Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro have a pretty interesting conversation about Elway’s ability to draft offensive players. The question raised is who has Elway drafted in the last five years that contributes on offense.
It’s a legitimate question this season. The Elway era in Denver has been filled with success, but many of the best players on the team are not Elway draft picks. There are free agent signings, and undrafted free agents. However, the struggles seem to come in the second and third round of the draft.
Other than Matt Paradis, who has Elway drafted on the offensive side of the ball that has impacted the team. Trevor Siemian is a 7th rounder, and Elway has been very good at finding talent outside of the draft, but which middle round pick is really making contributions to this team.
Elway has been the best GM in all of football over the last 5 seasons. He put together one of the best defenses in NFL history. He had the wherewithal to ditch Tim Tebow and go get Peyton Manning. It seems strange to be in a position to criticize Elway, but the struggles that the offense has experienced in 2016 have opened him up to the critics.
No one is saying that Elway should be sent packing. No one is saying he is a liability. While the Broncos continue to struggle on offense, the issues on this team go far beyond mid-round draft picks. It’s times like these that people start to get a little picky about the success of the franchise. No doubt, Elway will right the ship, whether it be through the draft, or free agency.
Bonus Listen:
Derek Wolfe was fired up after the Broncos loss to Tennessee.