Look back through some of the best draft picks in Broncos history from the fourth round, where the franchise has found two Ring of Famers.
College: Yankton College (South Dakota) Drafted: 1971 fourth round - 79th overall Years with Broncos: 1971-78
Broncos career stats (unofficial — based on press box stats or coaches' film review): 99 games, 98 starts, 593 tackles, 64.5 sacks, 12 fumble recoveries
Career accolades: Broncos Top 100 Team selection, three Pro Bowl selections (1977-78, '80), two first-team All-Pro selections (1977, 1980), one second-team All-Pro selection (1978), 1975 defensive Earl Hartman Award Winner (Broncos' team MVP awards), 1977 AFC Defensive Player of the Year by the Kansas City 101 Club, 1977 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award winner, 1982 Pro Football Weekly Comeback Player of the Year
College: Louisville Draft: 1973 fourth round - 88th overall Years with Broncos: 1973-86
Career stats: 191 games, 177 starts, 44 sacks, 20 interceptions, three defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries
Career accolades: Ring of Fame inductee (1992), Broncos 50th Anniversary Team first-team selection, Broncos Top 100 Team selection, two AFC championships, three Pro Bowls, one AP first-team All-Pro selection (1977), two second-team All-Pro selections (AP, 1978; Newspaper Enterprise Association, 1979), three team defensive MVP selections (1974, '76, '77)
College: Minnesota Draft: 1975 fourth round - 95th overall Years with Broncos: 1975-83
Career stats: 119 games, 248 punt returns, 3,008 punt return yards, eight punt return touchdowns, 95 kick returns, 2,355 kick return yards, 267 receptions, 4,369 receiving yards, 24 receiving touchdowns, 49 rushing attempts, 349 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns
Career accolades: First-team NFL 1970s All-Decade Team selection, second-team NFL 1980s All-Decade Team selection, Denver Broncos Ring of Fame inductee (2014), Broncos Top 100 Team member, first-team Broncos 50th Anniversary Team selection, three first-team All-Pro selections, four Pro Bowls, tied for fourth in punt return touchdowns in NFL history, fifth in punt return average in NFL history, 11th in career punt return yards in NFL history, most career punt return yards in franchise history, most career punt return yards in a single season in franchise history, most all-purpose yards in a single season by a rookie in franchise history, most all-purpose yards in a single game by a rookie in franchise history, third in career all-purpose yards in franchise history, second in receiving yards in a single game by a rookie in franchise history
College: Duke Draft: 1977 fourth round - 101st overall Years with Broncos: 1977-88
Career stats: 153 games, 151 starts
Career accolades: Broncos Top 100 Team selection, Broncos 50th Anniversary Team second-team selection, Super Bowl XXI starter, 1985 second-team All-Pro selection by the Newspaper Enterprise Association
College: Florida Draft: 2000 fourth round - 112th overall Years with Broncos: 2000-06
Career stats: 190 games, 133 starts (95 games, 38 starts with Broncos)
College: Minnesota Draft: 2001 fourth round - 113th overall Years with Broncos: 2001-09
Career stats: 118 games, 110 starts (111 games, 104 starts with Broncos)
Career accolades: Broncos 50th Anniversary Team second-team selection
College: Louisville Draft: 2006 fourth round - 126th overall Years with Broncos: 2006-12
Career stats: 162 games, 99 starts, 105.5 sacks, 366 total tackles, 84 tackles for loss, 190 quarterback hits, 23 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries, 14 passes defensed, one interception, one safety
Broncos stats: 91 games, 75 starts with Broncos, 63.5 sacks, 225 total tackles, 44 tackles for loss, 100 quarterback hits, 16 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, 10 passes defensed, one interception, one safety
Career accolades: Broncos Top 100 Team selection, five Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All Pro selections by the Associated Press, two NFL Top 100 selections (No. 68 in 2012, No. 46 in 2015), two AFC Defensive Player of the Week selections (2007 Week 14, 2014 Week 14), 2009 season sack leader, eighth in Broncos history in career sacks, tied for franchise record for most sacks in a single game
College: Central Florida Draft: 2006 fourth round, 119th overall Years with Broncos: 2006-09
Career stats: 179 games, 158 starts, 970 receptions, 12,351 receiving yards, 83 receiving touchdowns
Career accolades: Broncos Top 100 Team selection, six Pro Bowls, one first-team All-Pro, one second-team All-Pro, 2012 Pro Bowl MVP, three-time AFC Offensive Player of the Week, 2015 NFL receiving touchdowns co-leader, eight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, NFL record-holder for most receptions in a single game, No. 1 and No. 2 Broncos franchise marks for receptions in a single game, No. 8 in receiving yards in a single season in Broncos franchise history
College: Notre Dame Draft: 2009 fourth round - 114th overall Years with Broncos: 2009-15
Broncos stats: 104 games, eight starts, three interceptions, 16 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one sack, 163 total tackles, six tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two rushes for 48 yards
Career stats: 108 games, 12 starts, three interceptions, 18 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two sacks, 191 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, two rushes for 48 yards
Career accolades: Super Bowl 50 champion, multi-year special teams captain
College: Portland State Draft: 2011 fourth round - 129th overall Years with Broncos: 2011-14
Broncos stats: 36 games, 25 starts, 109 receptions, 1282 yards, 24 touchdowns
Career stats: 71 games, 53 starts, 226 receptions, 2406 yards, 36 touchdowns
Career accolades: Broncos Top 100 Team selection, two Pro Bowl selections, 2015 NFL Top 100 selection (No. 45), 2014 Week 1 AFC Offensive Player of the Week
College: Iowa Draft: 2018 fourth round - 106th overall Years with Broncos: 2018 to present
Career stats: 62 games, 43 starts, 345 total tackles, two interceptions, 12 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, six sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits
When the 2023 NFL Draft arrives in a little more than two weeks, the Broncos are scheduled to make their first selection with the 67th-overall pick.
