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The Denver Broncos had to wait a while to start Day 3 as they had no draft picks between 105 and 152. However, early in the fifth round they found a playmaker on the backend in Texas safety Caden Sterns.
Sterns is also a big fan of current Broncos All-Pro safety Justin Simmons. Soon after being drafted by Denver he said, “I look up to Justin Simmons and watch him all the time so be able to learn from him will mean a lot.”
There are some injury concerns, but if he is healthy the potential is there for Denver to find a quality starter once Kareem Jackson moves on.
• If you believe the week begins Sunday, then you can proudly proclaim that the NFL Draft begins THIS WEEK. It’s exciting to think about bringing in new players who can help the Chicago Bears now and in the future. This thing can go in so many different directions. And while I’m certain we can say this about
every NFL Draft, it’s especially true this year.
• Think about the Bears’ different needs. They can pick a receiver, lineman, or cornerback at 20 and I wouldn’t bat an eye. It would be easy to green-light a pick at a position of need. The team could also mortgage other draft capital to move up to take a quarterback. Who the Bears take would be a point of contention for some, but it’s hard to argue against making the climb to fortify that position. The only thing easier would be building an argument for trading back and adding draft picks. Seriously … there are many different options that would be easy to approve from where we stand as of right now.
Paton gushed on Simmons during his Thursday pre-draft/pre-free agency press conference in lieu of what would be his traditional NFL Combine appearance.
“Justin is one of our core guys, Paton said. Our goal since I got here is to sign him to a long-term deal. We have had discussions with his agent. I don’t know if we’ll get a deal done or not, but that’s our goal. He’s the type of guy we want to extend.”
The franchise tag for Simmons will count for a fully guaranteed $13.73 million against the cap in 2021. While that is no small chunk of change, $13.73M would rank Simmons as the sixth highest-paid safety in the NFL behind Arizona s Budda Baker, Chicago s Eddie Jackson, Tennessee s Kevin Byard, Kansas City s Tyrann Mathieu, and Washington s Landon Collins.
Rod Smith has long held that message to be true.
On the field, Smith was a Ring of Famer for the Broncos. On the field, he set and still holds nearly every franchise receiving record. On the field, he went from undrafted unknown to beloved superstar.
He was just as impactful in the Denver community.
Smith s work was recognized by the Broncos in both 2004 and 2006, as he became the first Bronco to be nominated multiple times for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The honor, which has been awarded each year since 1970 and was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, is given each year to a player with a substantial positive impact on the community.