The Denver Broncos have found some of the best players in their history in the later rounds of the NFL draft.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports recently took a dive into the best seventh-round picks made in NFL history. Having to consider hundreds of players, DeArdo whittled that list down to the top 10.
The Broncos have their seventh-round pick in 1990 out of Savannah State, Shannon Sharpe, coming in at No. 3 on that list.
"Arguably the NFL's greatest tight end during the 1990s, Sharpe played a vital role on the Broncos back-to-back championship teams. A Pro Bowler each season from 1992-98, Sharpe retired as the NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end. A member of the NFL's All-1990s Team, Sharpe won a third Super Bowl as a member of the 2000 Ravens. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011", wrote DeArdo.
He listed some great accomplishments for Sharpe, but he was an integral part of a team that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. In Denver, he caught 675 passes for 8,439 yards and 55 touchdowns. Not bad for a seventh-round pick, a round in which most players selected are fringe roster or practice squad guys.
Sharpe has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons as of late, but he is a top 10, maybe even a top 5 player in Broncos history.
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Everyone remembers the players picked early on that end up working out. But the best picks in the draft are the ones made in the later rounds that surprise everyone and become top-level players, such as Sharpe.
The Broncos also had Tom Nalen, their seventh-round pick in 1994, land on the list as an honorable mention. He is the best center in team history and a member of the team's Ring of Fame after playing 14 seasons and being selected to five Pro Bowls.
Detroit Lions linebacker Joe Schmidt (seventh round in 1953) and St. Louis Cardinals safety Larry Wilson (seventh round in 1960) were the only players ranked ahead of Sharpe.
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