List of Denver Broncos first-round draft picks

Jay Cutler earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Broncos in 2008.^[1]

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 Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, who they picked 26th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Key

Randy Gradishar, a seven-time Pro Bowl participant^[9]

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	—	LeClerc, RogerRoger LeClerc	Center	Trinity College
1961	—	Gaiters, BobBob Gaiters	Halfback	New Mexico State
1962	—	Olsen, MerlinMerlin Olsen ^	Defensive tackle	Utah State
1963	—	Alexander, KermitKermit Alexander	Defensive back	UCLA
1964	—	Brown, BobBob Brown ^	Offensive tackle	Nebraska
1965	—	No pick	—	—	^[a]
1966	—	Shay, JerryJerry Shay	Offensive tackle	Purdue
1967	6	Little, FloydFloyd Little ^	Running back	Syracuse
1968	—	No pick	—	—	^[b]
1969	—	No pick	—	—	^[b]
1970	11	Anderson, BobbyBobby Anderson	Running back	Colorado
1971	12	Montgomery, MarvMarv Montgomery	Offensive tackle	USC	^[c]
1972	5	Odoms, RileyRiley Odoms	Tight end	Houston
1973	9	Armstrong, OtisOtis Armstrong	Running back	Purdue
1974	14	Gradishar, RandyRandy Gradishar	Linebacker	Ohio State
1975	17	Wright, LouisLouis Wright	Defensive back	San Jose State
1976	15	Glassic, TomTom Glassic	Guard	Virginia
1977	18	Schindler, SteveSteve Schindler	Guard	Boston College
1978	27	Latimer, DonDon Latimer	Nose tackle	Miami (FL)
1979	22	Clark, KelvinKelvin Clark	Offensive tackle	Nebraska
1980	—	No pick	—	—	^[d]
1981	15	Smith, DennisDennis Smith	Defensive back	USC
1982	21	Willhite, GeraldGerald Willhite	Running back	San Jose State	^[e]
1983	4	Hinton, ChrisChris Hinton	Guard	Northwestern
1984	—	No pick	—	—	^[f]
1985	26	Sewell, SteveSteve Sewell	Running back	Oklahoma
1986	—	No pick	—	—	^[g]
1987	27	Nattiel, RickyRicky Nattiel	Wide receiver	Florida
1988	26	Gregory, TedTed Gregory	Defensive tackle	Syracuse
1989	20	Atwater, SteveSteve Atwater	Defensive back	Arkansas	^[h]
1990	—	No pick	—	—	^[i]
1991	4	Croel, MikeMike Croel	Linebacker	Nebraska
1992	25	Maddox, TommyTommy Maddox	Quarterback	UCLA
1993	11	Williams, DanDan Williams	Defensive end	Toledo	^[j]
1994	—	No pick	—	—	^[k]
1995	—	No pick	—	—	^[l]
1996	15	Mobley, JohnJohn Mobley	Linebacker	Kutztown
1997	28	Pryce, TrevorTrevor Pryce	Defensive tackle	Clemson
1998	30	Nash, MarcusMarcus Nash	Wide receiver	Tennessee
1999	31	Wilson, AlAl Wilson	Linebacker	Tennessee
2000	15	O'Neal, DelthaDeltha O'Neal	Cornerback	California	^[m]
2001	24	Middlebrooks, WillieWillie Middlebrooks	Cornerback	Minnesota
2002	19	Lelie, AshleyAshley Lelie	Wide receiver	Hawaii
2003	20	Foster, GeorgeGeorge Foster	Offensive tackle	Georgia
2004	17	Williams, D. J.D. J. Williams	Linebacker	Miami (FL)	^[n]
2005	—	No pick	—	—	^[o]
2006	11	Cutler, JayJay Cutler	Quarterback	Vanderbilt	^[p]
2007	17	Moss, JarvisJarvis Moss	Defensive end	Florida	^[q]
2008	12	Clady, RyanRyan Clady	Offensive tackle	Boise State
2009	12	Moreno, KnowshonKnowshon Moreno	Running back	Georgia
2009	18	Ayers, RobertRobert Ayers	Defensive end	Tennessee	^[r]
2010	22	Thomas, DemaryiusDemaryius Thomas	Wide receiver	Georgia Tech	^[s]
2010	25	Tebow, TimTim Tebow	Quarterback	Florida	^[t]
2011	2	Miller, VonVon Miller	Linebacker	Texas A & M
2012	—	No pick	—	—
2013	28	Williams, SylvesterSylvester Williams	Defensive tackle	North Carolina
2014	31	Roby, BradleyBradley Roby	Cornerback	Ohio State
2015	23	Ray, ShaneShane Ray	Linebacker	Missouri
2016	26	Lynch, PaxtonPaxton Lynch	Quarterback	Memphis

