Mile High Report
Welcome to the most difficult top five list yet in this series. There have been so many great wide receivers in Denver Broncos history that this was seriously difficult to make decisions on. The top two were easy enough, but I could have put about eight players into those final three spots and I may have to mention all of them to ensure readers that I fought to find reasons for each.
For me, Demaryius Thomas is easily the most talented and most dominant wide receiver in team history. He is followed closely by Rod Smith. From there, I had to decide between the following: Lionel Taylor, Haven Moses, Steve Watson, Eddie McCaffrey, Courtland Sutton, and Brandon Marshall. With some strong desire to include one of the Three Amigos too, since that was the era I grew up in. Instead, I decided to pay homage to the past and the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.
Scotty Payne: Demaryius Thomas had it all. Size, speed, length, and was Peyton Manning’s top target. Immensely talented and tops the list for me. Rod Smith was more productive and a key member of the Broncos Super Bowl teams along with Ed McCaffrey.
Courtland Sutton has been a highlight reel machine and the Broncos most trusted target the past few seasons. Brandon Marshall had some off the field and personal struggles, but the talent was undeniable and Beast Mode was fun to watch
Chris Hart: Rod Smith has better career numbers than Demaryius Thomas, but DT was easily the most talented wide receiver the Broncos have ever had. Lionel Taylor was the primary receiving threat and four-time All-Pro during the Broncos’ AFL days in the 1960s. Cortland Sutton is on pace to be top five all-time in virtually every receiving category for Denver, and fans won’t ever forget Ed McCaffrey’s toughness and contributions in his nine seasons with the franchise.
Ian St. Clair: The first four are basically no-brainers. Smith should be in the Hall of Fame, and you could make a case for Taylor. But Moses was a touchdown machine. He had 44 for his career, tied with Taylor, for fifth in franchise history. And Moses is in the Ring of Fame.
Sadaraine: Rod Smith was the best receiver this team has ever seen, and it still amazes me that he did it with such a great work ethic, dedication, and perseverance as an undrafted free agent. DT was the most amazing athlete we’ve seen at the position and was simply unstoppable. Taylor was arguably as important to the franchise as Floyd Little.
