Broncos were considering trading back if Jonah Elliss was not available when they were on the clock

The explosive edge rusher was by far the highest player on their board and they were considering trading back if he was not available.

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton told the media after the conclusion of day two of the 2024 NFL Draft that they would have considered trading back if Jonah Elliss was not available. As we know, Elliss was available and the Broncos selected him with their 76th overall pick in the third round of the draft.

Head coach Sean Payton told reporters that Jonah Ellis was the top player on their board by half of a round. So, if he was not available, they were considering trading back because of the way their board fell. Again, as we know, that did not happen, but it is interesting to know that they did not have any of the other plays available graded as highly as Elliss.

Paton joked that if they traded back, it may have been Payton, who is known to be very aggressive, first time ever trading back and they had a cake and everything ready but Elliss was too good to pass up.

“If Jonah wasn’t there, we were actually considering moving back. It would have been Sean’s first time, maybe, moving back? We had a cake ready. We were happy Jonah was there.”

This is the second night in a row where the Broncos considered trading back but opted against it. On night one of the draft, they thought about trading back a few spots and then selecting quarterback Bo Nix but decided to not overthink it and took their guy at 12th overall. Now tonight, they stayed true to their board and selected a player at a premium position on their team that is not necessarily a weakness right now.

I would expect the no trading up or back to change tomorrow on day three when the Broncos have six selections and the flexibility to move up and down.

“There are a number of good players tomorrow. We have six picks, but we have flexibility. If there’s a player up at the top of the fourth, we have the flexibility to go up and get him or we can always move back. The main thing is flexibility. We always talk about flexibility. Tomorrow is going to be fun with six picks. We had to wait a while.”

The Broncos have six picks tomorrow, one in the fourth round, three in the fifth round, one in the sixth round, and one in the seventh round. I would expect the Broncos to make multiple trades tomorrow to make sure they get their guy and/or collect more picks.

There are still multiple talented prospects available at the top of the fourth round so we could see them jump up a few spots to make sure they get their guy. They have needs at running back, tight end, potentially wide receiver, defensive line, and at corner and we could see them address these positions on day three of the draft.