB Tatum Bell (4) | and | ||
| T George Foster (4) | and | |||
| 2007 5th (#158) | Lions | DB Dre Bly (2) | and | |
| 2007 6th (#176) | ||||
| 2009 | QB Jay Cutler (3) | and | ||
| 5th (#140) | Bears | 2009 1st (#18) | DE Robert Ayers (2) and | |
| 2009 3rd (#84) | and | |||
| QB Kyle Orton (2) |
There was one instance of a straight pick for pick trade. In 2009, the Broncos traded their 2010 1st (#14) to the Seahawks for Seattle's 2009 2nd (#37). That pick was used on DB Alphonso Smith (1).
Denver gave up nine picks in order to acquire twenty-one picks. Thirteen of those new picks were used to select players. The remaining eight were used for other trades.
| Date | Pick Given Up | Trading Partner | Picks Acquired | Player Acquired by Pick |
| 2000 | 1st (#10) | Ravens | 2000 1st (#15) | DB Deltha O'Neal (4) and |
| 2000 2nd (#45) | DB Kenoy Kennedy (5) | |||
| 2002 | 4th (#117) | Patriots | 2002 4th (#131) | DB Sam Brandon (5) and |
| 2002 5th (#144) | WR Herb Haygood (<1) | |||
| 2003 | 3rd (#82) | Panthers | 2003 4th (#108) | RB Quentin Griffin (2) and |
| 2003 4th (#120) | and | |||
| 2003 7th (#227) | DE Clint Mitchell (0) | |||
| 2003 | 4th (#120) | Patriots | 2003 4th (#128) | DE Bryant McNeal (0) and |
| 2003 5th (#157) | G Ben Claxton (0) | |||
| 2005 | 1st (#25) | Redskins | 2005 3rd (#76) | DB Karl Paymah (4) and |
| 2006 1st (#22) | and | |||
| 2006 4th (#119) | WR Brandon Marshall (4) | |||
| 2006 | 1st (#22) | 49ers | 2006 2nd (#37) | and |
| 2006 3rd (#68) | ||||
| 2010 | 1st (#11) | 49ers | 2010 1st (#13) | and |
| 2010 4th (#113) | ||||
| 2010 | 1st (#13) | Eagles | 2010 1st (#24) | and |
| 2010 3rd (#70) | and | |||
| 2010 3rd (#87) | WR Eric Decker (1) | |||
| 2011 | 5th (# ??) | Buccaneers | 2010 7th (#225) | DB Syd'quan Thompson (1) and |
| 2010 7th (#232) | DE Jammie Kirlew (0) |
Five draft picks were used to acquire veteran players. Unfortunately, none of the players were with the Broncos for more than two years -- though G Russ Hochstein may be excused from that criticism since he has only had the opportunity to be with the Broncos for two seasons.
| Date | Pick | Trading Partner | Veteran Player |
| 2005 | 4th (#126) | Browns | DT Gerard Warren (2) |
| 2005 | 5th (#160) | Falcons | DT Ellis Johnson (1) |
| 2006 | 2nd (#37) | Packers | WR Javon Walker (2) |
| 2008 | 6th (#180) | Rams | DT Jimmy Kennedy (0) |
| 2010 | 7th (#231) | Patriots | G Russ Hochstein (2) |
In one case, Denver traded a draft pick to receive a veteran and an additional pick. This occurred when the Broncos traded their 2010 5th (#158) to the Patriots to acquire veteran DT LeKevin Smith (2) and the Patriots' 2010 7th (#231).
