Did the Broncos make a mistake drafting Jerry Jeudy in 2020?

Jerry Jeudy’s time with the Denver Broncos has come to an end.

The team agreed to trade Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns for two late-round draft picks last weekend, a move that will become official when the NFL’s new league year kicks off later today.

There are still some outstanding questions from Jeudy’s short tenure with the Broncos.

Denver selected Jeudy with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the first receiver that the Broncos had selected in the first round in a number of years. Jeudy was projected to be a No. 1 or No. 2 option for then-quarterback Drew Lock, or whoever happened to be under center. Unfortunately, Jeudy never really panned out to be that type of receiver for Denver. Jeudy finished his time with the club with zero 1,000-yard seasons, 11 touchdowns and zero playoff appearances.

Looking back at the 2020 NFL draft, there were a number of top-tier receivers chosen after Jeudy, which begs the question: did the Broncos choose the wrong receiver four years ago?

Several of the receivers chosen after Jeudy have more touchdown catches, more 1,000-yard seasons, and more importantly, playoff and Super Bowl appearances under their belts. Here is a list of players the Broncos could have selected instead of Jerry Jeudy.

1

CeeDee Lamb: Picked 17th overall by Dallas Cowboys

(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

• Three 1,000 yard seasons
• Three playoff appearances
• 32 touchdowns

2

Justin Jefferson: Picked 22nd overall by Minnesota Vikings

(Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports)

• Four 1,000 yard seasons
• One playoff appearance
• 30 touchdown catches

3

Brandon Aiyuk: Picked 25th overall by San Francisco 49ers

(Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

• Two 1,000 yard seasons
• Three playoff appearances/One Super Bowl appearance
• 25 touchdowns

4

Tee Higgins: Picked 33rd overall by Cincinnati Bengals

(Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK)

• Two 1,000 yard seasons
• One playoff/Super Bowl appearance
• 24 touchdowns

5

Michael Pittman Jr.: Picked 34th overall by Indianapolis Colts

(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)

• Two 1,000 yard seasons
• One playoff appearance
• 15 touchdowns

6

Gabe Davis: Picked 128th overall by Buffalo Bills

(Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)

• Zero 1,000 yard seasons
• Four playoff appearances
• 27 touchdowns