Schlereth: Each Broncos draft pick an admission of past failures

Mar 1, 2019, 11:02 AM Updated: Mar 4, 2019, 8:15 am

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Of the players selected in the 2013, 2014, and 2015 NFL drafts by the Denver Broncos, 22 players in total, just five remain with the club just a few years after their selection.

And of those players — center Matt Paradis, cornerback Bradley Roby, guard Max Paradis, tight end Jeff Heuerman, and linebacker Shane Ray — all could be gone as unrestricted free agents this offseason.

So, when the Broncos turn to the draft in late April, “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth said that each pick they make is an admission of how poorly the team drafted in the recent past.

“Every pick you make is an admission that we screwed up. You pick a tight end, it’s an admission. You take an offensive lineman, it’s an admission. You take a corner, it’s an admission,” Schlereth said. “The guys we took before didn’t pan out.”

Last year’s draft notwithstanding, Schlereth said just a handful of real contributors remain on the roster even through the 2016 and 2017 drafts.

“Say whatever you want about getting (Peyton) Manning here and going to two Super Bowls and all those things. When it comes to what they’ve done in the draft, they’re a failing grade,” Schlereth said.

“Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley said on Friday that it’s no secret why the Broncos ended up 5-11 and 6-10 the past two seasons, which was due to “consistent misses throughout the draft, from the first round all the way through the seventh round.”

But Stokley said that last year’s draft can live as a blueprint on how Denver can start to rebuild its roster moving forward.

“You look at the draft last year, I mean, that’s what you want. You want young, cheap talent. And when you have that, now you’re able to build a football team and build it the right way,” Stokley said. “So, when you start losing these guys to free agency, you’ll get compensatory picks for them, that’s how you build a football team.

“You’ve got to build a football team through the draft. And, if you’re missing in the draft, then you are the Denver Broncos of the past two year.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.