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Denver Broncos: Top 5 draft picks of the 2010s

By Sayre Bedinger

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: Von Miller, #2 overall pick by the Denver Broncos holds up a jersey on stage during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: Von Miller, #2 overall pick by the Denver Broncos holds up a jersey on stage during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos, Derek Wolfe
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 13: Derek Wolfe #95 of the Denver Broncos runs onto the field during starting defense player introductions before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Empower Field at Mile High on October 13, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

3. Derek Wolfe, Defensive Line, Cincinnati

2012 NFL Draft: 2nd round, 36th overall

Derek Wolfe was not who everyone predicted the Denver Broncos would take with their top selection in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Regarded more as a late-2nd, early-3rd round player at the time, Wolfe was somewhat of a surprise after the Broncos traded out of the first round entirely following their big free agency signing of Peyton Manning.

The defensive line had long been a problem area for the Broncos, and after the team used a first-round pick on Von Miller the year before, it was apparent they needed some more beef in the middle to help him out.

Wolfe came in and had an immediate impact as a rookie for the Broncos, notching six sacks in 16 games.

It seems almost cliche to say a player battled through injuries these days (who isn’t?) but Derek Wolfe came back from some pretty scary injuries in Denver to be one of the team’s best players of the decade, much less one of their best draft selections.

Wolfe played in 108 games for the Broncos and finished his career in Denver with 33 sacks, 46 tackles for loss, and a Super Bowl 50 championship.

He set a career-high in 2019 with seven sacks before moving on to the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year free agent deal.

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