Horse Tracks: Broncos Country, it’s officially Draft Day!

Today is the day Broncos Country has been waiting for ever since the regular season ended. It’s Draft Day—the ultimate opportunity to make the Denver Broncos better than they have been for ages.

Good morning, Broncos Country.

It’s been a long time since the Denver Broncos have been relevant. They were able to raise the Lombardi Trophy for a third time after defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50—but that was a long time ago—eight years ago to be precise. A fond yet very distant memory.

Since then, the franchise has been floating around in the abyss. There hasn’t been much to write home about. Times have been tough; the days have been dark. Constant coaching and scheme changes, bad drafts and terrible prospect development—the fans have endured enough.

It’s time for that to change. And guess what? It’s officially Draft Day. You see that light out there at the end of the tunnel? That symbolizes hope. It’s a prime opportunity for the Broncos to make moves that make the news—to forge a path back to competing for championships instead of bottom of the barrel scraping in the AFC West.

The best way to change the future is to make the right decisions now. It starts tonight with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Are Sean Payton and George Paton ready for the moment that is ahead of them?

Will they make a bold move for a quarterback to build around? Or will they trade down and find land one there? Perhaps their first-round focus is entirely different—nobody knows for sure? Only time will tell. And we will know the reality by night’s end.

It’s going to be an exciting three days of draft festivities. Are you ready?

As always—thank you for reading. Here are some articles for today’s edition of Horse Tracks.

Broncos News & Tidbits

How Zach Wilson Fits Into the Denver Broncos’ QB Room – Lets Talk Broncos
The Denver Broncos just made a trade for Zach Wilson. So how does the failed top-three pick fit into the Broncos’ QB room?

LTB’s Consensus Denver Broncos Big Board 1.0 – Lets Talk Broncos
The NFL Draft is just one week away. Who are the best prospects available for the Denver Broncos and which prospects would feel like a reach?

Benjamin Allbright 2024 NFL Mock Draft | KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM | Denver Broncos
Allbright’s mock draft has the Broncos trading down and selecting Florida State EDGE Jared Verse.

Peyton Manning Reached Out To Zach Wilson Following Trade
NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning reached out to Zach Wilson following the trade to welcome the former BYU Cougar to Denver.

Peyton Manning says J.J. McCarthy didn’t respond to his text – Denver Sports
Michigan prospect J.J. McCarthy got a text from NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and it really was the former star of the Denver Broncos.

NFL News & Draft Tidbits

Charles Davis 2024 NFL mock draft 3.0: Pats select J.J. McCarthy at No. 3; Vikings snatch Drake Maye
In his third and final mock of the 2024 NFL Draft, Charles Davis has the New England Patriots selecting quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 3 overall. Where does Drake Maye end up? Check out the full first-round forecast, 1-32.

2024 NFL Draft | NFL Draft News, Video & Photos | NFL.com
Get the latest NFL Draft news, live streaming video, video highlights, draft tracker, draft history, mock drafts. Learn more.

2024 NFL Draft sleepers: Day 2 standouts and Day 3 hidden gems to target
Who are the potential sleepers of the 2024 NFL Draft? Using the Next Gen Stats Draft Model, Mike Band identifies eight prospects to target AFTER Round 1.

Cowboys pick up DE Micah Parsons’ fifth-year rookie option
It’s not an extension, but the Cowboys are ensuring pass rusher Micah Parsons is on the roster beyond 2024. Dallas has picked up the fifth-year option on Parsons’ rookie deal, which is slated to cost $21.324 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport repor

DE Trey Hendrickson requests trade from Bengals; team says it won’t move him
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, although the team told him it won’t move him, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday, per sources.