We are rapidly approaching the 2014 NFL Draft -- which is now a few days away. Yes, sometimes I end up being "Captain Obvious." What may not be quite as obvious is the fact that this draft is going to be somewhat different from recent previous drafts. What is going to make the Broncos' 2014 draft unique?
This draft will be the first Broncos' draft since 2014 that is unencumbered by trades made in previous years.
At the time of this writing, the Broncos do not have to give up any of their 2014 picks due to trades enacted prior to the start of the 2014 draft. Nor will they receive any additional picks from past trades. From 2004 to 2013, the Broncos have averaged between four and five picks which were affected by trades made in years prior to the draft. These affected picks range from one (2013) to ten affected picks (2010). What follows is a brief explanation of those traded picks.
Please note, this table does not include draft day trades, unless said trade involved a trade initiated in a previous year.
Year | Pick | Round | Date | Type | Team | Notes |
2014 | No | Picks | Given up | or | Received | |
2013 | 196 | 6 | 8-1-11 | Given up | Philadelphia | Broncos received Brodrick Bunkley |
2012 | 109 | 4 | 3-21-12 | Received | New York Jets | Broncos drafted Philip Blake |
137 | 5 | 10-17-11 | Received | St. Louis | Broncos drafted Malik Jackson | |
160 | 5 | 3-14-10 | Given up | Cleveland | Broncos received Brady Quinn | |
188 | 6 | 3-21-12 | Received | New York Jets | Broncos drafted Danny Trevathan | |
194 | 6 | 7-30-10 | Given up | Philadelphia | Broncos received Joe Mays | |
2011 | 46 | 2 | 9-14-10 | Received | Miami | Broncos drafted Orlando Franklin |
99 | 4 | 9-14-10 | Given up | New England | Broncos received Laurence Maroney + 2011/6th/#189 | |
168 | 6 | 3-14-10 | Given up | Cleveland | Broncos received Brady Quinn | |
186 | 6 | 9-4-10 | Received | Detroit | Broncos traded pick to Green Bay | |
189 | 6 | 9-14-10 | Received | New England | Broncos drafted Mike Mohamed | |
205 | 7 | 9-4-10 | Given up | Detroit | Broncos received Dan Gronkaowski + 2011/6th/#186 | |
2010 | 11 | 1 | 4-2-09 | Received | Chicago | Broncos received 2010/1st/#13 + 2010/4th/#113 |
14 | 1 | 4-25-09 | Given up | Seattle | Broncos received 2009/2nd/#37 (Alphonso Smith) | |
43 | 2 | 4-14-10 | Received | Miami | Broncos traded pick to Baltimore | |
137 | 5 | 4-19-10 | Received | Philadelphia | Broncos drafted Perrish Cox | |
146 | 5 | 8-28-08 | Given up | Detroit | Broncos received 2009/6th/#174 (Tom Brandstater) | |
158 | 5 | 8-28-08 | Received | Dallas | Broncos traded pick to New England | |
231 | 7 | 8-17-09 | Received | New England | Broncos traded pick to New England | |
2009 | 18 | 1 | 4-2-09 | Received | Chicago | Broncos drafted Robert Ayers |
84 | 3 | 4-2-09 | Received | Chicago | Broncos traded pick to Pittsburgh |
|
140 | 5th | 9-16-08 | Received | Seattle | Broncos traded pick to Chicago | |
235 | 7th | 9-2-08 | Received | Atlanta | Broncos traded pick to Detroit | |
2008 | 73 | 3 | 4-29-07 | Given up | Minnesota | Broncos received 2007/4th/#121 |
119 | 4 | 8-23-06 | Received | Washington | Broncos drafted Jack Williams | |
139 | 5 | 8-20-07 | Received | Oakland | Broncos drafted Ryan Torain | |
180 | 6 | 6-8-07 | Given up | St. Louis | Broncos received Jimmy Kennedy | |
183 | 6 | 3-17-08 | Received | Houston | Broncos drafted Spencer Larsen | |
227 | 7 | 3-3-07 | Received | Tampa Bay | Broncos drafted Peyton Hillis | |
2007 | 70 | 3 | 8-23-06 | Received | Washington | Broncos drafted Ryan Harris |
121 | 4 | 3-21-06 | Given up | Atlanta | Broncos received 2007/4th/#121 (Marcus Thomas) | |
158 | 5 | 3-1-07 | Given up | Detroit | Broncos received Dre Bly + 2007/6th/#178 | |
2006 | 15 | 1 | 3-21-06 | Received | Atlanta | Broncos received 2007/4th/#121 (Marcus Thomas) |
22 | 1 | 4-19-05 | Received | Washington | Broncos traded pick to San Francisco on same day | |
29 | 1 | 3-21-06 | Given up | New York Jets | Broncos received 2006/1st/#15 from Atlanta | |
37 | 2 | 4-19-06 | Received | San Francisco | Broncos traded pick to Green Bay | |
