Who doesn’t love a mock draft?
With the 2024 NFL Draft closing in, the rumors are swirling and the winds of which quarterbacks will go at the top of the draft have been blowing with vigor.
For the Denver Broncos, it’s difficult to gauge what exactly they could and should do when it comes to chasing a franchise signal-caller in this draft class. There’s the crowd that believes Sean Payton will trade multiple first round picks to go get “his guy”, the crowd that believes the team should stay put at the 12th pick and take a player like Oregon’s Bo Nix or the best player available, and then there’s the crowd that believes this team would benefit greatly from trading down from the 12th pick and building the roster back up.
For this mock draft, there won’t be any trading of any kind, unfortunately. Gauging trade values in mock drafts is very difficult and often leaves people complaining in the comments.
If only the real NFL worked like the mock draft simulators where I can force the Chicago Bears to trade me the first overall pick for a couple of future seventh-rounders. If you came for that mock draft, sorry to disappoint.
With that being said, the Denver Broncos are on the clock…
Round 1, Pick 12: Brock Bowers, TE Georgia
If you were in the first crowd of fans we just talked about or in the “anti-take-a-tight-end-in-the-first-round” crowd, please don’t stop reading.
Listen, the Broncos roster is in really bad shape and they need more talent on this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. What better way to start building the offense Sean Payton truly wants, than with this pick?
Bowers is not your run-of-the-mill tight end. He’s not going to be the guy you ask to take on edge rushers one-on-one and he’s not going to be an overly powerful run blocker. What he will do, however, is give you a dynamic pass catcher in an era where those are fairly difficult and expensive to come by.
What Bowers did for the national champion Bulldogs was give them a true middle-of-the-field target and an elite threat to gain yards with the ball in his hand.
They literally schemed their offense to get this guy the ball however they could. Screens, fly sweeps, handoffs — all the things a good offensive playcaller would do to get the ball in the hands of their most dangerous weapon.
As a middle-of-the-field threat in 2023, Bowers caught 19 passes, was targeted 26 times, produced 152 of his 350 receiving yards after the catch, and scored four times. This also doesn’t include the 22 targets he got behind the offensive line.
For the Broncos specifically, Bowers would be what we all wanted Greg Dulcich to be — the athletic pass-catching tight end that would stretch defenses thin and spark up those memories of Shannon Sharpe.
Round 3, Pick 76: Spencer Rattler, QB South Carolina
So, for those of you in the “take the best player available” crowd, are you still with us?
The Broncos’ quarterback situation heading into the 2024 season is bleak, at best, and many fans are growing impatient with the teams’ inability to find their franchise signal caller. All of the quarterback carousel jokes are tiring for the LTB crew as well, I promise you.
However, if this certain quarterback fell to the Broncos in the third round, they might have a ball of clay that they can work with.
Spencer Rattler, formerly of Oklahoma and South Carolina, poses as an interesting quarterback option for the Broncos in this draft. The once highly-touted Netflix quarterback has had his fair share of attitude claims but appears to have taken his fall from the spotlight with grace.
Rattler has recorded over 900 dropbacks in his two seasons at South Carolina, whereas he recorded just over 500 during his time at Oklahoma. As a passer, Rattler was asked to do quite a bit of maneuvering within the pocket at South Carolina and was an exceptional passer when it came to targeting the middle of the field. We saw growth for Rattler in this area from 2022 to 2023.
In 2022, Rattler’s splits when throwing over the middle of the field were 77-for-111 for 1,159 yards, 8 TDs, 8 INT and a 95.9 NFL passer rating. In 2023, Rattler’s split was: 115-for-160 for 1,531 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INT and a 107.9 NFL passer rating.
Despite his gunslinger-esque style in his first season with the Gamecocks, which resulted in 11 interceptions, Rattler managed to clean up his game this past season and has reportedly impressed teams with his interviews and his performance at the Senior Bowl.
If the other top options are off the board for Denver, there’s hope that Payton could, at worst, have Rattler as a decent cost-controlled starter for a season or two.
Round 4, Pick 121: Michael Hall, Jr., IDL Ohio State
Do I think this draft riser will be available in the fourth round? Hell no. But when the mock draft machine lays out a gift like this one for you, you take it in a heartbeat.
The Broncos are in desperate need of run stoppers and beef on the defensive front, as well as quality interior pass rushers who can push the pocket.
