© Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Broncos All-Time Draft Bust Team: Defense
With the 2024 NFL draft rapidly approaching, who are the Denver Broncos' biggest busts on the defensive side of the ball?
I previously reviewed the Denver Broncos All-Time Draft Bust Team for the offense. Now we switch to the defense.
As with the offense, the same criteria for a draft day bust is in effect: Every player chosen was taken in the first three rounds of the draft, because that is where you expect to find quality contributors for which there is a case to keep them for the long term.
For the defense, I selected four defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs. I did this for simplicity purposes, rather than trying to distinguish between 3-4 and 4-3 scheme players, who is an interior defender and who is an edge rusher, and who was drafted as a cornerback or safety.
But as with the offense, you'll find some familiar names among the selections, while others may be players you may not remember.
Let's look at the 11 Broncos draft busts who got the dubious distinction of making this defense.
D-Line: Ted Gregory (R1/1988), Jarvis Moss (R1/2007), Tim Crowder (R2/2007) & Paul Toviessi (R2/2001)
November 14, 2010; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Jarvis Moss (94) hurries Kansas City
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Our first selection is one of the worst Broncos draft selections of all time and easily the worst defensive selection. Gregory was the Broncos' first-round pick in 1988, and he never took a snap for the team.
The story went like this: Gregory was billed as being 6-foot-1, but when then-head coach Dan Reeves met him for the first time, he commented, "I'm taller than he is!" To put this into perspective, the Broncos didn't even meet with Gregory prior to drafting him.
Gregory had injured his knee in his final college football game, then aggravated that injury during training camp. He was traded to the New Orleans Saints for Shawn Knight before the season started. Gregory played just three games before he injured the knee again, ending his season and career.
We then come to two players from the same draft class: Moss and Crowder. The 2007 first- and second-round picks go down as two of the worst draft selections made during the Mike Shanahan era. Moss was a player the Broncos traded up to obtain, sending the 21st overall pick, a third- and a sixth-round pick in 2007 to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 17th overall pick (Moss).
Moss injured his shin as a rookie and played in just six games. In 2008, he played in just 12 games, then a new coaching staff took over and moved him to linebacker. Moss struggled in making the switch and the Broncos released him after nine games in the 2010 season. He had just 3.5 sacks in his time with the team.
Crowder fared a little better as a rookie, with four sacks and a forced fumble. However, he played in just six games in 2008, having fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. He was waived by the Broncos before the 2009 season and spent the rest of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Finally, we come to another defensive lineman who never took a snap for the Broncos: Toviessi. A 2001 second-round pick, the Broncos traded up from the 58th overall pick to the 51st overall pick, sending a fourth-rounder to the Buffalo Bills to draft Toviessi.
Toviessi got injured before the start of the season and had three different surgeries in the span of a year. He attempted a comeback in 2002 but a procedure to help him rehab didn't work out. The Broncos eventually released him and Toviessi's NFL career was over before it started.
Linebackers: Bill Phillips (R3/1972), Terry Pierce (R2/2003) & Nate Irving (R3/2011)
Sep 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nate Irving (56) reacts after his
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
This one was tougher to fill out. It turns out the Broncos have been pretty good about drafting linebackers in the first three rounds, with multiple players forming a 'who's who' of Broncos history.
A couple of linebackers, though, didn't live up to expectations. Phillips was a 1972 third-round pick who never took a snap in the NFL. I had a hard time finding any information about him, other than he played college football at Arkansas State.
Suffice it to say that, though he's an obscure player, he does fit the criteria of a player taken in the first three rounds. Since he never took a snap for the team, he gets a spot by default.
The other two linebackers are ones in which it was easier to find information. Pierce was a 2003 second-round selection who played in just three games as a rookie. He then played in 15 games in 2004 and had a forced fumble and a pass breakup, but he was waived before the 2005 season.
The other linebacker is Irving, a 2011 third-round pick who spent four seasons with the team. He wasn't really a bad player but his contributions might not have matched what was expected from him.
Irving mostly played special teams, but started four games in 2013. In 2014 he started eight games but his season was cut short because of injuries. Irving had 104 tackles and two sacks with the Broncos and played for the Colts in 2015.
Defensive Backs: Alphonso Smith (R2/2010), Brendan Langley (R3/2017), Jeremy LeSeuer (R3/2004) & Larry Carter (R3/1980)
August 6, 2009; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos rookie cornerback Alphonso Smith (33) during
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
We start our defensive back busts with a Josh McDaniels draft selection: Smith. McDaniels sent a 2010 first-round pick to acquire a second-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks to select Smith.
But Smith never proved worthy of that second-round pick, much less the first the Broncos gave up to get him. Smith had three pass breakups but never started a game. He was traded to the Detroit Lions the following season, at which point he played better, although he lasted just three seasons with that team.
Then there's Langley, a player who had athleticism but was raw in terms of talent. A 2017 third-round pick, Langley was relegated to special teams and was active for 16 games in two seasons. He made the switch to wide receiver in 2019 but failed to make the final roster.
At least those two cornerbacks played some snaps for the Broncos. Meanwhile, LeSeuer, a 2004 third-round pick, never took a snap for the team. He was lost to injury before the 2004 season, and the Broncos waived him before the start of the 2005 season.
LeSeuer spent the 2005 season with the New York Jets, then bounced around the league for two more seasons before his career ended.
And speaking of players who never took a snap for the Broncos, there was Carter, a 1980 third-round pick. He was another player that was tough to get information about, but Carter spent three years playing college football at Kentucky and did pretty well as a defensive back and returner.
Carter becomes another player who gets a spot here by default, simply because he's an obscrure player taken in the early rounds who never took the field for the Broncos and never saw any NFL action.
Now that we've gone over the all-bust offense and defense, we'll switch gears as we prepare for the next installment — the all-time draft steal team. Stay tuned.
Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
