American Football

The No Bull Denver Broncos Draft Preview

April 25, 2024

NFL Combine — Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Denver Broncos have x picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here are my thoughts, analysis, and arm-chair general management thoughts on what they should do.

Broncos Country, let’s get fired up for this year’s draft! For the first time in ages, the team has early picks that are going to hopefully lead to major upgrades in the roster. They need help in many areas and honestly have to get some big wins in the draft if they want to get back to winning football shortly.

Make no mistake that this year’s draft is going to happen based on the direction of Sean Payton. Yes, George Paton is still our General Manager, but if you like to read between the lines (like I do), the latter’s role has diminished while the former fully has the reins.

That’s a good thing for this team as one of the big reasons that the Denver Broncos ownership chose to hire Sean Payton is that he’s a leader with a vision. He knows what he likes, he can visualize what his team needs, and he is prepared to make the choices necessary to make the tough choices.

Denver Broncos Picks

1st: 12
3rd: 76
4th: 121
5th: 136
5th: 145
5th: 147
6th: 207
7th: 256

The first thing that pops out to me looking at the Broncos picks is the lack of the 2nd round pick. Right off the bat, I think any idea of the Broncos finding a trade back to pick up a 2nd rounder and still get a guy they like in the first round (albeit a little further back than 12) is a sound theory.

But first and foremost for this team is finding the right quarterback. I could see them losing a lot of picks this year and the next couple of years to move up and get a guy like J.J. McCarthy if that is who they are in love with.

Beyond that, the team has a lot of ammunition this year to find guys that fit the needs they have on their roster. Add to that their scouting department has a ridiculous history of finding late-round gems, and you have to be excited about the opportunities the team has with their multiple picks in the 5th round.

Team Needs

Quarterback is what this draft is about. The Broncos need a future at the position and this is the best chance they will have to get “their guy.” The quality of this year’s Broncos draft will be judged on how the Broncos handle the quarterback position.

The next highest need the Broncos have is at edge. They have had lackluster options at the edge for quite some time. I like Jonathan Cooper, Nik Bonito, and Baron Browning a lot, but I have yet to see any of them set the tone at the edge position in any significant consistent way. The Broncos need a serious threat that can take their pass rush to the next level.

Once again, I’m going to beat the drum for a real Inside Linebacker. I think the long years of middling talent at the position have left most thinking our tinkering with the likes of Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton as something resembling “pretty good.” That’s nonsense. ILB is the one position this team has been ignoring for far too long. Yes, you can plug in average guys to save money for the premier positions on defense. But the dearth of talent there in a 3-4 scheme is leading to a lot of inefficiencies in run defense and pass defense as you have guys that are inconsistent at both skills (and no, raw tackle numbers don’t mean squat here…if you are tackling guys 5 yards down the field on a run, that’s not a Good Thing™).

Team Wants

Secondary wants for the team are going to be led off with the running back position. I only put it as a want instead of a need based on the understanding that getting running backs in the draft is a pretty easy thing to do. They aren’t a position that requires high draft capital or investment. Javonte Williams isn’t cutting it. Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin are great #2 backs. The Broncos need more talent if they want a run game that can support a new quarterback at any serious level.

Likewise, getting some youth at wide receiver should be on the plan for this year’s draft as well. Wide receiver is a position like running back that is easy to find talent at many levels of the draft. It is worth noting that elite wide receivers tend to show up in the early rounds of the draft, though.

Finally, the interior defensive line needs attention as well. We have Jared Allen killing it, but that is only one out of three positions needed for this defense (you could argue 2 in many cases as our sub-packages often utilize our OLBs as ends in the formation). I think having a real run-stopper at NT could be a real boon to this roster or another really strong end like Allen.

Picks I like for the Broncos

We’ve heard non-stop about J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix as the top guys that fit the Sean Payton offense in this draft. I like both of them. Regarding the quarterback position, I have great faith in Payton’s ability to get a guy he can build around for the future and develop into a winner. From a pure standpoint of value with a GM hat on, I love the idea of a trade back and picking up Bo Nix, personally (though I’m not by any stretch of the imagination dying on that hill).

An edge player that may make a lot of sense for the Broncos to draft and develop is Jonah Elliss out of Utah. He’s a player who may fall a bit due to size but has shown a serious knack for getting to the quarterback consistently (a trait the Broncos desperately need at pass rush).

One guy I’d love to see the Broncos pick up is Marist Liufau out of Notre Dame. He’s a guy at inside linebacker that can develop into a playmaker. I believe he’ll go in the middle rounds of the draft making him a viable target to add to their roster.

An intriguing back I’d love to see the Broncos take if he falls is Isaac Guerendo out of Louisville. He’s got a size and speed combination that could cause serious problems for defenses at the NFL level. He’s shown the ability to catch out of the backfield and could be a serious steal for the team.

Final Thoughts

Enjoy this draft, Broncos Country. The Russell Wilson / Sean Payton experiment is over. This team is now marching on to Payton’s primary plan for building his team and this draft will be a serious step in the right direction for the Broncos. We’re all excited to see what the team does at quarterback and I’m always geeked out to see who else the Broncos draft as any successful team requires skill all over the roster to win at the NFL level.