Denver Broncos 2015 Draft: Aggregating Report Card Grades from Around the Web
After 256 picks, the 2015 NFL draft has been completed, and now comes the post-draft evaluations. Who did good and who did bad?
While it's hard to answer those questions before any of these future prospects play a single down in the NFL, it's commonplace for outlets around the Web to hand out report card grades for each team.
Here, we will detail what some of them are saying and you can determine whether that fits the way you saw it.
This was John Elway's fifth draft with the Denver Broncos, but his first since Gary Kubiak became the team's head coach. Nine of the 256 players chosen were selected by the Broncos.
How did they do? Here's what others are saying.
Sports Illustrated
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Grade: B
Chris Burke and Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated doled out their winners and losers from the draft with letter grades, and they gave the Broncos a solid B, noting that Shane Ray and Ty Sambrailo were both solid picks.
They identified tight end Jeff Heuerman as potentially the star of the class, stating that he could overtake Owen Daniels and Virgil Green to become the team's starting tight end "before too long."
If by before too long they mean 2016, they could be right. There is almost no chance Heuerman earns a starting position this season.
Though he may have been the best blocking tight end in this draft, Green may be the best blocking tight end in the league. Daniels is a seasoned veteran who knows the offense that Gary Kubiak runs as well as anybody.
Heuerman looks like a great future prospect, but he'll need a year to develop in the system.
As for the grade, a B is understandable if you just talk about the first three picks the team made, but when considering the last half of the draft, it should be lower.
Rotoworld
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Grade: B-
Evan Silva of Rotoworld, which is owned by NBC Universal, seemed to really like most of the picks the Broncos made in this draft, all the way through the sixth round. He also credits Elway for his previous drafts and for putting together one of the league's best rosters.
Here is what he had to say about Denver's draft.
"I've seen John Elway billed in some circles as a GM whose team perennially makes the playoffs "because he has Peyton Manning." First of all, Elway deserves applause -- not to be diminished -- for securing Peyton during 2012's league-wide bidding war. Second, Elway has done a masterful job of building one of the NFL's premier rosters, drafting as well as any general manager in football the past several seasons. His 2015 draft was pretty nuts and bolts. Elway went hard after Ray, parting with fifth-round picks in both 2015 and 2016 plus G/C Manuel Ramirez in exchange for a five-spot jump in round one. Sambrailo is a Week 1 starter, and Garcia has an outside shot to be one, as well. A pro-ready blocker and underrated athlete, Heuerman may quietly be Denver's tight end of the future. Kilgo is a worthwhile run-stopping prospect, and Doss profiles as a potential playmaking slot cornerback. My guess is Siemian, Nixon, and likely special teamer Furman won't amount to much. I think this was a solid if unspectacular draft that brought reasonably good value and knocked out a few needs.
"
Silva brings up a solid point in regard to Sambrailo and Max Garcia. Both have a legitimate shot to be starters from the very first game of their careers.
He also touches on the three players the Broncos chose in the seventh round, who all appear to be players with little to no chance of making the final roster.
Walter Football
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Grade: B
Walter Football, one of the best resources on the net for college football prospects, gave the Broncos a solid B grade.
Prior to the draft, Walter Football identified surrounding Peyton Manning with the best players possible in order to achieve the goal of a Super Bowl victory in a short time frame as Denver's top priority.
They feel that goal was accomplished with the selections of Shane Ray, Jeff Heuerman, Max Garcia and Lorenzo Doss. Walter Football wasn't a fan of the Ty Sambrailo pick, however.
Though they recognized that the offensive tackle fills a need, they described the pick as a reach.
With all due respect, Sambrailo was a solid choice. He may not have been the highest-rated offensive lineman on the board at pick No. 59, but he is perfect for a zone-blocking scheme, and that's why he was chosen where he was.
Walter Football posed the question, did the Broncos do "everything in their power" to find the pieces Manning needed and answered that question with a yes.
That is debatable at this point, but it sure seems the Broncos could have made much better use of their last four choices.
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CBS Sports
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Grade: B
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports handed out his draft grades, giving the Broncos a B for their efforts.
In what is proof that you won't find a consensus on these draft grades, Prisco describes Ty Sambrailo as Denver's best pick due to his athletic ability and fit in the scheme.
Prisco says Shane Ray was a "questionable" move by the Broncos, while center Max Garcia won his award for "third-day gem."
Another analyst who recognizes John Elway's ability to find talent, Prisco feels that Ray is the key to the draft.
All of that makes sense, and this might be the most accurate report card yet. If Ray can keep himself out of trouble and prove his foot injury won't hinder him, the Broncos will have come out of this draft with one of the biggest steals.
I completely agree with his thoughts on Garcia. While a center is never an exciting pick, this guy is a scrappy, tough lineman with a ton of athleticism. He is going to become a favorite of fans in Denver.
NFL.com
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Grade: C
Over at NFL.com, Elliot Harrison grades each team's draft in video format. You can access each team's video on the main page.
Harrison isn't as big of a fan as many are in regards to the trade the Broncos made for Shane Ray, insinuating they almost gave up too much to do so.
He also spoke about Garcia and feels he was a great pick due to his versatility.
In the end, Harrison gives the Broncos a lower grade than most and references the first two picks they made, but specifically the selection of Ray. He feels like the Broncos just didn't need him.
In response to Harrison's views, Denver didn't give up too much to move up and take Ray. Would it have been nice if Ray fell to them at No. 28? Sure. But they gave up two fifth-round picks and a player—Manny Ramirez—who was almost certainly going to be cut anyway due to he fact that he was scheduled to make $3 million this season.
With that said, Harrison's grade seems a little closer to what it should be, even if his reasoning is completely different than mine.
Final Grades
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Here is a look at how the grades shake out. You can also check out my complete draft wrap-up, which includes my own grade.
Sports Illustrated: B
Rotoworld: B-
Walter Football: B
CBS Sports: B
NFL.com: C
Bleacher Report: C
Each of these grades seems fair, though anything higher than a B is too high.
The Broncos targeted versatile athletes who are nasty and have a mean streak. There's nothing wrong with that, particularly for a team that has been beaten up in ugly fashion in its last two postseason losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.
Remember when Elway talked about how the Broncos didn't go out "kicking and screaming" following that brutal loss to Indianapolis? That was the reason for a number of these picks, and the first four choices were all very solid.
My issue came after that. Though Lorenzo Doss seems like he could develop into a nice slot corner, drafting a cornerback was not a team need. Darius Kilgo in the sixth round was a strange choice, and each of the picks in the seventh round seemed like a total waste, though I hold out hope for Josh Furman.
As stated in my wrap-up, the first half of the draft could prove to be excellent. Rounds 5-8 featured one strange pick after another.
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