Hindsight is 20/20.
The Denver Broncos used a third-round pick to select Louisiana Tech wide receiver Carlos Henderson in the 2017 NFL draft, and they were not the only team targeting him in that round.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also liked what they saw from Henderson in the pre-draft process, but they picked two spots below Denver. After the Broncos landed Henderson, Tampa had to settle for … Chris Godwin.
“Well, I’ll tell ya — when we drafted Chris Godwin, we had another receiver that we were gonna take, and he went almost right before us,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said during a recent interview on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast (via Bucs Wire). “And we were like, ‘Well, I guess we’ll take Godwin.'”
Godwin turned out to be quite a consolation prize.
The 29-year-old receiver has a Super Bowl win, an All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl nod on his resume alongside 7,266 career receiving yards and 39 touchdowns.
The receiver the Broncos picked over Godwin — Henderson — only lasted one season in Denver.
“That guy lasted a year in the league,” Licht said, which was only a small exaggeration.
Henderson’s rookie season was hindered by a torn ligament in his thumb. The following summer, he did not report to training camp while dealing with “personal reasons.” Shortly thereafter, he received a one-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
After failing to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster, Henderson was initially placed on the practice squad, only to be released less than two weeks later. He then had a brief stint with the now-named Washington Commanders, followed by a spring season in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019.
He attempted a football comeback with the then-USFL’s Birmingham Stallions in 2022, but was cut just five days after signing. So Denver’s mistake turned out to be a big plus for Tampa, even if Licht didn’t realize it at the time. You’re welcome, Bucs.
Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.