Top 10 Denver Broncos of All Time

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jan 23, 2014

Top 10 Denver Broncos of All Time

Rod Smith

During his 12-year NFL career, Rod Smith was often overshadowed by other wide receivers, such as Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. But Smith played consistently well during his career, finishing with 849 total receptions, 11,389 receiving yards and 68 receiving touchdowns. From 1997 to 2005, he caught at least 70 passes every season, including a league-leading 113 catches in 2001. Smith's contributions to Denver's passing game helped the Broncos emerge as perhaps the league's best offense in the late 1990's. Smith caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from John Elway in Super Bowl XXXIII -- the final touchdown ever thrown by Elway.

Karl Mecklenburg

In a long career with Denver, Mecklenburg established himself as one of his era's best linebackers, particularly in the realm of rushing the passer. A six-time Pro Bowl defender and three-time first-team All-Pro, Mecklenburg notched 79 sacks in his 12-year career, an impressive statistic particularly because he typically played inside linebacker in a 3-4 system. During Mecklenburg's career, the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl on three occasions but never won the game.

Tom Jackson

Eric Bakke/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Today, Tom Jackson is probably best known for his role on ESPN, breaking down highlights with Chris Berman. But when he was a player, Jackson was a very good linebacker for Denver for 14 years. He was a three-time Pro Bowl pick and one-time first-team All-Pro. He was also good in coverage, even racking up seven interceptions in 1976.

Gary Zimmerman

Inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman played seven seasons with the Vikings before joining the Broncos in 1993. Zimmerman had been named first-team All-Pro twice in Minnesota, but his stellar play didn't stop when he arrived in Denver. Zimmerman's offensive line play allowed the Broncos offense -- led by John Elway and eventually Terrell Davis -- to succeed at the highest level. Zimmerman won a Super Bowl with the Broncos during the 1997 season.

Floyd Little

Floyd Little was a versatile, skilled player for Denver from 1967 to 1975. His primary position was running back, but Little also exceled catching passes out of the backfield and returning kicks and punts. On the ground, Little led the league in rushing yards in 1971 with 1,133, his best year on the ground. He was named to five Pro Bowls and one first-team All-Pro squad. Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Shannon Sharpe

Named a Pro Bowler on eight occasions and a first-team All-Pro four times, Sharpe is one of the best tight ends in NFL history. He notched three seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and five seasons with 70 or more catches. During his career, he won three Super Bowls, two of which came with the Broncos following the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Sharpe was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Champ Bailey

In 2004, Denver shipped promising young running back Clinton Portis to Washington in exchange for cornerback Champ Bailey. Champ had already spent five years in Washington -- four of which were Pro Bowl seasons -- but his play did not falter when he moved west. Instead, he became the most consistent lockdown cornerback of his generation, maintaining his level of play for nearly the entirety of his career. Since arriving in Denver, Bailey has been named to eight Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro squads.

Peyton Manning

He has only been a Bronco for two seasons, but his time in Denver might solidify Manning as the greatest NFL quarterback of all-time. Most of his career accomplishments occurred in Indianapolis, but in two years Manning has already established himself as one of Denver's best quarterbacks statistically. In just two years, he has thrown 92 touchdowns, including his NFL record 55-touchdown effort this past season. He has led the Broncos to the best record in the AFC two straight seasons, including a Super Bowl berth this year. He has been first-team All-Pro in each of his two years with Denver. Manning may have played most of his career with the Colts, but his Broncos tenure has been one of the most impressive stretches by an individual player in NFL history.

Terrell Davis

Terrell Davis was drafted as a relative unknown by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He wasn't anonymous for long, as Davis proceeded to spark Denver's rushing offense in Mike Shanahan's first year as head coach. Davis ran for 1,117 yards in his rookie year and then proceeded to rush for over 1,500 yards each of the next three seasons, including a remarkable 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1998. His effort that year is the fifth-highest single-season rushing yards total in NFL history. With Davis in the backfield, the Broncos won their first two Super Bowls. Injuries forced him to retire before he turned 30.

John Elway

Peter Read Miller/SI; Marc Serota/Reuters

He's fourth on the all-time passing yards list with 51,475. He's seventh on the passing touchdowns list with 300. John Elway posted incredible numbers during his 16-year Hall of Fame career with the Broncos, but he is also known for his intangibles: "The Drive" against Cleveland in the 1986 AFC Championship, Elway's leap for a first down against the Packers in the 1998 Super Bowl and his 46 career game-winning drives just to name a few. Elway, the most well-known Denver Bronco ever, finished his career with two straight victories in the Super Bowl, cementing the Hall of Famer's legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.