It’s been an exciting past few months for Broncos Country. The Denver Broncos made the playoffs, though it’s best to forget the final result; the Kansas City Chiefs lost in the Super Bowl, which is definitely worth remembering; and Denver is finally able to take advantage of their prospective franchise quarterback’s rookie-contract window.
The team, as a whole, has already improved a fair bit with the additions they’ve made, but there is still one final talent-acquisition event for Denver to partake in – the NFL Draft. Now, in years past, the Broncos draft has felt kind of hollow. No matter how exciting the players they added were, it always felt somewhat pointless because they didn’t have a quarterback they were building around.
Well, guess what? They have their quarterback now.
It is impossible to know right now how far Bo Nix will ascend up the AFC QB Pyramid, but for the time being, he is at least a competent starter the franchise can build around, which is something the Broncos haven’t had for the nine years prior.
Now comes the fun part, where the ownership group can use every resource at their fingertips to surround Nix with talent on both sides of the ball. They’ve already done an exceptional job throughout free agency filling most of the glaring holes on the roster, which allows them to look to draft the best player available with each of their draft picks.
Instead of doing a mock draft, let’s mix it up by writing about what a perfect draft for the Denver Broncos would look like, rather than a series of names that likely won’t even land with the team.
Note that this exercise will be done within reason. Some monstrous move like trading multiple premium picks for Garrett Wilson likely garners better results than following the draft guide I’m proposing, but such a move is impossible to forecast at this point, and this Broncos roster is close enough to contention that they don’t necessarily have to sell the farm to make a big splash.
Add a Difference-Making RB Who Can Boost Bo Nix
Denver has been very proactive in filling their needs throughout free agency, with additions like Evan Engram in the tight end room, Dre Greenlaw in the linebacker room, and Talanoa Hufanga in the safety room, but there is one position Denver has yet to address – running back.
The Denver Broncos’ production from their RB room last year was incredibly underwhelming, as Sean Payton seemingly threw back after back at the wall, hoping one would stick. Sadly, none of them did, and, with the departure of Javonte Williams to the Cowboys, the Broncos’ running game will be looking for a new face (or more likely faces) to revive the run game and provide Nix some much-needed assistance going into his sophomore campaign.
Luckily for Denver, this year’s running back class has an abundance of ball-carriers that can provide that boost that will be available deep into Day 3, which gives them a myriad of quality options.
I see so much Nick Chubb/James Conner in Omarion Hampton’s game.
— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) March 23, 2025
He also moves/runs a lot like Zach Charbonnet.
Runs with passion. pic.twitter.com/LVViHDiSbJ
They could invest high draft capital and maybe even consider a possible trade-up for a premium level back like Ashton Jeanty or Omarion Hampton. They could choose to let the strength of the position group work in their favor and watch as guys that should be drafted top-50 or top-100 be pushed down the board due to the supply of talented runners, then draft them at a major bargain after adding more premium positions in earlier rounds.
They should look to incorporate a little bit of both strategies and add multiple running backs throughout the draft. Sean Payton’s offense has always incorporated multiple players in the backfield, and the scheme is so diverse they could use multiple types of runners to ensure they aren’t forcing square pegs into round holes.
Denver’s running back room needs more explosiveness, better production between the tackles, and some ability as receivers in the passing game. That doesn’t all need to come from one player.
The current RBs on the roster shouldn’t cause hesitation, none of them have shown the ability to be more than low-end starters. Denver should look to be aggressive in fixing this problem, and the best way to do that is to give the position group a massive makeover.
Add a big-bodied run defender to the defensive line
The Denver Broncos’ defense was incredible last season, as they far exceeded their preseason expectations. Still, they had some clear vulnerabilities the team needs to improve on. The playoff loss to the Bills and the regular season defeat against the Ravens made it perfectly clear that, although Denver has a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball to mess with opposing passing games, they don’t have enough massive defenders along the defensive front to clog rushing lanes and take on combo blocks.
Retaining DJ Jones helps, but even he isn’t built like the prototypical nose tackle and can be overwhelmed when tasked with the behemoth offensive lines some of the AFC juggernauts have either built or are starting to build.
Once again, this need fortunately aligns very well with the 2025 NFL Draft. Much like the RB position, the defensive line group is very deep and has players of all shapes and sizes who win in a multitude of ways.
