As we get closer to the start of Denver Broncos training camp, there will be interest in how the 2025 draft picks perform, along with how the players from the more recent draft classes will improve.
Thus far, the Broncos have gotten a solid return on a number of picks from the past couple of draft classes. It remains to be seen, though, how many of these drafted players will rank among the all-time great Broncos.
But as we await training camp, I thought it would be fun to look back at notable draft picks from the past and form an all-decade team of draft picks, but with a twist: I'm going through each decade and selecting the best drafted player from that decade in each of the seven rounds.
I only went back to the four most recent decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s) and I didn't consider any round past the seventh. Keep in mind that, when you go to the years before 1990, the draft was more than seven rounds.
As a result, you won't find somebody like Karl Mecklenburg, a 12th-round pick in 1984, who is arguably the Broncos' biggest draft steal ever. But as we explore each decade, you should find plenty of noteworthy contributors, even Hall-of-Fame players.
Let's go back to the 1980s and select the best drafted player from each of the first seven rounds.
Round 1: Steve Atwater, S, 1989
The Broncos had a notable first-round pick in 1981 (Dennis Smith) and their first-round pick in 1983 (Chris Hinton) was involved in the trade for John Elway and had a good career as well. But it's Atwater who stands out as the best first-round pick of the 1980s.
The 20th overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft spent 10 years with the Broncos and earned seven Pro Bowl trips, three AP All-Pro selections, and was a member of two Super Bowl championship teams. In 2020, Atwater took his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Round 2: Simon Fletcher, LB, 1985
Rulon Jones and Vance Johnson are two names that longtime Broncos fans will recognize among second-round picks in the 1980s. But it's Fletcher — selected the same year as Johnson — who stands out as the best for this round.
The edge rusher finished with 97.5 sacks for his 11-year career, to include five straight seasons with at least 10 sacks (1989 to 1993). He was a member of three Broncos teams to reach the Super Bowl and is a member of the team's Ring of Fame.
Round 3: Michael Brooks, LB, 1987
The third round wasn't as kind to the Broncos in the 1980s but they did find a solid player in Brooks, who would earn a starting job in 1989 and held onto it through 1992, when he received his first Pro Bowl nod.
Brooks then signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 1993 and garnered second-team AP All-Pro honors. He played with the Giants through 1995, then finished his career with the Lions in 1996.
Round 4: Randy Robbins, DB, 1984
This was another round in which the Broncos didn't find much in terms of long-term contributors. But Robbins, who mainly played at safety, would have a fine career as a depth player for the team.
Though Robbins seldom started, he spent eight seasons with the Broncos and logged 11 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He spent his final season with the New England Patriots in 1992.
Round 5: Ken Lanier, OT, 1981
While the Broncos did find a couple of quality contributors in the fifth round during the 1980s, Lanier is easily the best fifth-round pick of the decade.
After spending his rookie season as a depth player, Lanier claimed a starting job in 1982 at right tackle and held onto it for 11 seasons. He would spend the 1993 season with the Los Angeles Raiders, but came back to the Broncos in 1994 as a depth player. Lanier has a good case to be inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame.
Round 6: Keith Bishop, OG, 1980
There were a couple of players taken in the sixth round in this decade who did good things but Bishop would emerge into a mainstay on the offensive line by the 1983 season.
Bishop became the starting left guard in the 1983 season and held it for seven seasons, earning Pro Bowl trips in 1986 and 1987. He's another player who has a case to be inducted into the Ring of Fame.
Round 7: Clarence Kay, TE, 1984
While not an elite player by any means, Kay provided a steady presence at the tight end position, starting the majority of games for the Broncos for nine seasons.
Kay finished with 193 receptions for 2,136 yards and 13 touchdowns. His best season as a pro was 1988, in which he had 352 receiving yards on 34 receptions and four touchdowns. That's a pretty decent return on a player taken in the seventh round, especially considering the run-first era he played in.
