Here’s how the Denver Broncos draft class graded out

Give us all the grades! We went around the nation and pulled all of the biggest media draft grades for the Denver Broncos 2024 draft class.

Soon after the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, we asked Denver Broncos fans how they graded the team’s final draft class and, at the time of this writing, the polling showed nearly a 50% vote for ‘A’ and another 40% for a ‘B’. That means Broncos Country mostly liked or loved the Broncos 2024 draft class.

However, now the so-called ‘experts’ have begun to chime in. I figured it might be fun to compare their opinion of this draft class to ours. Then a few years from now we can all lose these receipts and pretend it never happened… unless the ‘experts’ were wrong then we can come calling!

Denver Broncos Draft Grades

Chad Rueter: B-

Time will tell whether Nix will be a top-notch starting NFL quarterback or viewed as a reach by a team in desperate need of talent under center. Time will also tell whether the 2023 first- and 2024 second-rounders the Broncos sent the Saints to acquire coach Sean Payton (along with a 2024 third-round pick) will lead to a championship in Denver.

Elliss isn’t a fantastic athlete but was productive at a need position for Utah, where he played for his father, former NFL lineman Luther Elliss. Denver traded up early in Round 4 to unite Franklin with Nix; the former is not the toughest receiver, but he can make defenders miss after the catch. The Broncos then found value at corner in wiry competitor Abrams-Draine before grabbing a power back in Estimé.

Mel Kiper: C+

Payton’s future is aligned with the sixth-best signal-caller in this draft, and we know there’s not a great history of six QBs being stellar in one draft class. Likely half of those guys will end up having mediocre careers. For Payton’s sake, he better hope it’s not his guy or he won’t last long with the Broncos.

Trevor Sikkema: A-

Danny Kelley: B-

I CAN’T SAY THAT I LOVED DENVER’S DECISION TO TAKE BO NIX AT NO. 12 OVERALL—I worry that he is more of a game-manager type than a true franchise elevator—but it’s tough to quibble with what Denver did with the rest of their picks. Utah’s Jonah Elliss is a high-energy pass rusher who bolsters the team’s pass rush rotation. Oregon receiver Troy Franklin (a massive value as my 39th overall player) is a speedster and big-play dynamo who brings built-in chemistry with Nix from their time together in Eugene. Missouri corner Kris Abrams-Draine is tenacious and heady in coverage, giving the team a potential starter in the secondary. And Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé, who came in as my 73rd ranked player, is a steal in the fifth round; he’s a big-time bruiser with explosive play talent, and could mix into the team’s running back rotation early in his career. The Broncos’ roster got a whole lot deeper this weekend.

Nate Davis: C-

The sins of the trade for former QB Russell Wilson have not only retarded this roster’s development but moving on from them boxed the Broncos in, at least partially, to taking Oregon QB Bo Nix at No. 12 – even if that’s tantamount to an overdraft. Giving Nix WR Troy Franklin, a Ducks teammate, in Round 4 could prove an efficient stroke. A fifth-rounder isn’t a huge investment in Notre Dame RB Audric Estimé, a highly productive player for the Irish … but how many ball carriers with 4.7 speed turn into reliable pros? No second-rounder as part of the price of prying Payton from the Saints, something he’s presumably got plenty of time to justify.

Rob Maaddi: B+

Taking QB Bo Nix in the 20s instead of at No. 12 would’ve been ideal but they didn’t want to risk losing him. Made excellent picks the rest of the way with DE Jonah Elliss (76), WR Troy Franklin, CB Kris Abrams-Draine and RB Audric Estime. Franklin is a first-round talent who slipped to the fourth.

PFN: B+

Chris Trepasso: B+

The Broncos did admirable work even without a second-round pick, although I don’t have as much confidence in Nix as Sean Payton.

Elliss is a supercharged edge rusher with untapped potential around the corner. Franklin, and particularly Abrams-Draine, have the refined skill sets to be stars as Day 3 selections. Estime has unusual wiggle for being a crazy-wide powerful rusher. This was a class in which the Broncos had to add weapons beyond getting a quarterback, and they did that. Plus, they didn’t mortgage the future in landing said quarterback.

Matt Verderame: C+

This class will be remembered—for better or worse—for the selection of Nix. The Broncos are staking their future on the Oregon product, who struggled mightily at Auburn before transferring and throwing 45 touchdowns against three interceptions last season. The question is which Nix is Denver getting, and at 24 years old, has he already reached his ceiling?

Vinnie Iyer: A-

The Broncos didn’t reach at all for Nix despite him being the sixth QB off the board because Sean Payton was confident he would be the ideal accurate passer for his scheme. Getting Franklin later to remain his go-to guy was the steal of the draft. Elliss and Abrams-Draine will make a lot of plays on the back end for Vance Joseph. Estime gives them the much-needed power back with burst to complement Javonte Williams.

As you can see, people out there are all over the map on the Broncos draft class and what I’ve noticed is that the final grade comes down to how much emphasis they placed on picking Bo Nix at the 12th overall spot over later in the first round. Many draft gurus focus too much on theoretical value from their own draft boards and ignore the bigger picture. Personally, I think the Broncos navigated this draft pretty damn flawlessly. They didn’t have a ton of ammo in the front half, but made the most of the picks they had on the back half.

What stood out the most to you from these draftniks analysis of Denver’s draft? Share in the comments section below.