Getty Mile High Huddle's Chad Jensen called the Denver Broncos' history of signing undrafted free agents "storied"
The Denver Broncos have a “storied history” of finding undrafted free agents over the years, having not done so in just one season in the last 19.
“The Denver Broncos drafted five players over the weekend, plus acquired veteran tight end Adam Trautman via trade,” Mile High Huddle’s Chad Jensen prefaced before saying, “As exciting as the NFL draft is for fans each year, for Broncos Country, the team’s college free-agent signings are just as scrutinized. The Broncos have a storied history when it comes to undrafted rookies. In 18 of the past 19 years, a rookie who hasn’t heard his name called on draft day has made the Broncos’ 53-man roster out of training camp.”
Jensen listed off four different players most NFL fans are familiar with in outlining the Broncos’ front office’s ability to find overlooked players and turn them into contributors.
“In recent years, the Broncos have procured many future Pro Bowlers from the undrafted ranks, including RBs C.J. Anderson and Phillip Lindsay, CB Chris Harris, Jr., and OLB Shaq Barrett, the last of whom helped bring home Super Bowl 50 but earned all of his individual accolades in Tampa Bay,” Jensen prefaced before saying, “Still, the Broncos found and developed Barrett.”
Analyst: Denver Broncos Draft Reactions Prove Nothing
Jensen and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton both agree — any draft reactions and grades won’t have much meaning until players actually step on the field and prove their fit with the teams that drafted them.
“Broncos head coach Sean Payton feels good about the influx of talent heading to Denver right now, but the proof will be in the pudding,” Jensen wrote. “The grades are already rolling out, but we won’t be able to fully judge this crop of rookies until they get a few years under their collective belts.”
Payton shared a similar sentiment with reporters on April 29 following the conclusion of the NFL draft.
“The first thing I would say is tomorrow’s the day that all the draft grades come out. I love tomorrow,” Payton said. “But truly, I hope three years from now when all of us will have a better idea of how this draft went, the reports will be good. We heard it a million times—we got our guy today. Half of them are lying, but I would say, and I don’t want to speak for George, but man, I was excited… If you started really at the beginning of it all and you said here’s free agency, here we are and the draft just ended—I’m really excited.”
Denver Broncos Did ‘Very Impressive Job’ in 2023 NFL Draft
Speaking of one of those draft grades Payton and Jensen said not to look too far into, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar gave the Denver Broncos a “B” grade for their five picks in the third round (two), fourth round, sixth round, and seventh round.
“Like the Browns, the Broncos gave up a boatload of draft capital for a quarterback whose best days might be behind him, but they did a very impressive job with the picks they had,” Farrar wrote.
Given the reason most of Denver’s picks were not owned by the Broncos — that being the March 8, 2022 Russell Wilson trade — such a grade from a national outlet is certainly a positive.