List of Denver Broncos first-round draft picks

Jay Cutler earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Broncos in 2008.

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are members of the American Football Conference West Division in the National Football League (NFL). The franchise was formed on August 14, 1959, to compete in the American Football League (AFL). The first AFL Draft was held three months later. ^[2] The last AFL draft the Broncos participated in was the 1966 draft, due to them joining the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger on June 8, 1966. ^[3]

The Broncos first participated in the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting, more commonly known as the NFL draft, ^[4] in 1967. In the NFL Draft, each NFL franchise annually seeks to add new players to its roster. Teams are ranked in reverse order based on the previous season's record; the worst record picks first, the second-worst picking second and so on. The two exceptions to this order are made for teams that appeared in the previous Super Bowl; the Super Bowl champion always picks 32nd, and the Super Bowl loser always picks 31st. Teams have the option of trading away their picks to other teams for different picks, players, cash, or a combination thereof. Thus, it is not uncommon for a team's actual draft pick to differ from their assigned draft pick, or for a team to have extra or no draft picks in any round due to these trades. ^[5]

The Broncos selected Roger LeClerc, a placekicker from Trinity College, in the 1960 AFL Draft. ^[6] In their first NFL Draft, the Broncos selected Floyd Little, a running back from Syracuse University. The Broncos have selected players from the University of Nebraska, University of Florida, and University of Tennessee three times each, the most from any university in the first-round. The team's most recent selections were Tim Tebow, a quarterback from Florida University and Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver from Georgia Tech. Three selections, Floyd Little, Merlin Olsen, and Bob Brown, were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and 2004, respectively. ^[7] In 1991, Mike Croel became the first Bronco to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, receiving 68 out of 82 votes. ^[8]

The Broncos' latest first-round pick is University of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who they picked 12th overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Key

Randy Gradishar, a seven-time Pro Bowl participant and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Table key

^	Indicates the player was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
—	The Broncos did not draft a player in the first round that year.
Year	Each year links to an article about that particular AFL, Common, or NFL draft.
Pick	Indicates the number of the pick within the first round
Position	Indicates the position of the player in the NFL
College	The player's college football team

Player selections

Denver Broncos first-round draft picks

Year	Pick	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1960	—	Roger LeClerc	C	Trinity College
1961	—	Bob Gaiters	HB	New Mexico State
1962	—	Merlin Olsen  ^	DT	Utah State
1963	—	Kermit Alexander	DB	UCLA
1964	—	Bob Brown  ^	OT	Nebraska
1965	—	—No pick	—	—	[a]
1966	—	Jerry Shay	OT	Purdue
1967	6	Floyd Little  ^	RB	Syracuse
1968	—	—No pick	—	—	[b]
1969	—	—No pick	—	—	[b]
1970	11	Bobby Anderson	RB	Colorado
1971	12	Marv Montgomery	OT	USC	[c]
1972	5	Riley Odoms	TE	Houston
1973	9	Otis Armstrong	RB	Purdue
1974	14	Randy Gradishar  ^	LB	Ohio State
1975	17	Louis Wright	DB	San Jose State
1976	15	Tom Glassic	G	Virginia
1977	18	Steve Schindler	G	Boston College
1978	27	Don Latimer	NT	Miami (FL)
1979	22	Kelvin Clark	OT	Nebraska
1980	—	—No pick	—	—	[d]
1981	15	Dennis Smith	DB	USC
1982	21	Gerald Willhite	RB	San Jose State	[e]
1983	4	Chris Hinton	G	Northwestern
1984	—	—No pick	—	—	[f]
1985	26	Steve Sewell	RB	Oklahoma
1986	—	—No pick	—	—	[g]
1987	27	Ricky Nattiel	WR	Florida
1988	26	Ted Gregory	DT	Syracuse
1989	20	Steve Atwater  ^	DB	Arkansas	[h]
1990	—	—No pick	—	—	[i]
1991	4	Mike Croel	LB	Nebraska
1992	25	Tommy Maddox	QB	UCLA
1993	11	Dan Williams	DE	Toledo	[j]
1994	—	—No pick	—	—	[k]
1995	—	—No pick	—	—	[l]
1996	15	John Mobley	LB	Kutztown
1997	28	Trevor Pryce	DT	Clemson
1998	30	Marcus Nash	WR	Tennessee
1999	31	Al Wilson	LB	Tennessee
2000	15	Deltha O'Neal	CB	California	[m]
2001	24	Willie Middlebrooks	CB	Minnesota
2002	19	Ashley Lelie	WR	Hawaii
2003	20	George Foster	OT	Georgia
2004	17	D. J. Williams	LB	Miami (FL)	[n]
2005	—	—No pick	—	—	[o]
2006	11	Jay Cutler	QB	Vanderbilt	[p]
2007	17	Jarvis Moss	DE	Florida	[q]
2008	12	Ryan Clady	OT	Boise State
2009	12	Knowshon Moreno	RB	Georgia
2009	18	Robert Ayers	DE	Tennessee	[r]
2010	22	Demaryius Thomas	WR	Georgia Tech	[s]
2010	25	Tim Tebow	QB	Florida	[t]
2011	2	Von Miller	LB	Texas A & M
2012	—	—No pick	—	—
2013	28	Sylvester Williams	DT	North Carolina
2014	31	Bradley Roby	CB	Ohio State
2015	23	Shane Ray	LB	Missouri
2016	26	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
2017	20	Garett Bolles	OT	Utah
2018	5	Bradley Chubb	DE	NC State
2019	20	Noah Fant	TE	Iowa
2020	15	Jerry Jeudy	WR	Alabama
2021	9	Patrick Surtain II	CB	Alabama
2022	No pick (traded to Seattle for Russell Wilson)
2023
2024	12	Bo Nix	QB	Oregon

