Broncos' Last 10 Third-Round Picks Could Predict 2023 Draft

In the wake of two busy offseasons, the Denver Broncos are without a first or second-round draft pick this year. The 2023 NFL draft is set to kick off on Thursday, April 27, but the Broncos won't be picking until Friday night.

Denver's first selections in this draft are picks No. 67 and 68. While the Broncos will be waiting a while to turn in a pick, at least they'll get back-to-back selections.

"When you're picking where we are—the unique thing, which I think we both really like, is that we have back-to-back picks there," head coach Sean Payton said on Thursday alongside GM George Paton.

What caliber of player awaits the Broncos in Round 3? Paton acknowledged in the Broncos' pre-draft presser the challenge of finding an "impact player" that late.

"Now, it is very hard to get an impact player in the third round, but we'll have an idea how he fits with our team [in his] first year, second year, third year—potential starter, marginal starter, solid starter, maybe a special teams player in Year 1 and eventual starter in Year 2," Paton said.

Often, the best predictor of the future is the past. Here's a look at the last 10 players the Broncos have drafted in the third round.

Greg Dulcich | TE | 2022, Pick 80
Quinn Meinerz | OL | 2021, Pick 98
Baron Browning | LB | 2021, Pick 105
Michael Ojemudia | CB | 2020, Pick 77
Lloyd Cushenberry III | OL | 2020, Pick 83
Dre'Mont Jones | DL | 2019, Pick 81
Royce Freeman | RB | 2018, Pick 71
Issac Yiadom | CB | 2018, Pick 99
Carlos Henderson | WR | 2017, Pick 82
Brendan Langley | CB | 2017, Pick 101

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While this list features its fair share of busts, the majority of players the Broncos have selected in Round 3 since 2017 have gone on to earn starting roles. Four such players project as starters in 2023, including Dulcich, Meinerz, Browning, and Cushenberry.

Outside of Henderson, who didn't even make the roster out of training camp, all of Denver's misses in the third round over the past six years have come at cornerback. While I doubt that it will preclude the Broncos from taking a third-round corner this year, it's a cautionary tale worth trying to understand.

Over the last 25 years, the Broncos have found some studs in the third round, including the aforementioned Jones (now with Seattle), All-Pro safety Justin Simmons (2016), Eric Decker (top-10 receiver in team history), two Super Bowl 50 starting O-linemen in Michael Schofield (2014) and Ryan Harris (2007), and former Pro Bowl QB Brian Griese (1999).

For what it's worth, the late Ronnie Hillman, a Super Bowl 50 champion and 2015 team rushing leader, was picked at No. 67 overall back in 2012. The Broncos have only selected at pick No. 68 once in team history and the pick was offensive tackle Claudie Minor, who shared an alma mater with Hillman (San Diego State). Minor went on to start 123 games for the Broncos.

Denver's all-time leading kicker and two-time Super Bowl champion Jason Elam was a third-round draft pick back in 1993, as was two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl safety Bill Thompson in 1969. Dan Neil wasn't a Pro Bowler, but as a 1997 third-rounder, he started 104 games as a Bronco (including Super Bowl XXXIII at right guard) and retired with two rings.

With Paton and Payton putting their heads together for their first draft as a GM/HC tandem, you've got to feel good about the Broncos' chances of finding a quality player or two in Round 3. And while there are some cautionary tales, there is a historical precedent for third-round success in team annals.

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