4 winners, 3 losers of the Denver Broncos 2018 NFL Draft

The Denver Broncos have enjoying the sunshine of the post-NFL Draft analysis season, having aced their draft philosophy at every step of the way through the grueling three day process. John Elway and his staff were seen as winners by CBS Sports and Yahoo, but with the draft class set who were the winners and losers on the Broncos roster?

Winners

Case Keenum: No position was examined more thoroughly during pre-draft process than the quarterback position. There was real belief that Denver would try to snag a franchise quarterback early, but their top options were off the board by their fifth pick and the addition of Bradley Chubb all but sealed the deal for Keenum. He is your franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.

Paxton Lynch: With Keenum’s future secured by the Chubb pick, many thought the Broncos might pick a quarterback in later rounds to replace Lynch. That, too, didn’t happen. The Broncos stood firm, but Elway did note that Lynch will have competition for the backup spot from Chad Kelly in training camp.

Von Miller: Say goodbye the double and triple teams. Or do so at your own peril with Bradley Chubb on the other side. Miller showed his appreciation by reacting to Chubb being drafted like a kid who just got what he wanted for Christmas. The Broncos defense should be a heck of a lot better up front in 2018.

John Elway: As someone who was becoming a strong critic of Elway’s drafting ability, I was not expecting such a great draft. While the picks might not all work out, it wasn’t so much the players as it was the apparent philosophical change that we witnessed that makes this draft class such a great one. Long-term this philosophy should net a lot more impact players than the one we were seeing from 2013 on.

Losers

Shane Ray: The 2018 NFL Draft was quite the indictment on Shane Ray. The former 2015 first-round pick just saw his starting job taken away from him. To be fair, it is a starting job that should have been Shaquil Barrett’s anyway. I would be shocked if the Broncos pick up Ray’s fifth-year option now.

Shaquil Barrett: When the Broncos signed undrafted free agent Jeff Holland, they signaled that a long-term contract for Barrett is unlikely. The addition of Chubb and Holland is a clear sign the Broncos are prepared to let both Ray and Barrett go after this season.

Emmanuel Sanders: It is also clear the Broncos are thinking about their post-Emmanuel Sanders world. While Courtland Sutton does compare to Demaryius Thomas some, DT’s immediate future is secure. Sanders, on the other hand, could face some immediate pressure to perform. Although, it does appear the Broncos are prepared to move on from him after this season regardless.