Denver gave up twenty-six picks (some of them obtained through other trades) to acquire eleven new picks. Ten of those new picks were used to acquire college players. Two of those players failed to make the roster. Three more played for just a single year.
| Date | Picks Given Up | Trading Partner | Pick Acquired | Player Acquired by Pick |
| 2000 | 6th (#175) and | |||
| 2000 | 7th (#231) | Seahawks | 2000 5th (#154) | WR Muneer Moore (0) |
| 2001 | 2nd (#58) and | |||
| 2001 | 5th (#155) | Bills | 2001 2nd (#51) | DE Paul Toviessi (0) |
| 2001 | 7th (#215) and | |||
| 2001 | 7th (#226) and | |||
| 2001 | 7th (#255) | Falcons | 2002 4th (#112) | |
| 2002 | 4th (#112) and | |||
| 2002 | 5th (#155) | Ravens | 2002 3rd (#96) | DE Dorsett Davis (1) |
| 2006 | 1st (#15) and | |||
| 2006 | 3rd (#68) | Rams | 2006 1st (#11) | QB Jay Cutler (3) |
| 2007 | 1st (#21) and | |||
| 2007 | 3rd (#86) and | |||
| 2007 | 6th (#198) | Jaguars | 2007 1st (#17) | DE Jarvis Moss (4) |
| 2007 | 6th (#176) and | |||
| 2007 | 7th (#233) and | |||
| 2008 | 3rd (#73) | Vikings | 2007 4th (#121) | DE Marcus Thomas (4) |
| 2009 | 5th (#149) and | |||
| 2009 | 6th (#185) | Ravens | 2009 5th (#141) | WR Kenny McKinley (1) |
| 2009 | 7th (#235) and | |||
| 2010 | 5th (#146) | Lions | 2009 6th (#174) | QB Tom Brandstater (1) |
| 2010 | 1st (#24) and | |||
| 2010 | 4th (#113) | Patriots | 2010 1st (#22) | WR Demaryius Thomas (1) |
| 2010 | 2nd (#43) and | |||
| 2010 | 3rd (#70) and | |||
| 2010 | 4th (#114) | Ravens | 2010 1st (#25) | QB Tim Tebow (1) |
This category is similar to a pick for pick category since two picks were traded to acquire two picks. In 2009, Denver traded their 2009 3rd (#79) and 2009 3rd (#84) to the Steelers to acquire Pittsburgh's 2009 2nd (#64) and their 2009 4th (#132). The 2nd round pick was used to select TE Richard Quinn (2). The 4th was used to select G Seth Olsen (1).
There was one instance of Denver trading multiple picks to acquire a veteran player. DB Billy Jenkins (2) was acquired from the Ram in exchange for Denver's 2000 5th (#139) and 2001 5th (#154).
On three occasions, Denver worked out a trade scenario that involved two other teams. In 2006, the Broncos, Falcons and Jets worked a deal. The Jets ended up with 2006 1st (#29). The Falcons ended up with 2006 1st (#15) and 2006 3rd (#93) -- both picks were subsequently traded to the Rams -- and DT John Abraham from the Jets. The Broncos ended up with 2007 4th (#121) -- which had originally come from the Vikings.
Also in 2006, the Broncos, Falcons and Redskins entered into deal. Broncos WR Ashley Lelie ended up with the Falcons and the Broncos ended up with 2007 3rd (#70) and 2008 4th (#119). The 3rd round pick became T Ryan Harris (4) and the 4th round pick became DB Jack Williams (1).
In 2010, the Broncos, Lions and Eagles worked a deal. The Lions ended up with Broncos TE Tony Scheffler (4). The Eagles ended up with 2010 7th (#220). The Broncos ended up with 2010 5th (#137) which they used to select DB Perrish Cox (1).
It was reported that in 2001, Denver traded Henri Crockett to the Falcons for a 2002 conditional pick which turned into 2002 7th (#228) that the Broncos used to select DB Chris Young (2). The problem is that there is no record of Denver ever having rights to Crockett. Atlanta drafted Crockett in 1997, then traded him to Minnesota in 2002. For this reason, this trade is not included in the overall count of deals enacted by Denver during this period.
