The Broncos and the 2012 NFL Draft

Well the results of the 2012 NFL draft are in. And the Denver Broncos did alright. I say alright because while they filled some holes in the Broncos roster, they missed out on a few key players that both myself and other fans were screaming at them to go after. That being said, you never know how a young and just drafted player is going to work out. There are many cases where teams draft a top-30 pick and the player never really pans out to their potential. It turns out that some of these amazing players peak in college. And then there are the sleepers - the guys that barely make it into the NFL through the draft at all - and turn out to be great additions to any NFL roster. With that in mind, I can't quite understand why so many football sites give teams "grades" for their drafting skills. Seriously: you don't know what's going to happen with any of the players that are picked. Yes, there are some picks that seem to be no-brainers - but that doesn't mean that some of the underdogs are bad picks either. Plus, you're not part of the team's strategy during the draft. You're not in on the ground level. They might have a different plan than just thinking about the short term and filling the immediate holes in a roster - they might be thinking more long-term about how this player can help their team. So everything being said, I am a little disappointed that the Broncos missed out on some great players. But that doesn't mean that the players they DID draft won't be great additions to the team as well.