NFL.com has been hard at work evaluating the 2023 class’s performance as we dive headfirst into the impending 2024 draft. The Denver Broncos, in the view of NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, botched their recruitment plan last year, and he wasn’t holding back.
The Broncos gave up two years’ worth of premium draft capital in the Russell Wilson trade, so it’s hard to assess their draft performance in any other context. Reuter thus delivered a surprising broadside blow to GM George Paton’s lower-round whiffs in 2023 and pointed the finger at the Broncos’ disastrous decision to mortgage the farm in order to acquire the lackluster Wilson.
Let’s start with a brief summary of the Broncos’ 2023 draft class:
Marvin Mims, Jr. | WR/KR/PR in Round Two
Round Three: LB | Drew Sanders
Round Three: CB Riley Moss
JL Skinner: S in Round Six
Round 7: C: Alex Forsyth
RB Jaleel McLaughlin and TE Nate Adkins are two notable undrafted additions.
Reuter continued by assigning a D+ to Denver’s draft class in 2023.
In exchange for quarterback Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick, the Broncos shipped three players and five draft picks to Seattle two years ago. In exchange, they gave up their first- and second-round picks from the previous year, which has resulted in a rather low return on investment considering Wilson’s play with Denver during the previous two seasons.
For the Broncos, Mims got off to a great start in Week 2, recording 113 receiving yards and a touchdown against Washington. But during the remainder of the season, as the team’s offense stalled, he only exceeded 50 receiving yards twice. For Mims, a healthy sophomore campaign might be quite fruitful.
In his first season, Sanders had trouble tackling, but he improved in later games. With Moss sidelined by injury, Skinner playing just one defensive snap all season, and Forsyth seeing no action, the team’s other draft selections saw virtually little action. McLaughlin, who gained 570 yards from scrimmage, turned out to be a nice acquisition as an undrafted free agent.
In an odd decision, Reuter focused on rookie Marvin Mims, Jr.’s inconsistency as a receiver rather than his Pro Bowl/All-Pro season as a return specialist. It’s important to remember that draft classes, especially those that are primarily devoid of premium picks, will always require additional time to be assessed more precisely.
A major negative impact from injuries is likewise minimized when he disparages his D-grade to the Broncos’ 2023 draft class. Moss, in particular, missed a lot of time, but when the former Iowa player got back into the game, he was a fantastic special teams gunner.
Under the new direction of recently acquired defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard, Moss should play a more significant role as a cornerback in the upcoming campaign.
Sanders’ first-year shortcomings must also be forgotten if he hopes to succeed veteran starter Josey Jewell, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. Forsyth may have the most opportunities because the organization has already designated him to start in center field in place of free agent Lloyd Cushenberry III.
Though, happily, the Broncos struck out on the undrafted McLaughlin in 2023, they will still be hopeful that the draft offers more of a foundation for their future rebuild.
