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Which draft class will have a larger impact in 2018?


champ11

Bigger impact this year?  

12 members have voted

  1. 1. Bigger impact in 2018?

    • 2017 draft
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    • 2018 draft
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John Elway's 2017 draft class produced 2 rookie starters: Garrett Bolles and Isaiah McKenzie. The rest of the draft class made essentially zero impact, positive or negative. The returns on the class seem like they are going to be pretty poor, but they do have a year under their belt going into the 2018 season.

The 2018 draft has gotten a much better reaction around here than the 2017 one did. But how big of an impact can the class make in their rookie year?

2017:

Garrett Bolles, Demarcus Walker, Carlos Henderson, Brendan Langley, Jake Butt, Isaiah McKenzie, DeAngelo Henderson, Chad Kelly

2018:

Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton, Royce Freeman, Isaac Yiadom, Josey Jewell, DaeSean Hamilton, Troy Fumagalli, Sam Jones, Keishawn Bierra, David Williams

 

This may be something we want to revisit in training camp - but which class do you think will have a more positive impact in 2018? I thought this could be ~fairly~ interesting because the 2017 class is essentially still a rookie class.

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5 minutes ago, champ11 said:

John Elway's 2017 draft class produced 2 rookie starters: Garrett Bolles and Isaiah McKenzie. The rest of the draft class made essentially zero impact, positive or negative. The returns on the class seem like they are going to be pretty poor, but they do have a year under their belt going into the 2018 season.

The 2018 draft has gotten a much better reaction around here than the 2017 one did. But how big of an impact can the class make in their rookie year?

2017:

Garrett Bolles, Demarcus Walker, Carlos Henderson, Brendan Langley, Jake Butt, Isaiah McKenzie, DeAngelo Henderson, Chad Kelly

2018:

Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton, Royce Freeman, Isaac Yiadom, Josey Jewell, DaeSean Hamilton, Troy Fumagalli, Sam Jones, Keishawn Bierra, David Williams

 

This may be something we want to revisit in training camp - but which class do you think will have a more positive impact in 2018? I thought this could be ~fairly~ interesting because the 2017 class is essentially still a rookie class.

Chubb will play over Walker, Sutton and Hamilton both will play over McKenzie (if he makes the team) and Freeman will have a bigger impact than Henderson although I'm hoping Henderson gets some passing down work.

Yiadom and Langley are pushes.

I think if Walker can actually contribute, Bolles takes another step forward and Butt gets meaningful minutes the 2017 class can be close to level of impact for the 2018 year that the 2018 class will have.  

 

I just think between Sutton, Freeman and Hamilton there will be a lot of snaps/targets/touches more so than the 2017 class.   Chubb and Jewell (by end of year) will both be playing heavy minutes for the defense IMO.

 

Now if Chad Kelly miraculously becomes a competent starter then it skews it for 2017, but as of right now I think the 2018 class will have a bigger impact next season

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Which WRs do we expect to make the team? It figures to be a crowded room in training camp and preseason. Thomas, Sanders, Henderson, McKenzie, Taylor, Sutton, and Hamilton. The bolded have to be locks (barring a pre-season trade of Sanders)- but it seems early to give up on Henderson/ and McKenzie, and Taylor is a strong special teams contributor. 

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2018, easily.

 

Now as it stands I think both could turn out to be decent drafts, but in terms of the guys that play the same positions, I think the fact we even drafted them in 2018 shows the 2017 guy is on notice.

QB: Only one guy drafted in either year here, Chad Kelly in 2017. He'll be given the chance to win the backup job, but ultimately I think Lynch beats him out and I doubt we keep all 3 so Kelly either ends up on our practice squad or cut.

 

RB: Royce Freeman is the standout talent here. David Williams and DeAngelo Henderson likely battling for only one roster spot. I think Henderson beats out Williams, but even still the Freeman pick means 2018 wins out here.

 

WR: I think Sutton will be our WR3 here and I think Hamilton will probably be the WR4, whereas Henderson will be gameday inactive and McKenzie won't make the team. Easy win for 2018.

 

TE: Jake Butt over Troy Fumagalli. Win for 2017.

 

OL: 2017 wins by default since we got our franchise Left Tackle in Bolles. Sam Jones was the only OL pick in 2018, he's probably a practice squad guy.

 

DL: Walker the only defensive lineman from either year, hopefully he can force his way into the rotation otherwise this is in danger of being a 0-0 draw.

 

EDGE: 2018 wins this by way of Bradley Chubb.

 

ILB: 2018 wins. Josey Jewell should be involved in the rotation and Bierra at least has a 50-50 shot to make the roster depending on how he does on special teams in the preseason.

 

CB: Langley vs Yiadom, both third round picks. Thing is, we've signed Trumaine Brock and drafted Yiadom as well as trying to sign Delvin Breaux this offseason. I know we lost Talib, but that tells me our staff aren't enamoured with Langley's progress. These two likely battle to be the 4th corner, unless one of them really impresses and gets ahead of Brock. Our dime package has a 3rd safety instead of a 4th CB, so really injuries will be needed to see either of these guys much outside of special teams.

