Last year, Denver Broncos general manager John Elway opted to trade down in the first round of the NFL Draft instead of selecting Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. At the time, some fans questioned the move because linebacker has been — and remains — a big need for Denver’s defense.
In hindsight, the moves appears to have been a brilliant decision, as The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran pointed out on Twitter.
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded three picks to the Broncos in exchange for the 10th overall pick last year and the Steelers landed Bush.
Denver went on to select Noah Fant (No. 20) last year and they used a second-round pick from the Steelers (No. 52) to trade up for quarterback Drew Lock. The Broncos also received a 2020 third-round pick.
Denver used that third-round pick (No. 83) to select LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry in this year’s draft. So instead of drafting Bush, the Broncos ended up with Fant, Lock and Cushenberry — three starters.
That was an excellent trade by Elway.
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