Ohio State Buckeye Michael Hall Jr. has the potential to be a real difference maker as an interior pass rusher and help the Broncos defense produce more sacks and turnovers in 2024, along with being a reliable run defender.
His ability to win in pass rush is rivaled only by Texas’ Byron Murphy, with both of them just over the 15% mark, and his run stop rate is similar to that of Illinois’ Johnny Newton right around the 7% mark.
Round 5, Pick 136: Grayson Murphy, EDGE UCLA
Denver’s pass rush room is still in need of a true stud off the edge, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been one within range for the Broncos to take, with them having to wait until the 60s to make a selection, in recent years.
The room still needs more help, despite having a decent young core of Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, and last year’s draft pick Drew Sanders.
UCLA’s Grayson Murphy projects as more of an early-down pass rusher in the NFL, and would essentially be a one-trick pony off the edge until he can develop more pass rush moves and a quicker first step off the ball.
His relentlessness to get after the quarterback shows promise as he develops into a rotational pass rusher. Despite limitations in his fluidity Murphy was still productive at UCLA, tallying 95 pressures, 56 hurries, and 12 sacks as a Bruin.
Round 5, Pick 145: Tahj Washington, WR USC
As the Denver Broncos continue to infuse this roster with young offensive weapons, they add another dynamic pass catcher to their room in USC’s Tahj Washington.
Washington is an interesting receiver prospect for the Broncos after being one of Caleb Williams’ top receiving threats in 2023.
Washington finished the season tied for 11th in YAC, 12th in Yards Per Route Run (min. 25 targets), tied for 14th in Missed Tackles Forced (min. 25 targets), and had caught 60% of his contested catch attempts, among his fellow collegiate receivers.
Not too bad for a receiver who comes in at 5-foot-10 and a shade under 180 pounds.
Washington can work well against both man and zone coverages, and projects to be a slot receiver at the next level. As the Broncos look for more threats in the middle of the field, Washington fits that bill wonderfully.
Round 5, Pick 147: Dwight McGlothern, CB Arkansas
The Denver Broncos missed out on grabbing a starting-caliber cornerback early in this mock, but they’re able to snag a potential development project here in the fifth round.
Arkansas corner Dwight McGlothern is a lankier cornerback at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds and has some traits that suggest he could develop into a decent zone-proficient corner. The LSU transfer put together an impressive two seasons with the Razorbacks.
During his time at Arkansas, McGlothern recorded:
- 50.0 NFL Passer Rating when thrown to
- 6 interceptions
- 14 PBUs
- 3 TDs allowed
- 8 penalties (0 in 2023)
- 48% catch rate
McGlothern projects to be primarily a zone corner in the NFL, as he doesn’t quite have the footwork to play quality man coverage and doesn’t have the makeup speed to play clean trail technique. He does, however, have good instincts and ball skills when playing in zone coverage and has experience playing against quality competition.
Round 6, Pick 203: Jaylan Ford, LB Texas
The Denver Broncos lost Josey Jewell in free agency and they didn’t really do much in terms of replacing his spot this offseason, outside of bringing in bargain-bin option Cody Barton.
Taking Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford here, in the sixth round of this mock, doesn’t immediately replace Jewell or Barton, but it gives them a developmental linebacker who has shown some good traits in his run defense and dropping back into coverage in key situations.
He’s not going to wow you with his speed or burst, but Ford plays the run with great instincts. If he can clean up his tackling technique and figure out a way to continue creating turnovers (10 turnovers in two seasons) when he gets opportunities, he could be a sneaky good add for the Broncos this late in the draft.
Round 6, Pick 207: Trey Taylor, S Air Force
Local Broncos fans might already be familiar with this pick, as they take the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner in the last pick of the mock draft.
Air Force’s Trey Taylor — whose cousin is NFL great and Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed — would add more depth to the Denver Broncos’ secondary after the loss of Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons this offseason.
Taylor played all over the field for the Falcons in 2023, recording 141 snaps in the slot, 181 as a free safety, and over 300 snaps in the box. Taylor’s drive and ball skills might be enough to get him some snaps as a rookie, but he would have to make his name as a special teamer to start.
If the Broncos want to add more depth in their secondary, Taylor could play a variety of roles in Vance Joseph’s defense and could improve under the guidance of Jim Leonhard.