 

S: No safeties drafted in either year.

 

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35 minutes ago, paul-mac said:

2018, easily.

 

Now as it stands I think both could turn out to be decent drafts, but in terms of the guys that play the same positions, I think the fact we even drafted them in 2018 shows the 2017 guy is on notice.

 

The fact we drafted so many 2018 guys for the exact same position as 2017 shows the huge problem with the 2017 class.    That fact alone damns the 2017 draft class in a big way from the lost opportunity cost in having to re-prioritize needs in Day 2-3, once the talent gaps made BPA irrelevant (OL anyone?).  

Really, we have 1 2017 starter, who's still a huge Q mark as to his pass pro abilities, that we can bank on.  We have 2 other guys who could help this year, but who have big Q marks in Walker (ability to keep good weight and get to 3-tech size and then his ability to maintain his agility, and expand his technique range from his spin move) and Butt (who is unclear as to whether he'll be ever the same after 2nd ACL, which is why he fell at 5.1).   It's not even clear if either will start, though.   And then there 2 guys we can hope for, but have no basis other than hope (Carlos Henderson, Chad Kelly).    

The only reason why it's a question for 2018 is that present-year drafts, outside of the 1st rounder, isn't supposed to help right away.     That's the only reason this is even a comparable Q right now.   The thing is, outside of our 1st rounder, we don't feel good about any of the 2017 guys actually being locks as contributors.   That's absolutely abysmal.    2018, we already believe Freeman and Jewell will contribute at least in a rotation.   Chubb's unfair to compare to Bolles, given Chubb was a top 5 pick, so let's be generous with either year and say that both will start.   

Ultimately, it's close this year, but only because 2017 has the extra year's advantage, and rookies who aren't elite, or play easy-to-learn positions (RB) seldom make a huge impact.   When it's said and done, though, 2017 is probably going to be one of Elway's worst drafts.    Especially when compared to the overall depth - 2017 was actually a deep class overall.   2012 was a bad draft, but that draft just had poor talent all the way around.  2017 was not the case at all.   Elway just reached badly for win-now need early and straight-line speed over actual football skills on Day 2-3.  Hopefully he learned his lesson - this year's draft suggests that he did, in a big way. 

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I heard on a BSN podcast that Yiadom is pretty polished and I expect him to get more burn than Langley. 

I think Jake Butt is the key - if he steps in as a legit starter, the 2017 class might give us more just based off him and Bolles. 

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10 minutes ago, BroncoBruin said:

Yiadom and the receivers shouldn't take long to overtake our 3rd round blunders from 2017. We never had 3rd round picks last year, it's helpful and less infuriating to think this way. 

Wide Receiver is a position that takes a lot longer to adjust to the NFL than most (I've heard more than any other than QB). I don't have crazy expectations for Sutton this year, but he is on square 1 with Keenum as are our other WR. 

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50 minutes ago, BroncoBruin said:

Yiadom and the receivers shouldn't take long to overtake our 3rd round blunders from 2017. We never had 3rd round picks last year, it's helpful and less infuriating to think this way. 

Imagine drafting a player that didn't know how to play his position in round 3. Langley might be the worst pick of the era. I'd be shocked if we ever see him on the field for more than spot duty over the next couple years. It's like selecting Josh Allen in the top 10 or something

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18 minutes ago, champ11 said:

Imagine drafting a player that didn't know how to play his position in round 3. Langley might be the worst pick of the era. I'd be shocked if we ever see him on the field for more than spot duty over the next couple years. It's like selecting Josh Allen in the top 10 or something

Yeah, such a ridiculous pick. Looking back, there wasn't a corner taken for another 30 picks after that. No value at the position and they picked a guy who doesn't know how to play corner. 

You can tell they have immediate buyer's remorse on Langley picking a polished guy in Yiadom at almost the exact same spot. Essentially just threw away one 3rd round comp pick. 

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On-field impact? The 2018 class. More immediate contributors and higher floor players. Overall team impact? 2017 draft. I say that because by and large that draft has been so awful thus far that we've had to draft over some of these guys just to have contributors at the position (WR especially). 

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48 minutes ago, broncos67 said:

On-field impact? The 2018 class. More immediate contributors and higher floor players. Overall team impact? 2017 draft. I say that because by and large that draft has been so awful thus far that we've had to draft over some of these guys just to have contributors at the position (WR especially). 

If you are going to argue overall negative impact as much as positive impact, well, then we have a race between the 2 drafts for sure.   The thing that really hurts is that 2017 was a deep Day 2 draft overall - Elway just botched it in a massive way.   Some years the draft class it's so weak overall, you can explain some of the whiffs - but not 2017.   Still, Elway looks like he's learned..finally.

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Looking back, the 2016 draft is passable save for Paxton Lynch being one of the worst picks in team history. (Of course, Gotsis' situation could change this). That 2015 draft is as ugly as any we've had. Going back to 2013, the odd year drafts have been horrendous and the even year drafts have been mostly good with a couple eye sores. 

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