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Denver is QB desperate, reports say Broncos could trade Pat Surtain to draft J.J. McCarthy

Rich Kurtzman
Patrick Surtain Sept. 2023.

Patrick Surtain Sept. 2023. Credit: Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports.

For months, many NFL Draft experts tagged the Denver Broncos with drafting J.J. McCarthy.

Then, over time, the McCarthy hype train gained a ton of steam, pushing him up draft boards and into the top-6. If he’s taken that high, the top-4 quarterbacks—Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels are the others—would be gone before Denver selects at No. 12 overall.

And instead of reaching for a Day 2 QB like Michael Penix or Bo Nix, some are suggesting the Broncos move up at all costs and take the National Champion-winning quarterback from Michigan.

Broncos trade Patrick Surtain, draft picks to move up for McCarthy?

You know Patrick Surtain is a generational talent when multiple outlets are calling for the Broncos to trade him away and to their team.

Earlier in the week, it was suggested Denver trade Surtain to the Cincinnati Bengals by Michael Lombardo. He cited salary cap concerns, but the Broncos will be flush with money next year. That’s when they can either sign Surtain to a long-term second contract, or franchise him and work something out long term during the season.

Now, a Vikings radio guy is saying Denver should trade the sensational cornerback for a draft pick in order to move up and snag J.J. McCarthy.

Paul Allen thinks Denver would be willing to move all the way up to No. 3 by trading Surtain, the No. 12 pick and next year’s first-round pick. First of all, that’s an incredible haul and doesn’t seem likely George Paton and Sean Payton would send that much away for a guy who hasn’t played in the NFL yet.

And second, if Denver wanted to move up to 3, they’d likely have a shot at Daniels or Maye; so are we sure they’d take McCarthy there?

Brandon Krisztal, of 850 KOA, apparently said some similar things two weeks ago on the Minnesota radio station:

It’s no secret that the Vikings are in love with McCarthy. They’ve already secured the No. 23 pick in recent weeks, and are just ahead of Denver currently at No. 11 overall. Many speculate Minnesota is ready to package those two firsts to move up into the top-6 and make him their QB of the future.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have some of the lowest draft capital in the league. (Denver’s 20th in draft capital.) They don’t have second-round pick—it was traded to New Orleans to land Payton—and only one first-rounder. So, outside of trading their best player in Surtain, there’s almost no feasible way the Broncos can jump the Vikings for McCarthy.

Plus, Ben Allbright shot down the idea, saying it’s counter to the team’s plan moving forward.

Denver should keep Surtain, use their No. 12 pick, and still land a QB

Instead of trading away Surtain, who has a chance to be the best cornerback in team history, the Broncos should keep him.

Then, when draft day comes on April 25, they should use the No. 12 pick for the best player available at a few positions. Namely, Denver needs an offensive tackle, EDGE, or cornerback as their three biggest needs outside of QB. And because four quarterbacks will be off the board by the time Paton and Payton pick, a great talent could fall into their laps.

In fact, so many great players will be there at 12, the Broncos will probably have the option to trade back and gain some of that much-needed draft capital while still filling a void.

If they pick at 12 and don’t gain another selection, Denver will pick again at No. 76. At that point, they could take a quarterback if they truly are desperate, and land Spencer Rattler. Of course, they could also address one of those other needs there, too.

Because the Broncos are in rebuild mode and need players at many positions, they can’t afford to trade up for McCarthy. It’s much more likely they’ll trade down, gain a third or fourth-round pick, and help construct the team through the draft.

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