Why didn’t we address the OL more in the draft? We doubled up on WRs and RBs, was that necessary? Did we want to double up to just better assure one of those hits? It was painful in the 4th when T. Crosby was sitting in the board and we continued to pass on him and other OL. I trust Elway and our front office, but that’s my only challenge with this draft class.

Hey guys, STOP THE PRESSES! This is uncanny. You know that game SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON? Well it also works with the Broncos new Tight End, Troy Fumagalli!!!

Six Degrees of TROY FUMAGALLI

JOHN ELWAY

John Elway played for the Denver Broncos under Head Coach Mike Shanahan from 1995-2008

Anthony Lynn was a Special Teams Assistant Coach under Mike Shanahan in Denver from 2000-2002.

Anothony Lynn is the Head Coach of the LA Chargers.

LA Chargers Running Back Melvin Gordon and FB Derek Watt played with the Wisconsin Badgers alongside Troy Fumagalli.

BRADLEY CHUBB

Bradley Chubb, the OLB who the Denver Broncos selected in the 1st played college football at North Carolina State University

Chuub’s head football coach at North Carolina State University was Dave Doeren.

Doeren was an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin under then head coach Barry Alverez.

Barry Alverez was the Athletic Director for the Wisconsin Badgers when Troy Fumagali played there last year.

RYAN KOENIGSBERG &
ZAC STEVENS

Ryan Koenigsberg & Zac Stevens work for the Denver media.

Former Bronco Ed McCaffrey works for the Denver media and Ryan and Zac eat his horseradish sauce.

Former Raiders coach John Madden eats horseradish sauce.

Recently drafted Badgers, CB Nick Nelson runs fast, possibly due to horseradish sauce.

Troy Fumgali played with Nick Nelson in Wisconsin and may or may not like horseradish sauce but probably likes fast cars and leaving them in the loading zone at the airport.

and on, and on, and on…….

How cool is that!?!?!

Seriously though, as a Badgers fan, I have watched every single play and game that Troy Fumagalli has played in college. We’re getting a solid producer.

NEW TOPIC
Let’s do a playoff party with all BSN subscribers this year. Think positive!

Paul
in
Waukesha

I’m super excited that my guy Wyatt Teller got drafted by the Bills. I think he will make an impact there. However, with all the trades down, I think the Broncos missed their opportunity on him. I think he would’ve fit in well in Denver. Maybe I’m too biased because I know him, but I know Andre mentioned him a few times and thought he was a really solid prospect.

Last year we drafted at least 3 guys with ‘return ability’, not heard that at all this year, as things stand, how are we looking at kick and punt return?

Just caught up on everything. This weekend has been one hell of a blurr and I am certainly feeling it today. How would you grade our picks at each round and from our draft overall.

I was not hopeful on our running game before or after the draft. My concerns eased a bit more now that Lindsay has been brought in.

Away from the Broncos, I’m sure you guys will be buzzing to see a trade up to select a Punter.

Very positive reviews of Denver’s draft. So below are the grades and comments of Denver’s draft. Overall the consensus looks to be an A-

Best comment comes from Bleacher Report:

“The Denver Broncos had arguably the best draft haul in the league.”–Bleacher Report

USA TODAY

Denver Broncos: A

GM John Elway must be living right with a gift like pass rusher Bradley Chubb sitting there at No. 5. He could restore this defense to dominance. Third-round RB Royce Freeman could make Broncos Country forget C.J. Anderson, and second-round WR Courtland Sutton may eventually do the same to Demaryius Thomas. Elway appeared to find a lot of potential contributors in the middle rounds. And given how well QB Case Keenum has apparently fit into this locker room, probably wise for Elway to resist the urge to draft another quarterback.

BLEACHER REPORT

Denver Broncos

Draft Picks:

NC State DE Bradley Chubb (No. 5 overall), SMU WR Courtland Sutton (No. 40 overall), Oregon RB Royce Freeman (No. 71 overall), Boston College DB Isaac Yiadom (No. 99 overall), Iowa LB Josey Jewell (No. 106 overall), Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton (No. 113 overall), Wisconsin TE Troy Fumagalli (No. 156 overall), Arizona State OG Sam Jones (No. 183 overall), Washington LB Keishawn Bierria (No. 217 overall), Arkansas RB David Williams (No. 226 overall).

The Denver Broncos had arguably the best draft haul in the league. Few expected defensive end Bradley Chubb to fall to No. 5, giving the Broncos an elite pass-rush rotation of Von Miller, Chubb, Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray. Although it may have made sense to add a quarterback, the staff has entrusted Case Keenum to compete for a Super Bowl, and spending a premier pick on a backup quarterback wouldn’t have helped the team this year.

