2024 Broncos Draft Page (2024)

Starter Need High (P1, P2)

QB

WRS

DL5T

EDGE

CB

Starter Need Medium (P3)

OT

OC

NT

Mid Round Fill High (P5)

WR

Depth Fill (P4)

RB

SFTY

CBN

Late Round Fill (P6)

OG

TE

ILB

Minimal Need (P9)

DL3T

OLB

Predicting this pick won't be easy until the Broncos are truly on the clock. Denver has visited with all the top QBs, with McCarthy, Nix and Michael Penix being the likely candidates here. However, they've also done their due diligence on others that might fit in this range, guys like cornerback Terrion Arnold, tight end Brock Bowers and tackle Amarius Mims. And don't for one second think that Denver is opposed to trading back because top-30 visits with guys like Jared Verse, Laiatu Latu and Jordan Morgan suggest they are preparing to possibly move back as well. They are preparing for all scenarios, which means this pick won't become clearer until we know the scenario.

So, I'm going to go with my gut here, and my gut says, it's going to take the right quarterback falling for them to make a move, and even then, I don't see it being more than a few spots. Why? Because this quarterback class seems bright and shiny now, but in reality, it's not less overhyped than any other. I get the appeal of guys like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, who are young, uber-talented and will only get better with the proper direction. However, are the others really worth moving for? I get the appeal of McCarthy, who is also young with a proven blueprint that shows he knows how to manage a game. Still, a lot of concerns for guys like Jayden Daniels, Penix and Nix have been swept under the rug because of how tremendous they looked in 2023, a year in which a fair amount of their competition was 4-5 years younger than them. If those players had put up the kind of success we've seen from Williams or even McCarthy at the age 20, they'd be in the NFL right now. I'm not saying they aren't better players now, but having success as fifth-year starters against far less experienced competition feels an awful lot like a façade. That, mixed with little issues in their game that date back to their first stops in the college game make me hesitant to spend any more than the 12th pick in this draft on them, if that, in the cases of Nix and Penix. If I'm making the pick in this scenario, it's likely Bowers or move back.

However, my issue is Sean Payton. He's no spring chicken, and I can't him signing off on a long, patient rebuild. He is likely looking to win sooner rather than later, which would suggest getting a quarterback in round one. I could see them attempting to jump Minnesota for McCarthy, but if that doesn't happen, I would expect them to go Nix or Penix here. I am giving Nix the nod, as the more experienced quarterback in an offense that incorporates a fair amount of run plays and play-action.

~Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst

While this defense carried the Broncos through their brighter stretch last year, only one team gave up 5.0 yards per carry a year ago. That's not good. I know Sweat has some maturity concerns, but the Broncos hosted him for a visit, and let's be honest, after taking Bo Nix at 12 (he is clearly not the 12th-best player in this class), I could see Denver taking a swing for the fences on the big run-stuffer's upside.

~Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst

Reach/Value (R/V) Explained

The difference between where a player is selected in the NFL draft versus where the player was listed on the final Drafttek Big Board for the season in question.
Example: A player who was listed at #50 on the Big Board and was selected at #35 will be a "Reach" of -15. Alternately, a player listed at #35 on the Big Board who was selected at #50 is a +15 "Value".

Simply put: a positive number is a Value pick, a negative number is a Reach.