The Denver Broncos Took No One in the Supplemental Draft

The Supplemental Draft came and went with little to no fanfare, and the Denver Broncos didn’t make a single pick.

It’s no surprise. If you knew when the Supplemental Draft was, raise your hand and know that you’re very, very alone. Most teams pass on it, most fans don’t think twice about it, and most players in that draft don’t do anything in the NFL.

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It’s just been gaining popularity lately due to picks like Josh Gordon. He ended up in the draft largely because of character issues, but he tore up the league early for the Cleveland Browns. However, since then, more character issues have derailed his career almost entirely.

This draft was somewhat notable for the Broncos, though, because it contained Clemson’s Isaiah Battle. While he’s thought of as a project lineman, he’s a big, powerful player who actually measures out very well by NFL standards. With the Broncos’ needs on the offensive line due to the loss of Ryan Clady with a torn ACL, there was some thought that Denver may go after Battle.

On one hand, it’s probably better that they didn’t. Battle is most famous for throwing an uppercut on the field, during a game. That’s not exactly the type of thing that makes coaches drool. He could be another guy with a lot of skill, but with character issues that mean he washes right out of the NFL.

On the other hand, the St. Louis Rams did gamble on him, and it only cost them a 5^th Round pick to do it. That’s pretty low if he turns into a starter, and not bad even if he’s just a depth guy.

That said, Denver would have had to take him in the 4^th to get in ahead of St. Louis. For a guy who is largely a gamble, that may have been far too early for their liking.

The Broncos also drafted two lineman already this year, in Max Garcia and Ty Sambrailo. Ignoring Battle is a vote of confidence for the guys they already have on the roster, and especially for those two. The Broncos feel good about where they stand, even without Clady, and they’d rather spend time and effort developing the players they have, rather than worrying about what Battle might do.