Numbers say Elway's draft production among NFL's best

[Denver Native (Carol)]

KUSA - It has become fashionable during this rare stretch of Broncos’ misery to blame John Elway for his draft-selection failures.

Closer inspection of his selections suggests such criticism is tossed around far more blindly than one might think.

Elway has been in charge of the Broncos’ draft since Pat Bowlen put him in control of the team’s football operations in 2011. In his seven drafts, Elway’s 54 picks entering play Sunday have combined to average 32.2 games played, which ranks No. 4 in the NFL.

Pretty good, considering the Broncos’ average pick selection in each round has been 18.1 (not including compensatory picks), which ranks 22nd in the league.

The only three teams who have averaged more games played per draft pick – the Buffalo Bills (34.9 games), Miami Dolphins (33.6) and Arizona Cardinals (33.6) – all picked higher, on average, than the Broncos did in each round.

rest - http://www.9news.com/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/numbers-say-elways-draft-production-among-nfls-best/494620918

[Northman]

I like how the article writer glossed entirely over this as if it doesnt have an impact but they are sorely mistaken. Quality does matter and it matters a lot.


OK, so games played may only measure a team’s roster depth, not quality.

The other problem is this comment which goes against their argument about games played being the high barometer and proof that Elway has had major success at drafting.


Would you rather be Buffalo, which ranks No. 1 in games played per draft pick and No. 2 in starts but is 47-59 since 2011? Or Tampa Bay, which ranks No. 1 with 19.4 starts per draft pick but is 36-70 in the past seven seasons?

The reality is the Broncos as an organization has been in better shape than both Buffalo and Tampa when he took over. Denver has been a better organization for many years compared to a lot of NFL teams who are still struggling to find a sense of a winning formula and attitude. The article writers also forgets that without the free agent signings (something that John excels at) this team would not have the 2 SB appearances it has and the attraction that a guy like Manning can bring to an organization in general. The truth of the matter is no matter how much i may love JE and what he meant to me as a kid, his true test is how if he can actually build a team from the ground up. For the first time since Tebow he is going to be forced to actually find and develop talent via the draft. Unless of course he takes the easy road and signs Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Tom Brady, etc. As far as im concerned he is now on the clock in terms of what kind of real success he can have at drafting quality and talented players.

[NightTrainLayne]

What if the measure of a good GM is a dynamic combination of draft, free agency, coaching staff hires and scouting department?

What if, and I know I'm way out on a limb here. .. what if you can't measure a GM by just looking at one of those items in isolation?

[Northman]

What if the measure of a good GM is a dynamic combination of draft, free agency, coaching staff hires and scouting department?

What if, and I know I'm way out on a limb here. .. what if you can't measure a GM by just looking at one of those items in isolation?

Are you asking me this question?

[MOtorboat]

These aren’t opinions. These are facts.

Boom!

[Shazam!]

Denvers QBs this year account for 3 of those Draft picks in this category alone.