The Denver Broncos walked away from the 2015 NFL Draft with nine new additions to their storied franchise. It was a busy weekend for John Elway and company as the club was firmly trying to load up to take another run at a Super Bowl in the coming season. Did the Broncos achieve their goal and come out of the draft among the AFC’s elite? Let’s take a look.
First Round, 23rd Overall: Shane Ray, defensive end/outside linebacker, Missouri
Second Round, 59th Overall: Ty Sambrailo, offensive tackle, Colorado State
Third Round, 92nd Overall: Jeff Heuerman, tight end, Ohio State
Fourth Round, 133rd Overall: Max Garcia, center/guard, Florida
Fifth Round, 164th Overall: Lorenzo Doss, cornerback, Tulane
Sixth Round, 203rd Overall: Darius Kilgo, defensive tackle, Maryland
Seventh Round, 250th Overall: Trevor Siemian, quarterback, Northwestern
Seventh Round, 251st Overall: Taurean Nixon, cornerback, Tulane
Seventh Round, 252nd Overall: Josh Furman, safety, Oklahoma State
Denver Broncos 2015 NFL Draft Review
Best Player Selected
Make no mistake about it, from a talent perspective, Shane Ray was far and away the Broncos’ best pick. Actually, in regards to ability alone, Ray was likely one of the best players in this draft. Prior to his now highly publicized arrest a few days before draft night, Ray was regarded as a sure-fire top-15 pick and was being heavily linked to the New Orleans Saints at pick 13. In the aftermath of his legal issues, there was no certainty as to when the Missouri product might hear his name called, but the Broncos answered that question when they traded up five slots to the 23rd overall pick to get their man.
Ray won’t be a Week One starter with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware on the team, but he will slot in as a top-notch pass-rush specialist (14.5 sacks last season at Missouri) and role player before ultimately entering the starting lineup (possibly when Ware retires). If Ray can keep himself out of trouble, he has the potential to have a tremendous NFL career and could potentially be a steal at his draft slot.
Biggest Head-Scratcher
While there is no debating Ray’s talent and potential impact on this team, the cost of the trade-up was quite high. Getting Ray at 23rd overall is excellent value, but the Broncos surrendered 2015 and 2016 fifth-round draft picks as well as center/guard Manny Ramirez to move up a mere five slots in a round one swap with the Detroit Lions.
Ramirez, in particular, is a tough pill to swallow for a team that had prioritized upgrading its offensive line in the offseason. He had started every game over the last two seasons for this club and with his departure the Broncos will only have two returning starters on the offensive line in 2015: Ryan Clady and Luis Vasquez. This is in no way an indictment of Ray’s talent, but the cost of acquiring him was prohibitive.
Most Surprising Pick
John Elway is a shrewd man and over the course of draft weekend, he made certain to address all of his team’s perceived needs. The most surprising development from the Broncos’ rookie class isn’t a player they selected but rather the exclusion of an inside linebacker from this draft class. Heading into the selection extravaganza, it seemed like a virtual certainty the franchise would be picking up a young linebacker, possibly as early as day two, but that never materialized.
It would seem that the organization is confident that inside linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan will be healthy in time for camp and thus felt no need to address the position. This is great news for Broncos fans as both Marshall and Trevathan are important players in Wade Phillips’ new 3-4 scheme and they will be called upon in a big way in 2015. Even so, it was quite surprising that not one selection was spent on the position.
Steal of the Draft
A steal can best be described as a player who significantly outperforms his draft slot, and for that reason the steal of the 2015 draft for the Denver Broncos has to be center/guard Max Garcia. Looking at this draft class, Garcia has the best chance to become a Week One starter out of every rookie besides Ty Sambrailo. Garcia is an experienced lineman who has a very real shot of being the Broncos starting center from the very beginning, and he was obtained for the reasonably inexpensive price tag of a fourth-round pick.
It is for this reason that we can’t be too tough on Elway for his Day One trade-up, as he was able to snare a potential replacement for Ramirez on day three. Garcia, a former team captain at Florida, is a highly versatile athlete and could also see time at guard for his new franchise. He was the team’s best pick from a value standpoint and that’s why he is their steal of the draft.
Most Likely To Turn Heads in Training Camp
Some analysts think that the aforementioned offensive tackle Sambrailo was a slight reach at 59th overall, but the Broncos simply had to address their offensive line and he is an excellent fit for the zone-blocking scheme the Broncos will employ this year. The Colorado State product has an excellent chance of entering the starting lineup in his rookie year, as the franchise likely has him pegged as the would-be right tackle of the future. Sambrailo boasts prototypical size and athleticism for the position and will be given every opportunity to earn it in camp. He’s definitely a player to watch.
The Rest
Third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman could be a very valuable player to the team over the long term. He is viewed as a blocking tight end but is a better-than-advertised receiver and could become an important component of this offense down the line. He’s not a Julius Thomas replacement per se, but a contributor to be sure.
Elway snagged a pair of Tulane cornerbacks in Lorenzo Doss (fifth round) and Taurean Nixon (seventh round) who will get a chance to come in and compete in an already talented secondary that will also include seventh-round safety Josh Thurman.
Sixth-round defensive tackle Darius Kilgo could provide solid depth as a run-stopper and seventh-round quarterback Trevor Siemian is a developmental project. The fact that the Broncos’ only quarterback selection came so late in the draft is also a vote of confidence in fourth-year signal caller Brock Osweiler as the team’s quarterback of the future.
The Bottom Line
The Broncos drafted a potential impact player in Ray, and tended to address several other needs over the course of the draft. By obtaining two potential opening day starters on the offensive line in the hopes of establishing the running game and keeping Peyton Manning upright, drafting a possible tight end of the future, and adding several solid depth players, John Elway has his franchise in position for a deep playoff run next season.
While this draft class is unlikely to rival the brilliance of Elway’s 2011 effort, this is a very solid showing and the type of draft that the top teams need to have to remain competitive. The Broncos are a better team today than they were prior to Thursday night and that’s the key to winning in professional sports. 2015 will be a big year for this franchise.
Broncos 2015 NFL Draft Grade: 7.5/10
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