Day 2 brought incredible value to the Broncos. They added a Demaryius Thomas clone in Courtland Sutton, a starting running back in the athletic and productive Royce Freeman and defensive back depth in Isaac Yiadom. It’s possible their first five picks will earn starting jobs this year.

General manager John Elway continued to find depth with high-floor linebacker Josey Jewell, receiver DaeSean Hamilton and an expected contributor in tight end Troy Fumagalli. Hamilton was a luxury value at that point, but the rest of the Broncos’ needs were addressed in some form. Only the right guard position remains a question mark entering training camp.

Grade: A

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

DENVER BRONCOS
Draft picks: N.C. State EDGE Bradley Chubb (No. 5), SMU WR Courtland Sutton (No. 40), Oregon RB Royce Freeman (No. 71), Boston College DB Isaac Yiadom (No. 99), Iowa LB Josey Jewell (No. 106), Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton (No. 113), Wisconsin TE Troy Fumagalli (No. 156), Arizona State OG Sam Jones (No. 183), Washington LB Keishawn Bierria (No. 217), Arkansas RB David Williams (No. 226). ​

John Elway understands what a perplexingly large number of fans and media do not: Denver’s Super Bowl window is still open. This defense is not much different than the one that brought home a Lombardi Trophy in 2015, especially now that Bradley Chubb is filling the void left by DeMarcus Ware. With Chubb joining Von Miller, Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett, Denver has four dynamic, flexible pass rushers, whom you’ll see all on the field together in certain passing situations.

Offensively, receiving options were needed behind Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. Those should be found between Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton and tight end Troy Fumagalli. Plus, getting a bruising runner like Royce Freeman amplifies what they have in starting running back Devontae Booker.

The only somewhat curious pick of the Broncos’ draft was cornerback Isaac Yiadom in the third round, given that Brendan Langley was drafted in this round a year ago.

Grade: A-

SBNation

Denver Broncos
Getting Bradley Chubb and to go along with Von Miller sets Denver up with one of the best pass rush pairs in the NFL. It was a surprise that Chubb was still available at fifth overall. He’s a player who is just as good against the run as he is rushing the passer. Maybe more importantly, he can keep some double teams off Miller.

Denver also took mirror versions of some wide receivers they already have on the roster. That would be Courtland Sutton being the new Demaryius Thomas and Daesean Hamilton the new Emmanuel Sanders. It makes you wonder what they’ll do with the veteran players, because Sutton and Hamilton are NFL starters.

The Broncos got another weapon on offense in the third round with Oregon running back Royce Freeman. He’s a power back who can carry the load for Denver. He’s a better runner on the edge than you’d think. Cornerback Isaac Yiadom is a nice back of the roster dime player, at worst. Fourth round linebacker Josey Jewell is a tackle machine. He could push for a spot in the starting lineup.

The knock on this draft class is that the offensive line wasn’t really addressed.

Grade: B+

CBS SPOTSLINE/Pete Prisco

Denver Broncos: B+

They landed the best edge rusher in the draft by taking Bradley Chubb with the fifth pick in the first round. He will be an immediate force off the edge opposite Von Miller. I wasn’t as high as some on second-round receiver Courtland Sutton, but I do like the pick of fourth-round receiver DaeSean Hamilton. He runs great routes. I also liked the pick of fourth round of Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell. He will be a special-teams force right away.

NYTimes

5. Denver Broncos: Bradley Chubb — DE, North Carolina State

Chubb won both the Hendricks and Bronko Nagurski awards as the nation’s top defensive end and top overall defender thanks to his 10 sacks and 23 tackles for a loss. The numbers were impressive, but even more so because they were nearly carbon copies to what he’d done as a junior in 2016, when he had 10 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss. With a 4.65-second 40-yard dash he is among the fastest defensive linemen in the draft, but he matches that with a rangy (for his position) build of 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds. He has found success both outrunning offensive linemen and also running through them. His game could still use some pro refinement, but he has relatively few question marks for his ability to be an immediate impact player.

How he fits: Everyone expected the Broncos to take a quarterback but the team decided to reload its strength on defense by taking the best defensive player in this draft. Chubb doesn’t necessarily fill a need, but the prospect of he and Von Miller terrorizing quarterbacks makes the team’s struggles on offense at least somewhat less of an issue. They still badly need a quarterback, however.

Hello Ryan and Zac. New sub from the UK here. Used the code so hope this drives you to the win. Been listening to the podcast for months and finally felt guilty for all the free opinions and discussions I have been getting.
So with the draft in the books I wanted to know which vet do you think is most likely to get the TJ Ward treatment this year?

Thanks
Dave