The NFL Draft is a fickle process. It's not always easy to separate first-round busts from late-round gems, but some teams have proven to be better at scouting and developing players than others. The Denver Broncos have done a solid job of finding talent in the draft, which is a big reason why they won Super Bowl 50. But even the Broncos have missed on a few picks. With that in mind, here are the 5 Worst Picks By The Broncos Since 2005:
5. DE Robert Ayers, Tennessee
Ayers is the first of two players from the awful 2009 draft for the Broncos. It was the first year under head coach Josh McDaniels, and the Broncos bombed the 2009 draft. Denver took RB Knowshon Moreno No. 12 overall, which turned out not to be a terrible pick. But McDaniels and Co. missed on their next four picks, starting with Ayers. He struggled with Denver, failing to top three sacks until his final season. He's found some success with the Giants, racking up 14 sacks the past two seasons. But in Denver, Ayers never started more than 13 games and did not live up to his No. 18 overall selection.
4. RB Maurice Clarett, Ohio State
Clarett wasn't a high draft pick, but he was still a terrible selection by the franchise. He tried to enter the NFL Draft a year early, after being suspended for the 2003 college football season. Because Clarett signed with an agent, he couldn't return to college and was forced to sit out another season. The Broncos surprised everyone by taking Clarett at the end of the third round in 2005, when many projected Clarett to last until the 6th or 7th round. But Clarett showed up to camp more than 20 pounds overweight and didn't even make the 53-man roster. It was a disastrous pick and a complete waste by the Broncos.
3. DE Jarvis Moss, Florida
Denver moved up a few picks to draft Moss in 2007, who was fresh off an All-American season for the National Champion Florida Gators. The Broncos expected to get a stud pass rusher with their No. 17 overall pick, but that turned out not to be the case. He started just one game for the Denver in his 3.5 years with the team. He never topped 2.5 sacks in a season. He played 1.5 years with Raiders, but wasn't much better.
2. QB Tim Tebow, Florida
Tebow had more NFL success than the last two names, but he still was a worse pick. The Broncos gave up a second, third and fourth round pick to move back into the first round to select Tebow. It was a reach at the time, as Tebow wasn't a first round pick. Tebow quickly gained a passionate following, which only grew after he won a playoff game in 2011. But Tebow's career was all but over after that playoff win. Realizing Tebow had leaned heavily on the Broncos' defense, the team traded him to the Jets, where he threw just eight passes. Tebow hasn't played a down since, despite getting shots with the Patriots and Eagles. Tebow's terrible throwing motion is his biggest problem and he has a career completion percentage of just 47.9.
1. CB Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest
We finish the same way we started, with the terrible 2009 draft. Smith was picked in the second round with the No. 37 overall pick, but the Broncos gave up their first round pick in the 2010 draft to get Smith. That first rounder ended up being the No. 14 overall pick and was used on Earl Thomas, one of the best safeties in the NFL. Smith lasted just one season with Denver, before they traded him to the Lions for TE Dan Gronkowski, the second to last pick in the draft. Gronkowski lasted one season with Denver. Smith played three seasons with the Lions, picking off eight passes in his first two years. To recap, the Broncos traded away the No. 14 overall pick in the 2010 draft and ended up with the No. 255 pick in the 2009 draft. That's the textbook definition of a disaster.
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