The Denver Broncos certainly turned some heads during the 2024 NFL Draft. The team was highly praised for their selections on Day three of the draft, and they did fill their glaring need at the most important position in football when they made Oregon quarterback Bo Nix their first-round selection.
Not everyone agreed with all of their moves though, and the Nix pick, in particular, was polarizing.
The Broncos are still retooling their roster, and they are unlikely to compete for a Super Bowl next season. Their new additions will certainly help going forward, though, but how much do Denver's new draft picks change the team's outlook going forward?
In this article, we are going to give you a better feel for that by grading every one of their picks.
Bo Nix – QB – First round (12th overall)
Opinions on Denver's selection of Bo Nix vary drastically. On one hand, the Broncos clearly needed a quarterback. Going into the draft the Broncos' quarterback room consisted of Zach Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and Ben DiNucci, arguably the worst depth chart at the quarterback position in the NFL. Now, Denver clearly has a starter for both next season and the future.
The Broncos have started 13 different players at quarterback since Peyton Manning retired. A proud franchise that has historically had great quarterback play has been unable to find an answer behind center for years. The team can now sit comfortable knowing that they have their guy. The only question is if that guy will turn into a player that leads them back to championship glory.
Nix was the sixth quarterback selected in the first-round. This year did feature a historic quarterback class, as six quarterbacks going in round one had only happened once before. Additionally, this was only the fourth draft class ever to see quarterbacks go with each of the first three picks. However, it is pretty telling that the rest of the league prioritized five other quarterbacks ahead of Nix.
Nix doesn't have great arm strength, and many experts believe his ceiling isn't high because of it. He might be more of a game-manager than a player who can put a team on his back, and in this day and age, you usually need truly elite quarterback play in order to win Super Bowls.
Nix does have incredible accuracy, though. In fact, his 77.45% completion rate at Oregon last season was the best single-season mark in college football history. Additionally, Nix is a leader and reads the field well.
Reports indicate that Nix was the guy that Denver wanted all along, though. From a skill set perspective, the Oregon product has drawn comparisons to Drew Brees. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback obviously had a Hall of Fame career while playing for Sean Payton, the coach at the helm in Denver these days.
Payton believes he can mold the quarterback into a championship-level player, but only time will tell if that becomes true. First-round quarterbacks have the potential to completely alter a team's trajectory. A hit at the position early in the draft means you are set up for a decade, but a first-round bust can set a franchise back for years.
The alternative to drafting Nix was taking the season and hoping for a quarterback next year, but that would have been a tough pill to swallow as well.
Grade: C-
Jonah Ellis – Edge – Third round (76th overall)
The Broncos didn't have a second-round pick, but they got a second-round caliber player in round three. Jonah Ellis was incredibly productive at Utah playing the edge position. Ellis has great speed and a variety of pass-rushing moves, including a spin move that was nearly unstoppable in college.
Ellis knows how to get after the quarterback. The only thing preventing this pick from receiving an A grade is that he could improve in run defense. Ellis may need to add size and strength to do that, but you wouldn't want him to sacrifice his pass-rushing speed, either.
Ellis' worst-case scenario is as a situational pass rusher, which is still an incredibly important role in the NFL. He has the potential for so much more, though.
Grade: B+
Troy Franklin – WR – Fourth round (102nd overall)
Drafting the quarterback of the future is a good start, but making sure he is comfortable and has the weapons around him to thrive is just as important. The football world saw how hard things were for last year's number one overall pick, Bryce Young. That was largely because he didn't have many playmakers around him on the Carolina Panthers.
There was no fellow prospect that could have made Bo Nix more comfortable than Troy Franklin. Franklin was Nix's top target at Oregon, and the duo's chemistry and familiarity will make life easier for the quarterback at the next level. We've seen college quarterback-receiver combinations work when paired back together in the NFL. Notably, Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase have terrorized the NFL after winning a championship together in college.
Franklin's familiarity with Nix alone makes this a good draft pick, but securing Franklin in the fourth-round was one of the biggest steals of the draft, regardless of where Nix went. Many pinned Franklin as a second or early third-round prospect, but Denver got him outside of the top 100 picks.
Franklin was one of the fastest players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He is a burner who thrives catching the deep ball. Nix isn't known for the deep ball, but Franklin will surely give the quarterback more opportunities down the field.
The wide receiver isn't a one-trick pony, though. A big reason for Nix's record-setting accuracy in college was because of Franklin's sure hands. Franklin will be counted on from day one because the Broncos traded Jerry Jeudy this offseason.
Grade: A+
Kris Abrams-Draine – CB – Fifth round (155th overall)
Kris Abrams-Draine has starting potential, and you rarely find that in the fifth-round. Abrams is a ball-hawking cornerback who is always a threat to make a play on the football. He was actually one of the better cover corners in the draft because of his ability to track the football. He has great speed and great instincts, and his recovery speed means he rarely ever gets burnt.
Physicality is the only concern with Abrams-Draine, and his short stature and skinny frame is what caused him to fall in the draft. He hasn't shown an inability to make tackles, but of course, tackling won't be easier against NFL-level ball carries.
He also is unlikely to win many 50/50 balls, which is an important trait to have in the NFL. Still, the Broncos did well to find such an elite playmaker this late in the draft.
Grade: A
Audric Estime – RB – Fifth round (157th overall)
There are plenty of believers in Audric Estime, but there are questions about how much his skill set will translate to the professional ranks. Estime didn't do great in the pre-draft process.
He ran a 4.71 at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is extremely poor for a running back. Although he did improve to a 4.58 at his Pro Day, the tape still shows someone who is very slow for the running back position.
Speed is not the name of the game for Estime, and he has found other ways to be productive. He is a bruising power back who runs through opposing defenders. He makes defender question if they want to commit to a tackle, and because of that, he can likely play a role in the NFL.
Estime's 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground last season for Notre Dame were some of the best marks in college. However, his lack of speed means he will likely never be a featured back and will instead be used situationally.
Grade: C-
Devaughn Vele – WR – Round 7 (235th overall)
Wide receiver is the one position where Denver double-dipped in the draft, taking Devaughn Vele in the seventh-round. The receiver from Utah has not had a normal path to the NFL. Vele served a LDS mission before playing collegiate football, which means he will be 27 years old during his rookie season.
Vele does have an intriguing skill set, though, and he is worth the gamble in the seventh-round despite the fact that 27-year-old rookies don't usually pan out. The receiver is 6-foot-5, making him a threat in the red zone. He also has blazing speed, though, and a speed/size combination like Vele has is rare. Although his age limits his ceiling, it may make him more ready from day one than your average rookie.
Grade: C+
Nick Gargiulo – OL – Round 7 (256th overall)
Grade: B
An underrated hole on the Broncos' roster is at the center position. Lloyd Cushenberry underwhelmed for years in Denver, but his improvement last season led to the offensive line improving as a whole. Cushenberry signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency, though, and his replacement – Luke Wattenberg – doesn't have much experience.
Nick Gargiulo can play all over the line. If Wattenberg fails to emerge as a starting-caliber player, Gargiulo could be in the running for the starting gig. Even if he doesn't get the nod as the team's starter, his versatility will be incredibly valuable and will help him get onto the football field.
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