Denver Broncos 2022 NFL Draft Grades: Reloading The Defense
By Hunter Haas
Due to the blockbuster trade that brought Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, the franchise was without a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. This did not stop them from adding talent. Check out their draft grades here.
The Denver Broncos have completely changed their identity this offseason. Hiring Nathaniel Hackett away from the Green Bay Packers was the first of many moves. The offensive minded Hackett is only 42 years old, and already has three separate offensive coordinator jobs under his belt (Bills, Jags, Packers).
Finally, after spending the past three seasons with the Packers, he gets a chance to spearhead his own team. Hackett left Aaron Rodgers behind, but general manager George Paton wasted no time on bringing in a different hall-of-fame quarterback to serve as the franchise centerpiece.
Enter Russell Wilson. Wilson is synonymous with the Seahawks franchise. He brought Seattle their first and only Super Bowl victory, which ironically enough came against his new team — the Denver Broncos.
Out of respect to Broncos fans, I won’t mention anything that happened in that game! They didn’t stop with the quarterback position, though. The team also signed the likes of Randy Gregory, Billy Turner, DJ Jones, and K’Waun Williams to address needs on defense and at the right tackle position. What an offseason for Denver, and I haven’t even touched on the draft class yet.
Denver Broncos 2022 NFL Draft Grades
In the following slide, I list each draft pick and a letter grade for them. I will highlight my favorite pick, my least favorite pick, and a player from the later rounds that has the potential to make immediate contributions. There will also be an overall grade for the class as a whole. Without further ado, let’s get this started!