Broncos’ 2018 draft class earns highest grade in AFC West

Good morning, Broncos Country.

The 2018 Denver Broncos campaign didn’t have a lot of memorable moments. However, the contributions of the franchise’s rookies were certainly one of them. While many would acknowledge it’s quite premature to grade a class before any prospect sees a single snap in the National Football League, the Broncos’ 2018 draft class was immediately lauded by draft analysts last April.

In turn, the lofty praise led to high expectations across Broncos Country. Without question, all of us were hoping for greater contributions from this year’s class compared to the lackluster 2017 draft — one that will likely go down as the worst in John Elway’s as general manager. Yet it’s safe to say that this year’s class didn’t disappoint.

Whether it was the impact sacks by Bradley Chubb, the rushing prowess of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman or the big-play potential displayed by receivers Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton — this year’s crop of contributors appear to be quite special and should provide the franchise with a great foundation for the future.

A lot of people have taken notice and NFL.com’s Around the NFL Writer Nick Shook gave the Broncos’ rookies an A- grade — highest among all teams in the AFC West. Shook will be doing a breakdown like this for all the divisions, so it will be interesting to see how Denver’s class ranks league-wide. So Broncos Country, what grade would you give the 2018 draft class based on their first-year contributions? Sound off in the comments section about their play this year, as well as what you hope to see from them next season.

As always, thank you for reading and here is today’s offering of Horse Tracks.

Horse Tracks

Broncos' Hall of Fame owner Pat Bowlen led with humility
Under Bowlen's guidance the Broncos won three Super Bowls, but he did it without being too big for the people in his organization.

How the Denver Broncos are approaching free agency and the rest of the NFL off-season
John Elway needs to get out of a funk as the Denver Broncos' general manager. This is a crucial off-season for him.

The Squeeze: Documenting Champ Bailey's Hall of Fame election weekend
A concentrated look at the recent juice on the Denver Broncos.

2019 NFL Mock Draft: Broncos trade up for QB, Kyler Murray headed to Dolphins, Patriots take explosive WR
Three quarterbacks go in Round 1 and the first one off the board isn’t named Dwayne Haskins.

Three-round 2019 NFL mock draft 1.0: Kyler Murray to Broncos - NFL.com
Chad Reuter goes three rounds deep in his first mock of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants are the first team to pick a QB, while the Patriots find an heir apparent for Tom Brady in Round 3.

Falcons releasing Robert Alford after six seasons - NFL.com
The Super Bowl is complete, meaning we're now in salary-shedding season. Falcons corner Robert Alford is the first to go. Atlanta is releasing the 30-year-old, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.

Sean McVay: Todd Gurley's touches due to rhythm - NFL.com
Perhaps once the final whistle had blown in the 2018 season, we'd finally get some clarity on what was going on with Todd Gurley. Or so we hoped. Sean McVay addressed that -- sort of -- Tuesday.

Bengals get their new face in head coach Zac Taylor - NFL.com
The Bengals needed a change, a fresh face. Take a look at Zac Taylor, Cincinnati. The Bengals introduced Taylor as the franchise's new head coach Tuesday, emphasizing a fresh start for the franchise.

Tom Brady: G.O.A.T. moniker 'makes me cringe' - NFL.com
Note to New England Patriots fans, television persons and the world entire: stop calling Tom Brady the G.O.A.T. "It make me cringe," the Patriots quarterback told Michael Strahan.

NFL Power Rankings: Pats on top -- as for the other 31 teams ... - NFL.com
With the 2018 NFL season officially in the books, what is the current state of the league hierarchy, from No. 1 to 32? Elliot Harrison updates his Power Rankings, with an eye toward the 2019 campaign.