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 #4 overall pick in the 1968 Draft and #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 #9 overall pick in the 1971 Draft and defensive end Alden Roche to the Green Bay Packers for the #12 overall pick in the 1971 Draft and quarterback Don Horn.^[12]
• ^d On February 1, 1980, the Broncos traded their #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 #19 overall pick in the 1982 Draft to the Buffalo Bills for the #21 overall pick and a fourth-round pick in the 1982 Draft.^[14]
• ^f On May 2, 1983, the Broncos traded their #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 #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 #13 overall pick in the 1989 Draft to the Cleveland Browns for the #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 #14 overall pick and a third-round pick in the 1993 Draft to the Cleveland Browns for the #11 overall pick.^[20]
• ^k On August 23, 1993, the Broncos traded their #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 #10 overall pick in the 2000 Draft to the Baltimore Ravens for the #15 overall pick and a second-round pick in the 2000 Draft.^[23]
• ⁿ On April 9, 2004, the Broncos traded #24 overall pick in the 2004 Draft along with cornerback Deltha O'Neal and a fourth-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for the #17 overall pick.^[24]
• ^o On April 19, 2005, the Broncos traded their #25 overall pick in the 2005 Draft to the Washington Redskins for a third-round pick in the 2005 Draft, #22 overall and fourth-round picks in the 2006 Draft.^[25]
• ^p On March 21, 2006, the Broncos traded their #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 #15 overall pick.^[26]
  On April 19, 2006, the Broncos traded their #22 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for second and third-round picks.^[27]
  On April 29, 2006, the Broncos traded their #15 overall pick to the St. Louis Rams for the #11 overall pick and a third-round pick in the 2006 Draft.^[28]
• ^q On April 28, 2007, the Broncos traded their #21 overall pick along with a third and sixth-round picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the #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 #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. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
• "Denver Broncos: 2010 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Broncos. p. 591 (308 of 350). Retrieved 2011-03-01.

Specific

1. Rasizer, Lee (2008-12-16). "Broncos Marshall, Cutler named to Pro Bowl team". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
2. "NFL History by Decade - 1951-1960". National Football League. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
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 1-59228-940-1.
4. Branch, John (2000-04-09). "The 2000 Liars Club/ Draft makes Broncos coach cloak intentions". The Gazette. findarticles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
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 2009-08-19.
7. "Hall of Famers by Year of Enshrinement". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
8. "Russell, Croel get rookie honors". The Free Lance–Star. Associated Press. 1991-12-27. p. B6. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
9. "Denver Broncos: Randy Gradishar". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
10. "Broncos; 2008 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Broncos. p. 624 (321 of 362). Retrieved 2011-03-01.
11. Football Register. Sporting News. 1969. p. 229. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
12. Lea, Bud (1971-09-22). "Devine Defends Horn Trade". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
13. "Jets Trade Matt Robinson to Broncos; Provide Leadership Duel in Training Camp Jets Trade Robinson to Broncos". The New York Times. 1980-02-02. p. 15. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
14. Stein, Joe (1994-04-24). "Rams took Bettis after Cards selected Hearst". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C12.
15. "Notable blockbuster trades in NFL history". USA Today. 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
16. Balzer, Howard M. (1988). Football Register. Sporting News. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-89204-286-9. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
17. "NFL Draft Trades". USA Today. 1989-04-25. p. C11.
18. Barnard, Bill (1989-07-08). "Cowboys make Walsh surprise pick". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 11 (6 of 23). Retrieved 2009-08-12.
19. Ruxin, Robert. An athlete's guide to agents. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-7637-2349-1. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
20. "Broncos; 2008 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Broncos. p. 623 (320 of 362). Retrieved 2011-03-01.
21. "The Broncos Acquire Vikings' Zimmerman". Los Angeles Times. 1993-08-24. 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. 2000-04-13. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
24. Pasquarelli, Len (2004-04-09). "Broncos, Bengals swap draft positions". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
25. LaCanfora, Jason (2005-04-20). "Redskins Swap Draft Picks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
26. Pasquarelli, Len (2006-03-23). "Falcons send pick to Denver to get Abraham from Jets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
27. "Broncos deal 22nd overall pick to 49ers". ESPN.com. 2006-04-20. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
28. "Rams take Clemson CB Hill with 15th pick". ESPN.com. 2006-04-29. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
29. Legwold, Jeff (2007-04-28). "Broncos trade up for Florida DE Moss". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
30. "Cutler goes to Bears for Orton, picks". ESPN.com. 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
31. "Draft trade tracker: Let's make a deal: Broncos make push to get receiver". NFL.com. National Football League. April 22, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
32. "Draft trade tracker: Let's make a deal: Broncos take a chance on Tebow". NFL.com. National Football League. April 22, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-01.