This is the week in which wide receivers are being reviewed in advance of the 2010 National Football League draft.

In taking a look at the Denver Broncos’ 51-year history of the position, most of the team’s success at wide receiver has come from trades and free agency.

The prime examples are Lionel Taylor, the first 100-catch player in a single season in pro football — Taylor was signed by Denver as a free agent two weeks into the 1960 campaign and went on to catch 92 passes in 12 games that year; Rod Smith, the leading undrafted wide receiver ever statistically in terms of receptions, reception yardage and reception touchdowns — he was signed by Denver after a sterling career at Missouri Southern, but then being completely passed over by all teams in the draft; and Steve Watson, a Pro Bowl receiver and all-time fan favorite who was signed as a free agent out of Temple University.

Another all-time fan favorite and like Smith a starter for our back-to-back world championships, Ed McCaffrey signed with Denver as a free agent after San Francisco’s 1994 world championship season.

So the draft has not been where the best wide receivers in Bronco history have been acquired, but there have been some characters and interesting stories along the way.