ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With the fifth-overall pick, the Denver Broncos selected a man known as “Astronaut.”
Their pass rush is now officially out of this world.
The nickname—which also serves as Bradley Chubb’s twitter handle, and was featured in his draft-day suit—is a reference to the rapper Future, originated by Chubb’s brother, Brandon.
It’s funny, though, because this pick has nothing to do with the future, it’s all about the present.
What a time to be alive.
We should have known. To draft a quarterback would have hinted towards that dreaded R-word that John Elway refuses to utter. Elway always says he wants to “win from now on,” this move suggests that the man in charge is going to worry about the “now” right now and worry about the “on” later on.
The Broncos had their pick of Josh Allen or Josh Rosen, but they had no plans of joshing around. Elway wasn’t concerned about the two-year nature of Case Keenum’s contract and the weakness of next year’s draft class at quarterback; he’s betting the future on the present.
You gotta respect it.
The Broncos defense is already built to win now, which made it unsurprising to see the reaction of players like Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. You could imagine the reaction of Elway and Joseph was similar, considering they had “zero” mocks in which Bradley Chubb fell to them.
“We’re trying to win now, we don’t have time to wait,” Harris said earlier this week.
Now they really don’t.
Drafting a quarterback would have given the fanbase something to hang their hat on if things didn’t go according to plan this year. It would have given the team a place to quietly point towards where better times would wait. It may have even given Vance Joseph a golden goose to hold on to.
It wasn’t to be.
“Obviously we did a lot of work on them,” Elway said of the quarterbacks. “When it was all said and done, and we looked at all the different options and all the different scenarios, we felt pretty comfortable with where we are with Case and Paxton… We looked at it and delved into it and the way everything fell, Bradley was the best pick for us.”
He may not be wrong.
One team source told BSN Denver the move was a best-case scenario “without any question.”
But now the pressure is on. On Elway. On Joseph. On Joe Woods. On Miller. On Chubb. On everyone.
And that’s the way it should be, the way you should want it.
You’ve heard of “The Patriot Way,” this is “The Bronco Way.” Never use the future as a crutch. Reload, don’t rebuild. Always in drive, never in reverse.
No matter how bad you wanted a quarterback, this move highlighted the single best attribute about the Denver Broncos franchise. There’s never any question about what the goal is around here.
The last time the Broncos accomplished that goal, they danced on the field on a February night in Santa Clara singing, “I got a really big team, and they need some really big rings,” with championship hats and shirts draped all over them.
The artists on that song? Drake… and Future.
3, 2, 1, liftoff.

0 Comments (9 conversations)
Josiah
Spot on!! Well said!! You captured the way we roll!!
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorThanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
MontanaBroncos
Great pick. Now go get Hernandez or Jones in the second and we’re on our way.
Preston_Nibaur
I’d prefer Guice to Jones since he’s slipping. May be worth a trade up. But I agree. Jones would also be an excellent pick at RB. Gotta love that Hernandez is still there as well. Some very intriguing prospects still on the board. The top of round 2 could be a lot of fun
Spacebar
I agree. Hernandez should be a priority and Guice would be excellent. If Elway were to pull this off, I would call it quits on this years draft and walk away with a mic drop!
GO BRONCOS!!!
Josiah
I agree as well, but Hernandez is falling and I don’t know if he will last the first 7 picks in the 2nd round before we get our pick at 40. I wouldn’t mind to see us trade up to secure him, but we might just sit tight and see who falls to us.
Preston_Nibaur
At this point, I think Denver has that luxury if they so choose. Great prospects left in Connor Williams, James Daniels, Will Hernandez, Guice, and Jones. I can’t believe how many guys I really like are left. Like I said, should be a lot of fun out the gate this evening. Heck. I even like Maurice Hurst and a couple of the WRs white a bit!
Spacebar
I agree. I don’t think Hernandez will last to 40 so Elway HAS to trade to push back to the top. I don’t think he is going to get pass the 2 Browns pick. So yes, I think Elway will have to trade up to get Hernandez and magically trade again for Guice!
This could go down Astro the great broncos drafts if they do it right
Spacebar
It would probably be right up there with Von Miller draft!
GoodRamblinGeorge
You’re one heck of a writer, Koenigsberg!
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorHey, thanks! That means a lot!
ManxBronco
If we trade up for Guice or Hernandez or stick and take Williams, Jones II or Daniels… Just give us an A+ draft now.
ColeTrain
Elway has had an amazing off-season. Von, Shaq, Ray, and now Chubb is just unfair. Hoping for Guice or RJ2!
smitty31
With Denver losing Talib, Chubb/Von can really protect the back half of our defense. I was expecting Roby to have a lot of chances and a good year but now that potential is through the roof
We can all breath a sigh of relief we didn’t take Allen
Mark in Hawaii
Well said Ryan! As much as I would have loved to see a QB drafted, the day was full of surprises with Baker at 1 and Ward at 4 (who saw that coming?). Way to go Broncos for rolling with how it played out to make the right call to put us in place to win now.
I saw the clips of Von celebrating the pick, but I woulda loved to see Case’s reaction to Chubb’s selection! Probably like the scene in the movie Draft Day when Kevin Costner finally sent in his first overall pick and their incumbent QB and his wife cheered in total relief.
What do you guys say for Day 2? You think we trade up and try to get Hernandez who is surprisingly still there, or do we put RB as a higher priority especially if a run on the position ensues?
Mahalo for the awesome draft coverage team BSN. Keep it up!!!
Mark
San Diego Bronco Fan
Future > What a Time to Be Alive > Really Big Rings … Bravo on the references
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorThanks!