Back in 2018, the Broncos had the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

John Elway and Co. decided to select the best player available despite position and that player was a pass-rusher from North Carolina St., Bradley Chubb.

At the time, there was a small section of Broncos supporters and media members who were pounding the table for quarterback Josh Allen, but most were content with the selection of the best edge rusher in the draft. The reality is that Allen was a huge project at the time. He was a question mark that many deemed a gamble as a Top-10 pick in a draft that featured four quarterbacks selected in the Top-10 and five total in the first round. Not to mention, he played his college ball at Wyoming, a Non-Power-5 conference that had a total of one quarterback drafted since 1967 and it was a seventh-round pick who never played an NFL down.

Fast forward to Dec. 2020 and it is clear the Broncos made a mistake in passing on Josh Allen, who was selected by the Buffalo Bills, two picks later at No. 7. Allen is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season, while Chubb is still a very solid player.

But who would you rather have? A pass-rusher or a franchise quarterback who is in the running for MVP? Give me the 6’5” 237-pound QB with a rocket arm and ability to make plays with his legs all day.

On Saturday, Allen accounted for four total touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing) while throwing for 359 yards as Buffalo thrashed Denver, 48-19. Allen’s Bills also improved to 11-3 in the ultra-competitive American Football Conference. Chubb limped off the field in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. But the game was all about Allen as his skillset was on full display, taking advantage of the depleted Broncos secondary and using his legs to extend plays.

However, if the Broncos would have drafted Allen at No. 5, would he be the type of quarterback with Denver that he is with Buffalo? Unlikely.

Denver has not had much success lately in developing young quarterbacks, so what makes anyone think Allen would have been any different? Remember, there were questions aplenty about his completion percentage at Wyoming, his accuracy overall and his ability to lead an NFL team. It is fair to say the Bills got lucky in drafting the athleltic quarterback, but Buffalo should be complemented for proper development and being patient with him. His completion percentage has increased every year, up to 68.6% this year after posting 52% his rookie year and 58% in his second year.

And of course, there’s the stigma of John Elway drafting another tall, white quarterback with a laser for an arm. It did not exactly work with Brock Osweiler and sure as heck did not work out with Paxton Lynch. So you can bet Elway felt the pressure of not being able to succeed with yet another quarterback with similar measurables.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and two-plus years after the 2018 NFL Draft, it is obvious the Broncos would rather have Allen. But at the time not too many folks were criticizing the pick of Chubb and banging the drum for the kid who played in the Mountain West. Elway has certainly had his share of draft mishaps since taking over GM duties in 2011, but all things considered, he shouldn’t shoulder too much blame for selecting the best player available on the board instead of a project quarterback.

What if Josh Rosen, the tenth pick in the 2018 draft, had panned out like Allen has? Broncos Country would be up in arms about passing on Rosen as well. Allen is the more valuable player now, but at the time Chubb was a very reasonable pick.

With Denver starting 10 different quarterbacks the last five years, it just hurts to see how that 2018 draft has turned out.