3. Paul Smith
Draft: 1968, 222nd overall by the Denver Broncos
Career in Denver: 1968-1978 (86 starts)
Pro Bowl: 2 (1972, 1973)
Super Bowl: XXII
It’s important to realize that Denver was not good in the 60s. They went 5-9 in 1968 and that was an improvement from 67’s 3-11 record. Five coaches cycled through the 60s — there have only been 10 coaches in the 46 years since. Paul Smith’s rookie season was the start of the years-long turnaround Denver would make from dead last in the AFC West to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1977, and Smith was a major part of that change, from start to finish.
He is the first Bronco to play for a decade, and his quiet lead-by-example mentality elevated the play of his teammates.
Head coach, John Ralston, once said that Smith was “the finest defensive tackle in pro football.”
He earned two Pro Bowl appearances in 72 and 73 and was a member of that historic ‘77 AFC Championship victory. He played in the first Super Bowl in Denver’s history and was a member of the baby Orange Crush defense.
He left Denver in 1978 and played out two more seasons with the Washington Redskins.
