Ten Reasons for Bronco Fans to Chill over the 2021 Draft

Some Bronco fans are freaking out over the 2021 draft because Denver didn’t draft a quarterback. It doesn’t help when sportswriters like Woody Paige give Denver an F for the draft as a result. Paige reminds me of my late father-in-law, who, in his dementia, would ask me why Denver wasn’t running an interception play to get the ball back. Most national media give Denver a B for the draft. But as a Bronco fan since 1965, I know this was a good draft. So here are ten reasons why Bronco fans should be happy with this year’s draft:

1. We’ve been here before and it turned out pretty well. In 1983, our top ten pick (#4 overall) was tackle Chris Hinton instead of a QB in what was considered the most talented QB class in years. Instead of the highly touted Todd Blackledge (Todd who?), we took an All-Pro tackle. The fact that we traded him straight up for some guy named John Elway and Hinton never played for us turned out pretty good, I think. But at the time, everyone, including the media (Paige included), were freaking out.
2. Denver has never drafted a quarterback who led them to the playoffs or to championships. Craig Morton, John Elway, Jake Plummer, and Payton Manning were all drafted by other teams who gave up on them.
3. Drafting a quarterback, especially in the first round, is always a coin toss 1983 was the best QB draft class ever, and it produced three HOF QBs, one average QB, and two duds. That’s a fifty percent success rate in the best QB class ever. Now consider Jamarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf. One was a number one pick and the other a number two. Both were highly touted, and both were complete busts. Tom Brady, the hands down GOAT, was a sixth rounder. Nobody has a formula for figuring out who’s going to be an average QB let alone a good or great one. Dan Marino was drafted #27.
4. When it comes to evaluating QB talent, George Paton has a much better track record than John Elway. Elway struck out on every QB he drafted. Paton brought in Kirk Cousins and Teddy Bridgewater to Minnesota, and both did very well. Without the leg injury, Bridgewater was on course to take the Vikings far in the playoffs. If Paton passed on Fields and Jones, he had a good reason.
5. George Paton has a solid plan for awakening the “sleeping giant” called the Denver Broncos. He also had multiple plans for the draft. As a GM, Elway was always winging it with “no plan B.” Paton is a highly respected football guy and had his pick of jobs. He chose Denver, and now we have to give him time to work his plan. If the right quarterback had fallen, he would have drafted him. And on top of all that, he kept our best free agents and brought in a couple of studs, as well as managed to make us number two in cap space in case any bright shiny players appear on the market.
6. Building through the draft means taking the best players available and shaping your team and game strategies around them. It takes an entire team to win championships, not one guy. Payton Manning was a lousy QB in 2015. It was Von Miller and the defense who carried us to the championship. Manning did his part, but he was a shell of his HOF self. And Elway didn’t win a Super Bowl until Shanahan built a team around him that included a good offensive line and a great running game starring Terrell Davis.
7. Speaking of Davis, the running back Denver drafted, Javonte Williams, has a similar running style. He doesn’t have breakaway speed, but he makes people miss, is tough to bring down, and gets the extra yards after the tackle. He will start and immediately make our running game better. He has an attitude similar to TD. He has a huge chip on his shoulder, which he uses to knock down would-be tacklers.
8. How can a fan not be excited when the team’s top three picks are almost guaranteed starters? If half of a draft is still with the team after three years, it’s a good draft. The more 1^st year starters we get, the better the draft. Patrick Surtain II reminds Champ Bailey of himself, and that’s as good of a recommendation as I need to be excited. Several draftees have potential with proper coaching, plus lineman Quinn Meinerz is a freaking beast! He will definitely improve our O-line, which already showed great improvement last year.
9. Our coaching staff. Vic Fangio has done nothing to diminish his reputation as a defensive genius. All of the players love him, and even after losing his best players to injury last year, his defense kept us in most games. Mike Muchak has proven to be one of the best O-line coaches ever. Ask the Steelers how much they miss him. Their running game went from excellent to bust since he came to Denver. Anyone who can turn Garett Bolles from the lowest rated tackle in the league to one of the highest will make Meinerz an All-Pro for sure.
10. An improved O-line and a powerful running game will make either Lock or Bridgewater into better QBs than they were last year. Either Lock will consistently show his potential in what is really his sophomore year, or Bridgewater will play at least at the level he showed in Carolina, which will be good enough given the other talent surrounding him. We will have a better season this year. And with all of this great coaching and talent, we still have a shot at a HOF QB from Green Bay. If all of that isn’t enough to get you pumped, then you’re not a real Broncos fan.