Broncos Beat Writer Suggests Trade Package For Moving Up In 2024 NFL Draft

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton told NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport during the AFC Coaches Breakfast on March 25 that trading up in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is ‘realistic.’

While the cost of getting an earlier selection can be steep, the exact package that can close the deal remains vague. However, Broncos beat writer for The Athletic Nick Kosminder hinted at what it might take the Broncos to trade up.

Kosminder revealed in his April 2 mailbag article that a Broncos fan asked him, “What is the cost to move up to select quarterback J.J. McCarthy, assuming he goes somewhere in picks three through five? Do we have it to give? Who will make the pick and move-up decisions?”

He responded, “But it’s safe to say the Broncos would have to give up No. 12, their 2025 first-rounder, and a first- or second-round pick in 2026 to get into the range you’re talking about.”

After three years, the Broncos are in a position to select in the first round. Denver drafted cornerback Pat Surtain II the last time they were in that situation. The Broncos found a gem after the former Alabama standout earned two Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro nod in his first three seasons.

But with the glaring need to bolster their quarterback depth chart, trading up for one of the top prospects makes sense. Payton might have hinted at a potential scenario when he said to Rapoport during the same breakfast, “It’s good to be Monti (Ossenfort) right now.”

Ossenfort and the Arizona Cardinals own the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft. But as ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss wrote on March 29, “We’re always going to be listening. I think we will always have the conversation.”

In Trading with Patriots, Broncos Can Follow 49ers Lead

Aside from the Cardinals, the Broncos can also engage the New England Patriots in trade talks. As The Athletic’s Chad Graff wrote on March 25, head coach Jerod Mayo said, “Look, we sit at a very enviable spot at No. 3 where we can take someone, or if someone offers ‘a bag,’ as we would say — you know, a lot of first-round picks — we definitely have to talk about those things.”

Going for a quarterback with the third overall pick makes sense, especially after trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But if the Broncos pursue their spot, Kosminder recalled how the San Francisco 49ers traded up for Trey Lance.

“There is a recent template to go from No. 12 to No. 3. In 2021, the San Francisco 49ers gave up the No. 12 pick, first- and third-round selections in 2022, and a first-round pick in 2023 to move up to No. 3,” Kosminder wrote in the same mailbag article.

The Patriots will likely put the same price tag for their pick, leaving teams wanting to trade up time to satisfy their demands.

ESPN Writers Predict Broncos Trading Down from Round 1

Conversely, ESPN’s Jeff Logwold and Jordan Reid envision the Broncos swapping their No. 12 pick for more draft capital. The move makes sense, considering Denver doesn’t have a second-round pick.

Logwold wrote in an April 11 collaborative article, “The Broncos also lack the capital to make a move up to have a chance at one of the top three quarterbacks — at least without surrendering even more first-round picks or their most talented player in cornerback Pat Surtain II.”

Meanwhile, Reid shared what he’s hearing among NFL circles regarding the Broncos No. 12 pick. “‘No way Sean [Payton] goes into the year with that quarterback room.’ That’s how an AFC executive summed up draft expectations for the Broncos. … I could see them trading back from No. 12 before selecting their signal-caller of the future.”

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