Yet while Denver lacks a first- or second-round pick, the Broncos still have a chance to add significant talent to their roster. Over the franchise's history, the team has found a number of key contributors later in the draft — and in the coming days, DenverBroncos.com will take a look at some of those selections.
After beginning with the third round, we continue on to the fourth, where the Broncos are slated to make a selection in this year's draft.
Read on for a look at a few of the franchise's best fourth-round selections.
Editor's note: The following selections are the solely the opinion of the author and do not represent the organization. Additionally, because it can take time for draft picks to round into form, players are only eligible for this list if they were drafted at least five years ago. The selected players are listed in alphabetical order.
DE LYLE ALZADO (1971, 79th overall)
A two-time Pro Bowler and member of the Broncos' famed Orange Crush defense, Alzado was selected by the Broncos in the early 1970s and enjoyed a eight-year career with the organization. With six seasons in Denver with at least eight sacks, Alzado made an impact along the defensive line and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting in 1977. A first-team All-Pro selection that season, Alzado helped the Broncos reach their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. He followed up his performance in 1978 with another nine sacks and a second-team All-Pro nod. Alzado led the team in sacks in five of his eight seasons with the Broncos.
DE ELVIS DUMERVIL (2006, 126th overall)
Dumervil's career in Denver may have ended earlier than anticipated, but he made the most of his six seasons on the field for the Broncos. He broke out in 2009 as he recorded 17 sacks, earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Returning from injury in 2011, Dumervil posted two more Pro Bowl seasons and ended his career in Denver with 63.5 sacks. More than a decade after his departure, he still ranks eighth in team history in sacks and has the second-highest single-season total. Dumervil held at least a share of the team lead in sacks in four of his seasons with the Broncos.
LB TOM JACKSON (1973, 88th overall)
One of Alzado's teammates on the Broncos' Orange Crush defense, Jackson earned three consecutive Pro Bowls from 1977-79 and was a first-team All-Pro in 1977 as Denver advanced to Super Bowl XII. A Ring of Famer, Jackson spent the entirety of his 14-year career in Denver and is among the most prominent players in the organization's history. During his career, Jackson helped the Broncos to six playoff berths, four division titles and two Super Bowl appearances. He finished his career having played the most games in team history and was voted most inspirational player by his teammates in six consecutive seasons.
WR BRANDON MARSHALL (2006, 119th overall)
A dynamic receiver, Marshall earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods in Denver and totaled more than 100 catches in three consecutive seasons. From 2007-09, Marshall recorded a whopping 307 catches for 3,710 yards and 23 touchdowns. Averaging more than 12 yards per catch during his four seasons with the Broncos, Marshall set the NFL record for the most catches in a game with 21 receptions against the Colts in 2009. He also posted an 18-catch game against the Chargers, giving him first and second place in Broncos history for the most catches in a game.
WR RICK UPCHURCH (1975, 95th overall)
The Minnesota product earned Ring of Fame honors in 2014 after a nine-year career in which he was named to four Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. The wide receiver and returner was a first-team 1970s NFL All-Decade player and earned second-team honors for the 1980s. The only player to make two All-Decade teams with the Broncos, Upchurch's eight punt-return touchdowns were tied for the most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. He is still tied for the single-season record for the most punt-return touchdowns in a season.
Honorable mentions:
S David Bruton, C Bill Bryan, ILB Josey Jewell, TE Julius Thomas