Footnotes

• ^a The Broncos traded their 1965 first-round pick along with defensive tackle Bud McFadin to the Houston Oilers for quarterback Jacky Lee. ^[10]
• ^{b 1 2} On August 15, 1967, the Broncos traded their No. 4 overall pick in the 1968 Draft and No. 9 overall pick in the 1969 Draft to the San Diego Chargers for quarterback Steve Tensi. ^[11]
• ^c On January 28, 1971, the Broncos traded their No. 9 overall pick in the 1971 Draft and defensive end Alden Roche to the Green Bay Packers for the No. 12 overall pick in the 1971 Draft and quarterback Don Horn. ^[12]
• ^d On February 1, 1980, the Broncos traded their No. 20 overall pick and a second-round pick in the 1980 Draft along with quarterback Craig Penrose to the New York Jets for quarterback Matt Robinson. ^[13]
• ^e The Broncos traded their No. 19 overall pick in the 1982 Draft to the Buffalo Bills for the No. 21 overall pick and a fourth-round pick in the 1982 Draft. ^[14]
• ^f On May 2, 1983, the Broncos traded their No. 19 overall pick in the 1984 Draft along with quarterback Mark Herrmann and guard Chris Hinton to the Baltimore Colts for quarterback John Elway. ^[15]
• ^g On October 9, 1984, the Broncos traded their No. 21 overall pick and third-round pick in 1986 Draft and fifth-round pick in 1987 Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals for the draft rights of Ricky Hunley. ^[16]
• ^h On April 23, 1989, the Broncos traded their No. 13 overall pick in the 1989 Draft to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 20 overall, second, fifth, and ninth-round picks in the 1989 Draft. ^[17]
• ⁱ On July 7, 1989, the Broncos selected Bobby Humphrey in the 1989 Supplemental Draft; ^[18] as a result, they forfeited their rights to a first-round pick in 1990 Draft. ^[19]
• ^j The Broncos traded their No. 14 overall pick and a third-round pick in the 1993 Draft to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 11 overall pick. ^[20]
• ^k On August 23, 1993, the Broncos traded their No. 18 overall pick and sixth-round pick in the 1994 draft and a second-round pick in the 1995 draft to the Minnesota Vikings for offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman. ^[21]
• ^l On April 24, 1994, the Broncos traded a third-round selection in the 1994 Draft and a first-round pick in the 1995 Draft to the Atlanta Falcons for wide receiver Mike Pritchard and a seventh-round pick in the 1995 Draft. ^[22]
• ^m On April 12, 2000, the Broncos traded their No. 10 overall pick in the 2000 Draft to the Baltimore Ravens for the No. 15 overall pick and a second-round pick in the 2000 Draft. ^[23]
• ⁿ On April 9, 2004, the Broncos traded No. 24 overall pick in the 2004 Draft along with cornerback Deltha O'Neal and a fourth-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 17 overall pick. ^[24]
• ^o On April 19, 2005, the Broncos traded their No. 25 overall pick in the 2005 Draft to the Washington Redskins for a third-round pick in the 2005 Draft, No. 22 overall and fourth-round picks in the 2006 Draft. ^[25]
• ^p On March 21, 2006, the Broncos traded their No. 29 overall pick along with a third-round pick in the 2006 Draft and fourth-round pick in the 2007 Draft to the Atlanta Falcons for the No. 15 overall pick. ^[26]
  On April 19, 2006, the Broncos traded their No. 22 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for second and third-round picks. ^[27]
  On April 29, 2006, the Broncos traded their No. 15 overall pick to the St. Louis Rams for the No. 11 overall pick and a third-round pick in the 2006 Draft. ^[28]
• ^q On April 28, 2007, the Broncos traded their No. 21 overall pick along with a third and sixth-round picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the No. 17 overall pick. ^[29]
• ^r On April 2, 2009, the Broncos traded quarterback Jay Cutler and a fifth-round pick in the 2009 Draft to the Chicago Bears for the No. 18 overall pick in the 2009 Draft along with a third-round pick in the 2009 Draft and a first-round pick in the 2010 Draft. ^[30]
• ^s On April 22, 2010, the Patriots traded this selection to the Broncos for a first-round selection (24th overall; traded to Dallas, who selected Dez Bryant) and a fourth-round selection it acquired from San Francisco (113th overall; New England selected Aaron Hernandez). ^[31]
• ^t On April 22, 2010, the Ravens traded this selection to the Broncos for a second-round selection it acquired from Miami (43rd overall; Baltimore selected Sergio Kindle), a third-round selection it acquired from Philadelphia (70th overall; Baltimore selected Ed Dickson), and a fourth-round selection (114th overall; Baltimore selected Dennis Pitta). ^[32]

