Horse Tracks: The best #12 NFL Draft picks of the past 12 years

The Denver Broncos have the 12th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Can they find a franchise player at that pick? Let’s review recent history to find out

With just two weeks away until the 2024 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos have thus far kept their cards close to the vest in regards to what the team plans to do with their #12 pick in the first round.

There has been speculation that they’ll trade up for a quarterback.

There has been speculation that the’ll trade back to acquire picks and perhaps a QB at a more reasonable pick.

There has also been speculation that the team will stand pat and just pick best player available at #12, which would be boring, and perhaps make the Broncos unwatchable for yet another year, but that may indeed be what the team plans to do.

And what if the team decides to stay at #12? Could they land the next franchise superstar that helps turn the tide of the franchise, even if it’s not a QB?

Let’s take a look at the last 12 picks who went #12 overall and see what Denver may have to look forward (or not) to.

12. WR Henry Ruggs (2020) – Las Vegas Raiders

Classic Raiders. Grab the fastest guy, check to see if he played for a good team (check), and roll the dice. Character flaws be damned. Ruggs was a speed demon on the field, a boom-or-bust type in the pass game, but that’s not what derailed his career. He decided to not only drink and drive one night, but drive up to speeds of over 150 MPH in his hazy state, leading to him killing a woman and her dog. He was soon released from the Raiders and is currently behind bars. Hopefully he can be rehabilitated and pay for his mistakes.

11. CB D.J. Hayden (2013) – Oakland Raiders

Hayden is a textbook reason why combine performances don’t always translate to NFL success and also why the Raiders’ love of combine performances led to their downfall for so many years. A solid corner who played at the University of Houston, Hayden was uber-athletic, but he never could become a player worthy of his draft status, just like so many Raiders picks before him. But hey, at least he picked off Peyton Manning once.

10. DT Danny Shelton (2015) – Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are notoriously consistent for one thing – terrible draft picks. And Shelton is no exception, bless his heart. He was relatively invisible during his time with the Browns before becoming a journeyman in 2018. He did, however, earn a ring in both 2018 with the Patriots and 2023 with the Chiefs where he played a combined 14 games and one start. So there’s that, I guess.

9. WR Jameson Williams (2022) – Detroit Lions

This man CRUSHED it at Alabama after transferring from Ohio State, and that of course opened up the floodgates for his NFL Draft prospects. He had a lingering ACL issue, however, that always followed him and never saw the field much his rookie season. He had a much better second season, that is, after his suspension was lifted for sports gambling (weak ass shit if you ask me), and he remains on the Lions moving forward. His status is still TBD at the moment, so he could certainly move up. Just stop playing the ponies.

8. QB Deshaun Watson (2017) – Houston Texans

A superstar, national champion coming out of college, coming to dominate, coming to announce his presence, coming to…(see what I’m getting at here?). Watson was a bonafide franchise QB with the talent to surpass just about any active QB in the NFL. Yet, here’s the rub…something within him just wouldn’t sit still or take no for an answer. His ending is yet to be determined, but as of now, it certainly isn’t happy. Masseuse. Off-field matters. He had a promising career outlook with the Texans, but it seems his oily heat has caught up with him in Cleveland thus far. But hey, at least he’s getting paid!

7. DT Sheldon Rankins (2016) – New Orleans Saints

Rankins cannot be objectively described as a home run pick or a superstar by any means, but he proved himself to be incredibly effective on the New Orleans Saints frontline as a rookie and beyond. He had been a major part of the Saints’ defense before suffering an Achilles’ injury in 2019 and then again a knee injury in 2020. Despite his injuries, though, he has remained in demand, and has made plays for both the Jets and Texans and is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. The injury history, unfortunately, though, cannot be overlooked.

6. DE Rashard Gary (2019) – Green Bay Packers

As solid as solid comes in the pass rush game, if you’re a QB, he haunts your dreams. The man has had at least nine sacks two of the past three seasons, and the one in which he didn’t, he had six. Yet, he has been mainly situational and one-dimensional at times, but that doesn’t negate his impressive pass rushing skills. Impressive enough to pass on the likes of Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, Montez Sweat, and Deebo Samuels (remember when Aaron Rodgers wanted receivers?)? That’s for history to decide.

5. RB Jahmyr Gibbs (2023) – Detroit Lions

Yeah, this man is already a beast, no questions asked. It’s tough to draft a running back first round in this day and age, and yes, it’s likely his success is short term given the state of first-down running backs, but let us enjoy this while we can. So what did he do again during his rookie season? Oh that’s right, just gained short of 1,000 yards at over five yards a carry and was an integral part of a team that fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance. He unfortunately suffers from sample size syndrome, so he can’t be ranked that high, but damn the kid had a hell of a rookie season.

4. DT Vita Vea (2018) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mr. Reliable thus far in his career, Vita Vea has lived up to the positive stereotype of Samoan athletes: hard working, disciplined, consistent, and dedicated. Vea was a huge part of the Bucs Super Bowl win in 2021, was named to the Pro Bowl that same year, and has been going strong since. Nose tackle isn’t always a glamorous position, but players like Vea show how valuable the position truly is.

3. WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (2014) – New York Giants

Okay, let’s ignore his recent injury issues and team hopping…when he was drafted, this dude was expected to be the ultimate baller at wide receiver…and that’s exactly who he was. ODB was a monster for the New York Giants, earning Rookie of the Year honors his first year, and outside of one injury plagued year, never accumulated less than 1,000 yards in his time in New York. However, his ego combined with that of the NYG executive office did not mesh, and he eventually found his way to the Cleveland Browns, where he had an initially solid season and then fell off. He did win a ring with the Los Angeles Rams, but has since been a man looking to be an “in case of emergency” plan for contenders. That doesn’t negate his career, however.

2. DT Fletcher Cox (2012) – Philadelphia Eagles

Talk about a case for positive thinking…Cox was an absolute stud for the Eagles for 12 seasons, playing for no other team. He finished his career with 70 sacks and 519 tackles, being names to the Pro Bowl six times, being named first-team All-Pro once and second-team All-Pro three times. He was also a member of the Super Bowl LII team. He is regarded as an Eagles legend, and suffice it to say, he is concrete evidence that a #12 pick can elevate a team to great heights.

1. OLB Micah Parsons (2021) – Dallas Cowboys

I’m old enough to remember when Broncos fans were arguing over whether the team made the right choice of picking Pat Surtain II over Justin Fields. Pretty sure that debate has been settled (it’s PS2 by the way, sorry Pittsburgh). Maybe they should have been debating whether or not Micah Parsons should have been the choice. Defensive rookie of the year in 2021, Parsons may just be the most consistently great defensive player in the NFL. He hasn’t been named Defensive Player of the Year yet, but at this point, it seems like a technicality. There is no defensive player more valuable to his team than Parsons. He may just be, year in and year out, the best defensive player in football.

Broncos Conclusion:

Based on recent events, and taking away the possibility of idiotic off-the-field activities (quote-unquote), the Broncos remain in prime position to draft a franchise-altering player. The issue? The team still needs a QB. Based on the above, if those players picked represent the best-player-available, and removing the knuckleheads who had off-the-field disasters, the odds are in the Broncos favor to draft a great player. Yet, is it enough if that great player stands in the way of a QB? We shall see soon enough.

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