The Denver Broncos don’t have a long-term solution at quarterback, and might not have an adequate starting quarterback on the roster for the 2024 season, but that might be about to change during the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
After moving on from Russell Wilson, and absorbing an $85 million dead money charge over the next two seasons for the privilege, Denver could be a team to watch to trade up during the draft. Maybe even as high as the top-five picks.
Could The Denver Broncos Trade Up For Jayden Daniels?
Sitting at No. 12, the Broncos could stand pat and in all likelihood come away with Bo Nix, who could potentially be an upgrade over Jarrett Stidham and certainly would be over Ben DiNucci.
However, if the New England Patriots are willing to slide down to No. 12 but would prefer not to drop any further back down the board, the Broncos could be a team to watch moving up all the way to No. 3 overall.
That’s exactly what plays out in Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft, with the Broncos walking away with LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.
“I’m not sure there’s a more quarterback-desperate team than Denver,” Sam Monson writes for PFF. “Head coach Sean Payton has staked his reputation on unceremoniously moving on from Russell Wilson, and he needs his guy to make that work. All of the focus is on Minnesota, but I’m predicting that Denver will be the aggressive team in the trade market.”
Daniels is one of the prizes of this year’s draft class, and there might not be a sizable drop off from USC’s Caleb Williams, who in all likelihood will hear his name called first overall by the Chicago Bears.
“Jayden’s a good combo quarterback,” an AFC Offensive Coach told me recently. “He has a big arm with accuracy and feet to extend plays. He’s physically more gifted than Deshaun Watson, but I can’t say yet if he’s more instinctive at this level.”
Last season, Daniels completed a whopping 72.2 percent of his passes for a career-high 3,812 yards with 40 touchdowns to just four interceptions while adding 1,134 rushing yards and 10 more scores.
Would Might it Cost Denver to Trade Up in NFL Draft to Select Daniels?
Monson’s projected trade has the Broncos sending the Patriots three picks in order to move up nine slots to take Daniels.
Denver Broncos Trade: Pick No. 12, 2024 Third-Round Pick (No. 76), and a First-Round Pick in 2025
New England Patriots Trade: Pick No. 3
This would be a deal that rivals Jimmy Johnson’s Great Trade Robbery that helped build the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty.
For the meager cost of an additional first-round pick and a third-round selection, the Broncos would have the chance to take one of the more polished quarterbacks with potentially the most upside to emerge in the draft in recent seasons.
“He’s tall but slender,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein writes of Daniels. “So, there will be concerns about durability, considering how often he ran in college. However, teams must also recognize that he has no issues sitting in the pocket and working through progressions as a platform thrower with good mechanics and footwork.
“Daniels possesses the football intelligence to get himself protected and take care of the football with quality decision-making. He’s an accurate passer over the first two levels and throws with anticipation to slice and dice zone coverages. ”
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