Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway Building for a Super Bowl Championship
The Denver Broncos have championship aspirations once again this year. In the 2015 NFL draft, the Broncos were able to add quality talent they hope can help get them over the top. They looked for help on both sides of the ball, and there’s a good chance at least one of these rookies will play a large role for the Broncos in 2015.
General manager John Elway has been running the show for the Broncos since 2011. During that time, the Broncos have won four AFC West titles and been to the Super Bowl once. Even though he’s been incredibly successful running the Broncos, there is still something missing from the trophy case under his watch.
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Elway is trying to get this team a Super Bowl championship, and his guidance in the draft could help get them there.
First-Round Pick Shane Ray
On the first day of the 2015 NFL draft, the Broncos did something they hadn’t done under Elway—they moved up in the first round. The Broncos moved up from 28th to 23rd overall so they could add pass-rusher Shane Ray from Missouri.
Elway was thrilled to add such a talent to his defense, and after the pick he talked about the chip on Ray’s shoulder.
“I’m not sure if he was thrilled to be [drafted] at 23, but we sure are. I feel like we really got a tremendous football player. Not only [did he have] a tremendous college career, but we really look forward to him having a tremendous career in the NFL starting here with the Denver Broncos.”
That attitude shows up on film when watching Ray. He plays with a relentless motor, and Ray should make an immediate impact as a part-time pass-rusher in the team’s new 3-4 defense.
Draft Thoughts
The draft spans over three days, and the process is constantly in motion. The Broncos can expect certain picks to be off the board by the time they pick, but they might be shocked with the value found in certain rounds.
Elway was happy with what the Broncos did this year in the draft.
“We felt very good about the draft. Gary [Kubiak] and I were talking about it and we really feel good not only about the type of players we got, but the mentality of the players that we have and the toughness that they’re going to bring to the football team, starting with [Round] No. 4 [C/G] Max Garcia all the way through.” Elway continued, “Honestly, it never falls perfect for you, it’s always hard to say how it’s going to fall, but for the most part, it fell—in our minds—very well for us. We’re very excited about the nine players that we did get in the draft.”
The toughness on both sides of the ball should shine through this season. The Broncos are going to have more attitude on offense with a balanced attack and a pounding rushing attack. On defense, the Broncos are going to swarm after the quarterback and build plenty of pressure in 2015.
Positions of Need
Elway does not draft exclusively by positions of need. Instead, he looks over the entire draft board in order to find the best player available in each round—regardless of position.
He knew the spots that needed better depth and competition, then he deduced which players were the best to take in every round.
“I feel pretty good about all the different players that we had. I think that when we looked at the different options that we did have, obviously offensive line was a place that we needed to get better, and we feel that we really did with [T] Ty [Sambrailo] and Max Garcia.” Elway concluded, “[They are] two players that can come in and compete for jobs right away.”
Sambrailo can compete for the starting right tackle position in training camp, and he might even be considered the favorite to land the job. Garcia may not be the favorite to win the starting center job, but Gino Gradkowski and Matt Paradis may not be able to look better than the rookie.
In addition to offensive line help, the Broncos wanted to add talent to the defensive side of the ball.
“[CB] Lorenzo Doss is a good corner with tremendous ball skills that’s going to come in and compete. [DT] Darius Kilgo brings some size at the nose [tackle] position. We really got some guys that can come in and compete.”
Both Doss and Kilgo are reserve players who can be valuable rotational players if they make the final roster.
The Scouting Department
The Broncos have a quality group of scouts. They travel across the country to find the best talent among the college ranks. Led by scouting director Matt Russell, Elway leans on the scouting department and works closely with them to build the best draft board for the team.
“They’re the unsung heroes. They’re the ones that are out there during the season and going to school calls and pro days and really are the ones that are rounding up all the information for us.” Elway continued, “So they’re the ones that make us look good when we do the picking, and the thing is that’s why they’re so valuable, because they do that hard work and they get out there away from their families and on the road and school to school and do a tremendous job.”
Elway knows the evaluation process is long, arduous and time-consuming. It not only includes the play on the field, but scouts have to investigate any players with character concerns.
“So that’s where it starts. And not only do they evaluate them as players—it’s the background work that they do on their character and what kind of football players they are and the knowledge they have of the game. So there is so much that goes into each report, and that’s why these scouts are so important to what we do.” Elway emphasized, “As I said when we started, we’ve got a tremendous staff that does a tremendous job and really takes pride in what they do. And that is what gives us the ability to pick the right guys.”
Evaluating Players for Kubiak’s Offense
As a general manager, Elway has a unique relationship with his head coach, Gary Kubiak. Not only was Kubiak a backup behind Elway for years, Elway played in Kubiak’s offense during the final years of his career.
Elway knows exactly what it takes to succeed in Kubiak’s offense, and that can give him an advantage when looking for offensive talent in the draft.
“I have to learn about Gary; Gary has to learn about me. He has to understand how our staff looks at different players and we have to understand how the coaches look at different players, so there’s a growing process there, but I think what we did this year, I think it worked tremendously. And I think we’ll continue to grow.” Elway explained, “To me, it’s just going to continue to get better and better, but I thought for the first year it went very smoothly and we were able to get a lot of good football players.”
Elway has an eye for talent. Finding players for Kubiak’s offense makes that ability even more precise.
Super Bowl Run
Elway has said more than once that he’s trying to build the Broncos to "win now" and "win from now on." With Peyton Manning under center, this team is still firmly in a Super Bowl window. Elway has created a culture of winning as the general manager—just like he did as a quarterback.
“I’d like to say this: We’re going to try to win a world championship every year, so I think the mentality of it being ‘championship or bust’ is not necessarily the case. We’re going to try to compete for a world championship every year. Hopefully we get that done.”
Elway explained the path the Broncos follow each year when constructing the roster.
“We start with the draft, now that we know we’ve got some CFAs (college free agents) that we’re going to sign, we’ve got the 90-man roster pretty much set, we’re moving forward into 2015 and this season. We start from here and our goal is to win a world championship. I think we have the staff and the players to be able to do that.” Elway concluded, “Obviously there are a lot of things that have to go right for you, but the draft is obviously a starting point, and we feel good about that. The goal is to always win that. That’s why I work, Gary coaches and the players play: hopefully to win a world championship.”
Broncos fans are hopeful their team will finally get that Super Bowl win so Elway’s hard work can be properly rewarded.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.
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