There were forty-five players acquired through draft related trades from 2000 to 2010. The breakdown in longevity for these players is not encouraging. No player was (or currently is) with the Broncos for longer than seven years. The numbers look like this:
| Years on Team | # of Players | Years on Team | # of Players |
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
Eight of the players acquired (or 18%) did not make the roster. Sixteen of the players acquired (or 36%) were not with the team for longer than a year. If we eliminate the six players acquired in 2010, the numbers become seven out of thirty-nine who did not make the roster (18%) and ten out of thirty-nine (26%) who were with Denver for one year or less. In terms of players who remained with the team for no more than two years, the numbers become 25 out of 45 (56%). If we remove the 2009 and 2010 numbers from that figure -- since they could have only been with the team for two years or less -- we find that 11 out of 31 (35%) of the players were on the roster for no more than two years. These numbers do not speak well of the choices made by the Broncos during the last decade.
| Player | Year | Acquired By | Player | Year | Acquired by | |
| DB Billy Jenkins (2) | 2000 | as veteran | WR Brandon Marshall (4) | 2006 | 4th (#119) | |
| DB Deltha O'Neal (4) | 2000 | 1st (#15) | DE Jarvis Moss (4) | 2007 | 1st (#17) | |
| DB Kenoy Kennedy (5) | 2000 | 2nd (#45) | T Ryan Harris (4) | 2007 | 3rd (#70) | |
| WR Muneer Moore (0) | 2000 | 5th (#154) | DE Marcus Thomas (4) | 2007 | 4th (#141) | |
| RB Mike Anderson (5) | 2000 | 6th (#189) | DT Jimmy Kennedy (0) | 2008 | as veteran | |
| DE Paul Toviessi (0) | 2001 | 2nd (#51) | DB Jack Williams (1) | 2008 | 4th (#119) | |
| G Ben Hamilton (7) | 2001 | 4th (#113) | RB Ryan Torain (1) | 2008 | 5th (#139) | |
| DE Dorsett Davis (1) | 2002 | 3rd (#96) | LB Spencer Larsen (3) | 2008 | 6th (#183) | |
| DB Sam Brandon (5) | 2002 | 4th (#131) | RB Peyton Hillis (2) | 2008 | 7th (#227) | |
| WR Herb Haygood (<1) | 2002 | 5th (#144) | G Russ Hochstein (2) | 2009 | as veteran | |
| RB Quentin Griffin (2) | 2003 | 4th (#108) | DT LeKevin Smith (2) | 2009 | as veteran | |
| DE Bryant McNeal (0) | 2003 | 4th (#128) | DE Robert Ayers (2) | 2009 | 1st (#18) | |
| G Ben Claxton (0) | 2003 | 5th (#157) | DB Alphonso Smith (1) | 2009 | 2nd (#37) | |
| DE Clint Mitchell (0) | 2003 | 7th (#227) | TE Richard Quinn (2) | 2009 | 2nd (#64) | |
| LB D. J. Williams (7) | 2004 | 1st (#17) | G Seth Olsen (0) | 2009 | 4th (#132) | |
| RB Tatum Bell (4) | 2004 | 2nd (#41) | WR Kenny McKinley (1) | 2009 | 5th (#141) | |
| WR Triandos Luke (1) | 2004 | 6th (#171) | QB Tom Brandstater (1) | 2009 | 6th (#174) | |
| DT Gerard Warren (2) | 2005 | as veteran | WR Demaryius Thomas (1) | 2010 | 1st (#22) | |
| DT Ellis Johnson (1) | 2005 | as veteran | QB Tim Tebow (1) | 2010 | 1st (#25) | |
| DB Karl Paymah (4) | 2005 | 3rd (#76) | WR Eric Decker (1) | 2010 | 3rd (#87) | |
| WR Javon Walker (2) | 2006 | as veteran | DB Perrish Cox (1) | 2010 | 5th (#137) | |
| QB Jay Cutler (3) | 2006 | 1st (#11) | DB Syd'quan Thompson (1) | 2010 | 7th (#225) | |
| DE Jammie Kirlew (0) | 2010 | 7th (#232) |
*****
As with every draft-related trade in the history of the franchise, there have been some hits, some misses, and some "I really wish we hadn't done that" type trades. Let's all hope that our new front office Fox/Xanders/Elway prove to be more adept at making choices that not only bring quality players to the Broncos, but bring in players who will remain with the team for many years.