68 | 3 | 4-19-06 | Received | San Francisco | Broncos traded pick to St. Louis | |
119 | 4 | 4-19-05 | Received | Washington | Broncos drafted Brandon Marshall | |
2005 | 25 | 1 | 4-19-05 | Given up | Washington | Broncos received 2005/3rd/#76, 2006/1st/#22 & 2006/4th/#119 |
76 | 3 | 4-19-05 | Received | Washington | Broncos drafted Karl Paymah | |
126 | 4 | 3-2-05 | Given up | Cleveland | Broncos received Gerard Warren | |
160 | 5 | 9-20-04 | Given up | Atlanta | Broncos received Ellis Johnson | |
2004 | 17 | 1 | 4-9-04 | Received | Cincinnati | Broncos drafted D. J. Williams |
24 | 1 | 4-9-04 | Given up | Cincinnati | Broncos received 2004/1st/#17 | |
41 | 2 | 3-4-04 | Received | Washington | Broncos drafted Tatum Bell | |
117 | 4 | 4-9-04 | Given up | Cincinnati | Broncos received 2004/1st/#17 | |
171 | 6 | 2003 | Received | Washington | Broncos drafted Triandos Luke |
From 2004 to 2013, the Broncos had forty-seven draft picks that were affected by trades made in prior seasons. Twenty-nine of those picks were ones they received via trades while eighteen were picks Denver gave up to get a desired player or trade pick.
The Broncos track record when trading picks for players has been less than stellar. Denver gave up ten picks to acquire players from other teams. One of those players (DT Jimmy Kennedy) did not make the team. Five of them (DT Brodrick Bunkley, QB Brady Quinn, RB Laurence Maroney, TE Dan Gronkowski, DT Ellis Johnson) lasted but a single season with the Broncos. Only three (LB Joe Mays, CB Dre Bly, DT Gerard Warren) lasted over a season -- with each of them logging two seasons with the Broncos.
Denver managed to do a little better with players drafted using picks acquired in trades during previous season. Fifteen players were drafted in this way. Only one (C Philip Blake) failed to make the roster. Five players (WR Triandos Luke, CB Perrish Cox, QB Tom Brandstater, RB Ryan Torain, LB Mike Mohamed) all lasted but a single season. Two (CB Jack WIlliams, RB Peyton Hillis) eked out two seasons in the orange and blue. The next group lasted for four seasons each (FB/LB Spencer Larsen, OT Ryan Harris, WR Brandon Marshall, CB Karl Paymah, RB Tatum Bell). DE Robert Ayers lasted five seasons as a Bronco while LB D. J. Williams remained in Denver for nine seasons.
Three players drafted using picks from previous seasons are still with the team: DE Malik Jackson, LB Danny Trevathan and OT Orlando Franklin.
So, Denver enters the 2014 NFL Draft in the same situation they faced in 2003 -- having the seven picks which would naturally fall to them. In 2003, under the guidance of Head Coach/Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Shanahan and General Manager Ted Sundquist, the Broncos were able to parlay their seven picks into ten picks during the course of the draft. The Broncos traded the 82nd overall pick to Carolina for the 108th, 120th and 227th picks. They traded the 120th pick for the 128th and 157th picks.That was the good news. The bad news is what they chose to do with those ten picks.
Four of them not only failed to make Denver's roster, but were unable to earn a place on any NFL roster and never played in the NFL: DE Bryant Mitchell (#128 overall), DE Aaron Hunt (#194), DE Clint Mitchell (#227) and RB Ahmaad Galloway (#235). Two more did not make Denver's roster but were able to catch on elsewhere: DT Nick Eason (#114) and OB Ben Claxton (#157). So six of the ten picks failed to make the team.
There were four who did, however, earn a spot on the Broncos' roste -- albeit with varying degrees of success. WR Adrian Madise (#158) lasted a single season. LB Terry Pierce (#51) and RB Quentin Griffin (#108) managed to eke out two seasons in Denver. OT George Foster (#20) lasted the longest by playing four seasons in the orange and blue.
Here's hoping the John Elway and John Fox can use the Broncos' seven picks to generate some additional picks -- just as Shanahan/Sundquist did in 2003, and that Elway/Fox do a much better job with whatever picks they end up with than what we saw in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Go Broncos!