References

General

• "NFL Draft History: First Round by Team: Denver Broncos". National Football League. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
• "Denver Broncos: 2010 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Broncos. p. 591 (308 of 350). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011.

Specific

1. Rasizer, Lee (December 16, 2008). "Broncos Marshall, Cutler named to Pro Bowl team". Rocky Mountain News . Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
2. "NFL History by Decade – 1951–1960". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
3. Lahman, Sean (2008). The Pro Football Historical Abstract: A Hardcore Fan's Guide to All-Time Player Rankings. Globe Pequot. p. 34 of 576. ISBN   978-1-59228-940-0.
4. Branch, John (April 9, 2000). "The 2000 Liars Club/ Draft makes Broncos coach cloak intentions". The Gazette . Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2008– via Find Articles.
5. Pittman, Andrew; John Otto Spengler; Sarah J. Young (2008). Case studies in sport law. Human Kinetics. p. 41. ISBN   978-0-7360-6821-5.
6. Pennington, Richard (2007). Denver Broncos Trivia Teasers. Big Earth Publishing. p. 7 of 145. ISBN   978-1-931599-92-4 . Retrieved August 19, 2009.
7. "Hall of Famers by Year of Enshrinement". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
8. "Russell, Croel get rookie honors". The Free Lance–Star . Associated Press. December 27, 1991. p. B6. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
9. "Denver Broncos: Randy Gradishar". Rocky Mountain News . Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
10. "Broncos; 2008 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Broncos. p. 624 (321 of 362). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
11. Football Register. Sporting News. 1969. p. 229. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
12. Lea, Bud (September 22, 1971). "Devine Defends Horn Trade". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved August 10, 2009.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
13. "Jets Trade Matt Robinson to Broncos; Provide Leadership Duel in Training Camp Jets Trade Robinson to Broncos". The New York Times . February 2, 1980. p. 15. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
14. Stein, Joe (April 24, 1994). "Rams took Bettis after Cards selected Hearst". U-T San Diego . p. C12.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
15. "Notable blockbuster trades in NFL history". USA Today . August 7, 2008. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
16. Balzer, Howard M. (1988). Football Register. Sporting News. p. 206. ISBN   978-0-89204-286-9 . Retrieved August 14, 2009.
17. "NFL Draft Trades". USA Today . April 25, 1989. p. C11.
18. Barnard, Bill (July 8, 1989). "Cowboys make Walsh surprise pick". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Associated Press. p. 11 (6 of 23). Retrieved August 12, 2009.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
19. Ruxin, Robert (2004). An athlete's guide to agents. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. p. 165. ISBN   978-0-7637-2349-1 . Retrieved August 14, 2009.
20. "Broncos; 2008 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Broncos. p. 623 (320 of 362). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
21. "The Broncos Acquire Vikings' Zimmerman". Los Angeles Times . August 24, 1993. p. C7.
22. "Broncos deal for receiver Atlanta's Pritchard goes to Denver in trade involving draft picks". The Kansas City Star . Associated Press. p. C2.
23. "Ravens, Broncos swap picks". TimesDaily . April 13, 2000. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
24. Pasquarelli, Len (April 9, 2004). "Broncos, Bengals swap draft positions". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
25. LaCanfora, Jason (April 20, 2005). "Redskins Swap Draft Picks". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
26. Pasquarelli, Len (March 23, 2006). "Falcons send pick to Denver to get Abraham from Jets". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
27. "Broncos deal 22nd overall pick to 49ers". ESPN. April 20, 2006. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
28. "Rams take Clemson CB Hill with 15th pick". ESPN. April 29, 2006. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
29. Legwold, Jeff (April 28, 2007). "Broncos trade up for Florida DE Moss". Rocky Mountain News . Retrieved March 1, 2011.
30. "Cutler goes to Bears for Orton, picks". ESPN. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
31. "Draft trade tracker: Let's make a deal: Broncos make push to get receiver". National Football League. April 22, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
32. "Draft trade tracker: Let's make a deal: Broncos take a chance on Tebow". National Football League. April 22, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2011.