Thread: Broncos have few players left from recent drafts

Broncos have few players left from recent drafts

By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
POSTED: 09/01/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT


The Broncos' 2009 draft has produced two starters: running back Knowshon Moreno and linebacker Robert Ayers, above. (Denver Post file photo)
The 2010 Broncos are not exactly a team built from within. You would expect that to be the case when an NFL franchise has recently had coaching and general manager changes.

A new regime may prefer the type of players the previous regime did not.

But as the roster cutdown to 53 players approaches this weekend, it's clear the Broncos will be, in large part, a collection of players brought from other teams when all is said and done.

Start with the 2004 draft, the one with linebacker D.J. Williams in it. He is the only one of the 10 players the Broncos selected in that draft still on their roster. Most of the rest are out of the league.

The Broncos have no players left from their six-player draft class in 2005, which included the late Darrent Williams. The Broncos have only two players left from their 2006 draft class (Chris Kuper and Elvis Dumervil), three from their 2007 draft class (Jarvis Moss, Ryan Harris and Marcus Thomas) and two from their 2008 draft class (Ryan Clady, Eddie Royal and Spencer Larsen).

The Broncos selected 36 players in the draft from 2004 to 2008. Only nine remain on the roster, just 25 percent*. Sure, players get injured and coaching staffs change in the NFL. But that total is still low when compared with the teams that have sustained success in recent years.

The Broncos selected 10 players in the 2009 draft, Josh McDaniels' first year as Denver's coach. Two of the 10 already are gone. Others appear to be in danger of not making the team.

Denver's 2009 draft has produced two starters: Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers. But Moreno, a running back from Georgia and the 12th pick overall in 2009, has missed both of his NFL training camps because of injuries.

Even with a quality showing from McDaniels' two draft classes when the 53-man roster is completed, the Broncos could go into their Sept. 12 season opener at Jacksonville with fewer than half the players in uniform having arrived with their draft picks.
There are plenty of ways to build an NFL team. But over the long haul, it's more difficult without using your own guys as the foundation.

Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com

* an improvement for the overall DAY one picks while mikey was here of 15 %

Read more: Analysis: Broncos have few players left from recent drafts - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci...#ixzz0yKKRojY2

McD hasn't been here long enough to compare the 2 imo. Also how many were on the roster before McD took over and got rid of Shannys players

yeah.. we would still have some if we hadn't gotten rid of each and every one that was starting for the team just two years ago. Not exactly a brilliant statement to make by saying they aren't on the team when the current coach keeps trading them off.

Mr. Thread Starter, you should learn how to format! HA!

No, seriously, I can't even read what you posted. It is like if one of my cats got into my wine coolers and then typed! LOL!

Originally Posted by BeyBeyDay7302777

Mr. Thread Starter, you should learn how to format! HA!

No, seriously, I can't even read what you posted. It is like if one of my cats got into my wine coolers and then typed! LOL!

Like I care read it or not no skin OFF my johnson. RIF

That 2004 Draft was pathetic.

OK, so we only have 25% of the players we drafted from '04 to '08. How does that stack up to the rest of the league? What's the league average, high and low?

Originally Posted by Bosco

That 2004 Draft was pathetic.

Man it really was....I looked up who was in that draft:

1 DJ Williams
2a Tatum Bell
2b Darius Watts
3 Jeremy LeSueur
5 Jeff Shoate
6a Triandos Luke
6b JoshSewell
7a Matt Mauck
7b Brandon Miree
7c Bradlee Van Pelt

Since the 2005 was on the same page here it is:

2 Darrent Williams
3a Karl Paymah
3b Domonique Foxworth
3c Maurice Clarett
6 Chris Myers
7 Paul Ernster

Originally Posted by broncohead

McD hasn't been here long enough to compare the 2 imo. Also how many were on the roster before McD took over and got rid of Shannys players

True

Originally Posted by FanInAZ

OK, so we only have 25% of the players we drafted from '04 to '08. How does that stack up to the rest of the league? What's the league average, high and low?

who cares the fact that we sucked would not be excused by others having bad drafts.

Looked up day one drafts for mikey since he got here 18% of them got a second contract in DEN.

Less that 20% of the players you need to build your franchise with.

I'm not going to go and look it up and research it BUT I'll bet dollars to donuts few decent franchises are that bad.

and the good to great ones I suspect have mostly built their franchises with draft choices.

While we had some decent day two and three picks stick as everyone says it is unlikely your going to find great players there, just backups and camp fodder.

Wonder if we could have had more than 6 count them SIX players on day one resign and give us great play over all of those years.

let me add that of those 8 players left how many are starters and not second teamers. or special team players.

Originally Posted by pnbronco

Man it really was....I looked up who was in that draft:

1 DJ Williams
2a Tatum Bell
2b Darius Watts
3 Jeremy LeSueur
5 Jeff Shoate
6a Triandos Luke
6b JoshSewell
7a Matt Mauck
7b Brandon Miree
7c Bradlee Van Pelt

Since the 2005 was on the same page here it is:

2 Darrent Williams
3a Karl Paymah
3b Domonique Foxworth
3c Maurice Clarett
6 Chris Myers
7 Paul Ernster

pretty pathetic huh?

two players that got a second contract with us and one was tater. after he got cut loose in DET and carried off luggage.

and using a #2, in the top 60 players, to grab a one handed WR that is beyond funny.

Josh cleaned house when he got here. Got rid of some not so good players and got rid of some pro bowlers. Otherwise we would still have alot of those draftees.

We also switched schemes on BOTH sides of the ball. Going from 4-3 to 3-4 on defense and going from WCO to a Run and Gun/Spread hybrid on offense.

Not to mention the coaches.

Do you really think any of the D players were worth keping.

Most that we cut are no longer in the NFL.

As for jay and bm do you rally think either would have been happy in a very controlled spread O with Josh at the wheel. Besides not all that sure we could have afforded all the fat contracts that would have been required to keep them happy.

So the probowlers are gone because they did not want to fit into the TEAM.
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2005 wasn't too bad. D-Will was showing promise, Foxworth was more or less solid while he was here and even covered for us at safety. I'm still of the opinion that Paymah should have been converted to safety where he probably would have found a home. Myers has had a solid career even though we traded him off to the Texans.

Really, the only failures from that draft were Clarett (risk/reward guy who was a huge flop) and Ernster, who apparently washed out because he tried to become a mini-Sauerbrun.

Is it me or was that article a very sad (but true) indictment of Shanahan and the FO?

My only iconcern with the present regime is that they have continued trying to stock the DL with free agents. Sooner or later, they have to start bringing in drafted players to help build a solid foundation for the future.

Last I checked, Marcus Thomas is the only player on the DL that we drafted. Everyone else are FA's. I do realize that Dumervil & Moss were former DE's, so don't chew me out.

Still a sad commentary though.