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Broncos get 'best pass rusher in draft' in Bradley Chubb

"We thought he would go a little bit earlier so we were a little bit surprised he was there. We didn't think he would get by Cleveland but we were thrilled that he was there. He will add a lot to the defense. His style of play, he plays 120 percent all the time."
Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

ENGLEWOOD – Sam Darnold fell, but not far enough.

Once the only quarterback the Broncos would have considered with their No. 5 overall draft pick went to the New York Jets at No. 3, Denver general manager John Elway wondered if he should trade back. He had some possibilities, in particular with Buffalo at No. 12 and Arizona at No. 15.

But wait. What’s that? The Cleveland Browns with the No. 4 pick did not take Bradley Chubb. They took cornerback Denzel Ward (whom the Broncos also loved).

Elway was surprised, pleasantly so, Chubb was still available.

“We were,’’ Elway said in an interview with 9NEWS a few minutes after calling off all trade scenarios and taking Chubb with the Broncos’ No. 5 selection. “We thought he would go a little bit earlier so we were a little bit surprised he was there. We didn’t think he would get by Cleveland but we were thrilled that he was there. He will add a lot to the defense. His style of play, he plays 120 percent all the time. He can really rush the passer, lot of tackles for loss and he loves the game of football so he’s going to be a great addition to us.’’

Said Chubb in a conference call with the Denver media: "I had the phone on the table. I didn't even have to look at it and I saw a Denver number pop up, and I was like, 'this is it.' It was just a great moment with all my family as I was on the phone. ... Mom and dad started crying and I tried to hold it together.''

Initially, there was some thought Chubb would not fit the Denver defense. At 6-foot-4, 275, he is a prototype 4-3 defensive end who can rush, but in Denver’s 3-4 defense, he could have been considered a tad light as a 3-4 defensive end, and a tad large as an outside linebacker.

The Broncos also had Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett at the outside linebacker position opposite Von Miller, and had recent back-to-back, second-round draft picks, Adam Gotsis and DeMarcus Walker, at the defensive end spot opposite Derek Wolfe.

“Bradley Chubb fits anybody’s defense, ’Elway said. “So, it’s not about scheme. It’s about getting him to fit into the scheme now and also taking advantage of what he does.’’

Will the Broncos switch to a 4-3 defense?

“We’re not,’’ said head coach Vance Joseph. “But we have a plan for this guy.’’

Joseph might have been the happiest guy in the Broncos’ war room when the Chubb selection was made. A quarterback would have been nice. And yes, Elway was considering Darnold, the USC quarterback, if he had fallen past the Jets.

“Yep, we did,’’ Elway said. “We looked at everybody. We went through all the options.’’

Darnold, though, would have been a pick for the future. The Broncos already have their starting quarterback for 2018 in Case Keenum. Joseph didn’t need a player for next year. After a 5-11 season in 2017, he needed better players for 2018.

“When you’re picking top five in the NFL Draft, you want to pick guys that are impact players,’’ Joseph said. “He’s going to walk in and have a chance to help us win. That’s important. He is the best rusher in the draft. He’s got a mature rush game. Outside of that he plays very hard. His play personality fits what we want in our defensive players.’’

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