The history of players drafted at 10th overall is full of talent. There are league MVPs, Hall of Famers, franchise leaders — in short, some of the best to play the game, either now or in their era. Before the Broncos try to find a player to join them with that spot in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft, take a look at some of the best who were drafted at that position before, in chronological order.
Career accolades and stats: Four-time first-team All Pro, two-time second-team All Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 25 interceptions, four defensive touchdowns, 15 fumble recoveries, started 159 of 168 career games
Alongside the likes of Jack and Jim Youngblood, Robertson helped form a formidable Rams defense. During his tenure with the Rams from 1971 to 1978, Robertson helped Los Angeles reach the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, including three consecutive trips to the conference championship game.
Career accolades and stats: 2003 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductive, Super Bowl XVIII champion and MVP, 1985 NFL MVP, 1982 NFL Rookie of the Year, two first-team All Pro selections, one second-team All Pro selection, six Pro Bowls
The 1981 Heisman Trophy winner electrified the Raiders' offense upon arrival, winning Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP honors all within his first four seasons in the league. Upon his retirement in 1997, he ranked sixth all time in rushing yards.
Career accolades and stats: AFC Player of the Year, three-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowler, 517 receptions for 6,605 yards and 31 touchdowns
Though he played a brief career, Toon was a talented receiver who had the production to match his skills. In his best year, he caught 93 passes for 1,067 yards.
Career accolades: 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Super Bowl XXXV champion, 1993 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, six first-team All Pro selections, two second-team All Pro selections, 11 Pro Bowls Career stats: 71 interceptions, 13 defensive touchdowns, 20 forced fumbles, 32 fumble recoveries
Rod Woodson probably needs little introduction. The Hall of Famer was perhaps the most dangerous defensive players in NFL history, recording the most pick-sixes in league history.
Career accolades and stats: Three-time first-team All Pro, two-time second-team All Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL receptions season leader, 670 receptions for 9,174 yards and 62 touchdowns.
Until the arrival of Calvin Johnson, there had been no better or more productive Lions receiver than Herman Moore. The former track athlete finished his career as the franchise leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, though Johnson would reset those records.
Career accolades and stats: 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Super Bowl XL champion, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, two-time first-team All Pro, one second-team All Pro selection, six Pro Bowls; 3,479 rushes for 13,662 yards and 91 rushing touchdowns
The man more commonly known as "The Bus" began his career with at least 1,000 rushing yards in eight of his first nine seasons, punishing anyone who tried to tackle him with his combination of size and strength.
Career accolades and stats: Three first-team All Pro selections, four Pro Bowls, started 184 of 195 career games
Anderson was a talented iron man for the Bengals, missing just two games in the first 11 years of his career. In the seasons that he was an All Pro, Anderson helped running back Rudi Johnson rush for 1,454 yards in 2004, 1,458 yards in 2005 and 1,309 yards in 2006.
Career accolades and stats: Super Bowl XLVII champion, seven-time Pro Bowler, one first-team All Pro selection, one second-team All Pro selection, 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 2003 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 132.5 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries, seven interceptions, three defensive touchdowns
With a defense that already had Hall of Famers in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the Baltimore Ravens' defense was already plenty scary. But with the addition of Suggs in 2003, they got a terrifying pass rusher to boot. Since then, Suggs has been a constant presence to be aware of for offensive linemen and quarterbacks alike.
Career accolades and stats: NFL Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, two-time first-team All Pro, one second-team All Pro selection, three Pro Bowls, 1,042 rushes for 4,547 yards and 46 rushing touchdowns
What needs to be said about Todd Gurley these days? As the Rams climbed the NFL to reach Super Bowl LIII, perhaps no one powered their offense like he did, recording 21 total touchdowns. His combination of speed, agility and explosiveness has made him one of the best running backs today.
Career accolades and stats: 2018 NFL MVP, 2018 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, one first-team All Pro, one Pro Bowl selection
As division rivals of the Chiefs, the Broncos already know plenty about what Patrick Mahomes can do. And after his breakout 2018 season, so does the rest of the NFL.
**The best (and worst) NFL draft classes at every position: All-time ranking** (Bill Barnwell, ESPN)
First place: 1983
This should surprise exactly nobody. There's a chance the 2004 class could eventually send three quarterbacks to Canton, although Roethlisberger seems to be the only sure thing to make it to the Hall of Fame. The '83 draft already has three legendary quarterbacks enshrined in John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino, who combined for 23 Pro Bowl appearances. Ken O'Brien spent seven years as the primary starter for the Jets, marking a fourth valuable player drafted in the first round. Todd Blackledge and Tony Eason didn't reach lofty heights, but Eason was still good enough to start a Super Bowl.
**Elway, Fangio take in Pro Day workout for 40 local college prospects** (Mike Klis, 9NEWS)
John Elway the Hall of Fame quarterback and Broncos' general manager was there to watch the full 50-minute workout. He observed Colorado State quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuel throw to receivers like Colorado's Juwann Winfree and Kavion Ento and Colorado School of Mines' Brody Oliver.
**Broncos Briefs: Evan Worthington hopes improved 40 time helps NFL draft stock** (Ryan O'Halloran, The Denver Post)
Worthington (Cherokee Trail) and Wyoming safety Andrew Wingard (Ralston Valley) were the only two participants who were invited to the Scouting Combine. Both could be Day 3 picks (rounds 4-7).
**Assessing each AFC team’s needs ahead of the 2019 NFL draft** (Terez Paylor, Yahoo! Sports)
The Broncos traded for Joe Flacco this offseason, but he's not an appropriate long-term answer at quarterback in a division with Patrick Mahomes. So finding someone who can spend a year learning under Flacco and take the reins in 2020 should be of the utmost priority. Denver also needs to draft someone who can potentially start at center and guard, and a little receiver would be nice, too, especially with Emmanuel Sanders coming off an Achilles injury. Don't sleep on tight end either, where the Broncos lack a proven playmaker that defenses must account for. Defensively, look for new head coach Vic Fangio — who puts a premium on having two terrific inside linebackers — to covet a player who can challenge Todd Davis and Josey Jewell. The Broncos might want to draft a young safety as well, with both their starters (Will Parks and Justin Simmons) set to hit the market in 2020.
**Bucky Brooks' top 5 2019 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0** (Bucky Brooks, NFL.com)
With pro days in the books and the 2019 NFL Draft on tap at the end of this month (April 25-27 in Nashville, Tennessee), here's an updated look at my top five prospects at each position.
