ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Before the Denver Broncos had played a single down this season, before they had made a tackle or returned a kick, coach Gary Kubiak had already gotten a glimpse of the future.

"I always say the one thing about last year’s team that I’ll always remember is it got everything it had out of itself, it gave everything it had," Kubiak said. "We’ll see what this team can do, but one thing I know is we have a lot of young guys who are going to grow up fast because they're going to have to play."

Move ahead a few weeks and the Broncos arrived at their bye week at 7-3, in what is the only division in the league with three teams that have at least seven wins. And they have done it with a first-year starter at quarterback in Trevor Siemian (in his second year in the league) and a rookie class that has been tossed into the deep end of the football pool.

Just look at how the Broncos secured their latest victory in New Orleans: Rookie safety Justin Simmons blocked an extra point that rookie safety Will Parks scooped up and returned 84 yards for the two points that made the difference.

"When you get here you just want to be a part of it, be with the team," Simmons said. "And then you’re around these guys who’ve done a lot in this league -- I mean, they won it all last year -- and you want to make a play, make some plays that make a difference, so to be able to do that feels pretty good. You want to make more."

Rookie Devontae Booker said he is ready to take the lead role in the Broncos' backfield. AP Photo/Joe Mahoney

Time will ultimately tell, but if you lump the 24-year-old Siemian into the group, the Broncos’ 2016 rookie class has the potential to be a foundation-builder like the 2006 and 2011 draft classes were.

The Broncos pulled five future starters out of the ’06 draft, including Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil and wide receiver Brandon Marshall. And the Broncos picked seven players who eventually started games for the team in the ’11 draft, which will always be led by linebacker Von Miller.

The jury will remain out for another season or two for the Class of 2016, but the Broncos like the early returns.

"I think when you come here you notice a lot of the guys here are guys they picked," Parks said. "They pick them and play them ... so, yeah, you always hope you show them you can be one of those guys."

Because of the knee injury to C.J. Anderson, rookie running back Devontae Booker is already starting. Booker was pushing hard for more playing time before Anderson had suffered his injury. The Broncos' offensive line has struggled at times and Booker has hit some bumps along the learning curve.

But the Broncos continue to see his potential as a three-down back. He is one of the players they need to be a key contributor down the stretch, which they have made clear to him.

"I want to see Book improve," Kubiak said. "... Book’s reads have to improve. The biggest thing, too, is he has open-field ability when you get him out in space. We need to get him in space, but sometimes as a back you have to get yourself in space. It’s kind of like when I’m talking about the quarterback, it’s being hard on Book and saying, ‘Hey Book, you’re the guy. Let’s play big time these last six weeks. Let’s take it up another notch.'"

"I feel like I can be," Booker said when asked if he can be the lead back. "I’ve had a couple fumbles that were my fault and some mistakes, but I feel more comfortable in the offense and I’m trying to get better every week. ... I want to help."

Fullback Andy Janovich, the sixth-round pick, has been a starter and until he suffered a hand injury -- he’s been playing with a cast of late -- he had some personnel executives in the league saying he had Pro Bowl-potential at the position.

Rookie punter Riley Dixon, the Broncos’ seventh-round pick this past April, was awarded the job at the end of training camp.

Also, first-round pick Paxton Lynch made one start -- Week 5 against Atlanta -- in place of an injured Siemian, second-round pick Adam Gotsis has been in the defensive line rotation and both Parks and Simmons have played plenty on special teams to go with some situational work on defense.

"I tell those guys all the time, they’re however many weeks we’re in now, they can’t be like rookies anymore," said cornerback Chris Harris Jr. "When we get back, we need everybody."