So, with the Broncos looking for the type of defensive linemen that aren’t typically sought after with high-value picks, they will be in a prime position to find a player that fills their void up front in the draft’s later stages. Some Day 3 options for this role that would make sense are Jordan Phillips, CJ West, Jamaree Caldwell, and Cam’Ron Jackson.
Use one of the team’s three sixth-round picks to acquire a proven veteran
Every year we see teams acquire proven veterans on the roster bubble from struggling teams by trading late-round picks. The Denver Broncos did it just last year with the addition of John Franklin-Myers. That trend has continued this offseason, as we’ve already seen multiple trades in this mold, with the Dallas Cowboys trading for Kaiir Elam, the Houston Texans trading for Ed Ingram, and the Minnesota Vikings trading for Jordan Mason.
When new regimes take over these struggling franchises they usually are more interested in acquiring “their” players than they are paying to retain players of a previous regime. This can work in Denver’s favor because, while this team should still be looking to acquire young talent on rookie contracts, they currently have an extremely healthy salary cap and also have the sport’s richest ownership group, which allows for the most cap flexibility.
Considering they are trying to maximize the rookie QB contract window, they shouldn’t be afraid to spend in the short term. The goal should be to surround Bo Nix with as many competent players as possible so the team can win now, before it becomes much harder to surround Nix with expensive pieces..
Now, sadly this isn’t Madden. There isn’t an official trade block screen where we can see every player that teams want to move on from.
That said, we can look at some of the teams picking high in the upcoming draft and look at players that are either in the final year of their contract, are limiting their current team’s cap mobility, or are younger players drafted by prior regimes.
Tyler Allgeier picked up nearly 15 more yards after this pic.twitter.com/p8wYMGaWxc
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 14, 2024
Some favorite options from this exercise are: Tyler Allgeier, RB Atlanta Falcons; Evan Neal, OT, New York Giants; Mazi Smith, IDL, Dallas Cowboys; Allen Lazard, WR, Jets; Ja’Whaun Bentley, ILB, New England Patriots.
These names likely aren’t causing you to burst with excitement, and that’s understandable, but all of these players either have proven to be serviceable players, even if in an auxiliary role, or have some untapped potential that a better coaching staff, like the Denver Broncos’, could help them realize.
Regardless, each of these players represents a better option than the depth pieces Denver currently has at their disposal. Plus, the hit rate on sixth-round picks is incredibly low, and Sean Payton has proven to be slow to trust his rookies to execute. With that in mind, the Broncos would be foolish to not sniff around the bargain bin and see what they can find.
John Franklin-Myers completely changed the outlook of this defense when he was acquired for a sixth-rounder, Denver should do everything they can to find this year’s JFM.
Draft an athletic large-framed OT for Strief to develop with a later pick
Zach Strief is an incredible offensive line coach. Since his arrival, we have seen the most consistent offensive line play across the board Broncos Country has had since the Mike Shanahan era. He’s not only done it with starters, but he has even made depth guys look serviceable when injuries occur.
With that in mind, and considering how expensive it is to construct an offensive line in free agency, the Denver Broncos should look to take advantage of their incredibly talented offensive line coach by giving him at least one high-upside offensive lineman to develop.
The best teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles, do what they can to avoid those desperate swings in free agency by constantly adding draft picks to the offensive line and letting them develop, under their elite OL coach.
At the moment, Bolles is 32, McGlinchey is 30, Powers is 28, and they’re all under contract for the next couple of years. None of these guys need to be replaced this season and likely won’t next season, but that day will come eventually. In the meantime, the Broncos should also work to be better insulated from injuries up front, and adding a toolsy young prospect would provide an off-ramp for the future while also giving the team immediate insurance for their current starters.
Otherwise, when it comes time to move on, the Denver Broncos will be forced to spend the offseason looking for, and potentially reaching for, an immediate answer in the form of paying a mediocre tackle elite money on the open market or drafting a hopeful tackle of the future with a premium pick. That latter option may seem appealing, but offensive linemen often take multiple seasons to develop into quality starters. Look at Bolles in his first few seasons.
Denver needs to solidify the future of their offensive line, to ensure it remains a strength for as much of Nix’s career as possible. Not doing so would be a disservice to the offense as a whole.
Some prospects the Broncos could look at on Day 3 are: Chase Lundt, OT, UConn; Carson Vinson, OT, Alabama A&M; Luke Kandra IOL Cincinnati; Jackson Slater IOL Sacramento State; Miles Frazier, IOL, LSU.
