Mike Shanahan’s going away gift for the Broncos was a draft in which 8 of the 9 players selected contributed to the team.  Offensive tackle Ryan Clady was outstanding in his rookie season.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Broncos last season and he has the look of a future Pro Bowler who even made a tackle last season.  But, 2nd round pick Eddie Royal (WR) was the best player selected in this draft by the Broncos.  He’s electric with the football in his hands as he has a ton of moves and excellent deep speed.  Royal played in 15 games (all starts) for the Broncos and he caught 91 passes for 980 yards (10.8 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 11 times for 109 yards (9.9 ypc) last season.  Royal also was a great return man for the Broncos as a rookie.  He returned 23 kickoffs for 600 yards (26.1 avg) and he also returned 14 punts for 140 yards (10.0 avg).  Royal even made a tackle last season and the sky is the limit for him in the future.  4th rounder Kory Lichtensteiger played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Broncos last season and he looks like the center of the future for them.  CB Jack Williams was the other 4th round selection that the Broncos made last April and he played in 14 games (0 starts) and he made 13 tackles.  His playing time will likely increase in 2009.  The Broncos took a chance on injury prone RB Ryan Torain who has a nice upside if he can ever stay healthy.  He played in 2 games (1 start) for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 69 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Fellow 5th rounder Carlton Powell (DT) missed all of last season due to a torn ACL.  6th rounder Spencer Larsen (LB) did everything the Broncos wanted him to do last season including playing some fullback.  He played in 14 games (3 starts) last season and he made 22 tackles.  7th round pick (safety) Josh Barrett looks like a potential steal for the Broncos as he could be a starter down the road.  Barrett played in 6 games (3 starts) last season and he made 22 tackles, defensed 4 passes and had 1 interception.  Fullback Peyton Hillis was the Broncos’ final pick last April (7th round) and all he did was lead the team in rushing as a tailback.  Hillis played in 12 games (6 starts) for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 68 times for 343 yards (5.0 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 14 passes for 179 yards (12.8 avg) with a TD.  Hillis also helped out on special teams as he returned 4 kickoffs for 65 yards (16.3 avg) and he also made 4 tackles.  Look for Hillis to return to the fullback position but to also be a contributor for the Broncos on both offense and special teams.

GRADE FOR 2008 SEASON:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A