The defending Super Bowl champions surprised some people by trading up in the first round to take quarterback Paxton Lynch. His footwork needs to be worked on, but all of the tools are there for him to eventually become the starting quarterback. Gotsis in the second round was a surprise, but he fits what the Broncos do up front. Justin Simmons is a nice ballhawking safety who has experience. Devontae Booker can be the next Broncos mid-round running back who can steal the starting job. He's a workhorse back with few on-field flaws. Connor McGovern was an excellent selection in the firth round. He's a powerhouse blocker who should push for a starting job early in his career.
— Dan Kadar, SB Nation.
Probably the best part of this trade was that it happened at the very moment when the Dallas Cowboys began an attempt to move up as well in order to grab Lynch, which means the Broncos played it as perfectly as a team could play it to land their guy. For that reason alone, I would give the Broncos first round grade an 'A'. However, the fact that the Broncos also nabbed their quarterback of the future also plays a significant role in that 'A' grade. From this moment forward, Elway can focus purely on drafting the best talent available and he has eight more draft picks to do exactly that. This is how champions handle the NFL Draft.
The Broncos added depth to their defensive line by selecting Georgia Tech's Adam Gotsis. He's a 6'4", 287lb defensive end who will compete for reps behind Vance Walker, Jared Crick, and Kenny Anunike. ... The one downside is that Gotsis is coming off a torn ACL in late October. He says he should be fully healed by September.
Simmons has the size, speed, and athleticism to be a starting safety in this league. He is a ballhawk and a willing tackler. He can cover tight ends and running backs. Look for him to play in sub-packages for the Broncos in 2016.
He [Devontae Booker] is a great scheme fit who will compete for snaps with Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson. He can do it all and is a great value pick for the Broncos. He was Mike Mayock's second-rated running back in the draft and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah called him the best back on the Broncos roster right now.
A solid scheme fit, a tough guy, a strong guy, and will provide depth behind guards Ty Sambrailo and Max Garcia. He is making the transition from tackle to guard, but he's a mean dude. One of the better run blockers in this class. I wouldn't be shocked if he pushes for playing time early on.
Janovich is more of a true fullback while fan favorite Dan Vitale is more of an H-Back. The Gronkowski guy was only mentioned because of his last name. I like the pick.
Parks is a 6'1", 194lb safety from Arizona. He's considered a box safety who will backup starter T.J. Ward and will compete on special teams. Parks will join Justin Simmons as a rookie in the Broncos secondary.
In the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos select former Syracuse punter Riley Dixon. Competition for starter Britton Colquitt. He's a big bodied punter. Not much else to say here!