This year’s NFL Draft is shaping up to be a QB bonanza, and if the Broncos don’t act, they’ll miss out.
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels are expected to go 1-2-3. And J.J. McCarthy will likely go in the top-6 as well.
With Denver selecting at No. 12 overall, that would leave them reaching for a guy like Bo Nix. Or, they could take the best fit available and take a QB in Round 3.
But mock drafters are keeping things spicy, predicting the Broncos and Sean Payton will move up to take a QB.
PFF predicts Broncos move up to No. 3 for a QB
In Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft, they have the Broncos jumping all the way up to No. 3 to take Jayden Daniels out of LSU.
Somewhat surprisingly, that same mock draft has McCarthy going No. 2 to Washington, and Maye falls all the way to No. 9 and the Minnesota Vikings.
In PFF’s proposed trade, the Broncos send the Patriots the No. 12 pick, No. 76, and the 2025 first-round pick. That’s a huge haul considering in that scenario Denver wouldn’t have another selection until Round 4. And they’d be without next year’s first, which will be a crucial piece in rebuilding the team.
It’s even more interesting because many publications have linked the Broncos to McCarthy this offseason, some have predicted they take Bo Nix, and a few even have said Maye. But this is the first to argue Payton and George Paton would move up to take Daniels.
Sean Payton said at the NFL owner’s meetings that it’s “realistic” the Broncos could move up in the first round. But with their lack of draft capital, it seems more likely they’d actually move back, secure another pick, and still fill a need in the first round.
If they did move up all the way to No. 3, it would have to be a guy Payton loves. Is Daniels that guy?
It’s possible. From PFF:
I’m not sure there’s a more quarterback-desperate team than Denver. Head coach Sean Payton has staked his reputation on unceremoniously moving on from Russell Wilson, and he needs his guy to make that work. All of the focus is on Minnesota, but I’m predicting that Denver will be the aggressive team in the trade market.
And Daniels is an incredible prospect.
At 6’4″ and 210 pounds, he’s the perfect height for an NFL QB, but could use to put on some more muscle. Daniels is a phenomenal player, winning the Heisman and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award all while being named First-Team All-American.
He’s a definite dual-threat kind of guy, leading all QBs with 1,134 rushing yards and 10 TDs last year at LSU, while throwing for another 40 TDs (4 INTs).
However, if the Broncos give up all that draft capital, they better be sure he’s really the next franchise QB in the Mile High City.
Denver and Payton are definitely quarterback desperate. But the only guy they’d seemingly sell the farm for—as this mock draft implies—is McCarthy. And even that is unlikely.
Denver’s favored to draft Bo Nix
Bo Nix is expected to go in the late first, or early second round. If the Broncos had a second-round pick, they could possibly hope to land him there.
But, because they traded for Sean Payton last year, they don’t have that second-rounder.
Still, the orange and blue are heavily favored to take Nix. They went from +175 on March 25 to -120 on FanDuel as of today:
Bo Nix draft odds from FanDuel
If the Broncos really are QB desperate, Payton and Paton could seemingly trade back to the mid or late-20s, pick up a second or third-round pick, and still take Nix.
All the fun kicks off on Thursday, April 25 at 6 p.m. MT.
