The NFL draft is two weeks away and the Broncos have a bevy of options to explore with their No. 12 pick.
Trade up and a top-tier quarterback? Trade back and get more draft capital? Do they stay put and take the best player available? Something entirely different?
Here’s a look at who national draftniks are thinking will land in Denver.
247Sports | Brad Crawford | Updated April 9
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
No write-up is available. See the full mock draft.
CBS Sports | Garrett Podell | Updated April 10
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
“Terrion Arnold is the hands-down top defensive back in this class, and he goes to a team that already has a Pro Bowl corner in Pat Surtain II. At 6-foot and weighing 196 pounds, Arnold won consistently in the SEC. The first-team All-American co-led the conference with five interceptions and led the entire SEC in targets ending with an incompletion (43). Arnold also didn’t allow a touchdown on 445 coverage snaps last season. Denver’s secondary will likely take a step back after releasing Justin Simmons. Arnold can help soften his absence, an ability he highlighted with the Crimson Tide,” Podell writes. See the full mock draft.
CBS Sports | Chris Trapasso | Updated April 10
Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
“Sean Payton has his eyes on another quarterback later in the draft and instead looks to tighten up the blocking unit with the selection of Troy Fautanu,” Trapasso writes. See the full mock draft.
More Broncos picks:
Third round, 66th pick: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Fourth round, 121st pick: Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
Fifth round, 136th pick: Isaiah Adams, OL, Illinois
Fifth round, 145th pick: Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College
Fifth round, 147th pick: Erick All, TE, Michigan
Sixth round, 203rd pick: Ryan Watts, DB, Texas
Sixth round, 207th pick: AJ Barner, TE, Michigan
NFL.com | Adam Rank | Updated April 8
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
“Hear me out, Broncos: You are not a quarterback away from competing. I would strongly suggest going another route — maybe trading back, maybe taking Brock Bowers. I legit don’t know. I just feel like you’re going to take a quarterback because the only guys on the current depth chart are Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. Starting the season with those two at QB would make you the most unserious franchise in football. I mean, you could sign Ryan Tannehill, but that’s only if you want Brandon Perna to make a million dollars from his YouTube channel.
“OK, I guess you should get your quarterback if he falls here after all. But man, you need so much help,” Rank writes. See the full mock draft.
CBS Sports | Eric Galko | Updated April 8
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Note: Broncos trade No. 12 pick and more to Cardinals for No. 4 pick.
“If the Patriots and Vikings make a trade at the third pick, I’d almost bank on the Broncos trading up here. Sean Payton has had great success with quarterbacks in the past, and their team is actually well-built for a rookie quarterback to come in early and win games,” Galko writes. See the full mock draft.
NFL.com | Rhett Lewis | Updated April 9
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Note: Broncos trade No. 12 pick and more to Jets for No. 10 pick.
“This trade presents a more palatable scenario for the Broncos since they don’t have a ton of draft resources to throw at their QB problem. The move up two spots doesn’t cost them any future first-round picks and nets Sean Payton a QB who is a proven winner with a savvy football IQ. The assets that would’ve otherwise been dealt in a move higher up the board can now be invested in building around McCarthy for the future,” Lewis writes. See the full mock draft.
ESPN | Mel Kiper Jr. | Updated April 10
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
“I thought hard again about giving the Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (Oregon), but I talked myself out of it. I just don’t think Nix is a first-round signal-caller. I have a Round 2 grade on him based on everything I’ve seen on tape. He lit up defenses for the Ducks the past two seasons — he had 74 touchdown passes to just 10 picks — but there’s some risk involved based on what he was asked to do in the Oregon offense. His average pass traveled 6.3 yards downfield last season, which was sixth shortest among 125 qualified FBS quarterbacks, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
“Instead, Denver can look to improve a defense that ranked 30th in yards per play allowed (5.8) last season and pair Mitchell with Pat Surtain. Mitchell, my top-ranked cornerback, had 46 pass breakups in four seasons at Toledo, and he ripped off an elite 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He’s ready to play early and often as a rookie,” Kiper writes. See the full mock draft.
The Athletic | Nick Baumgardner | Updated April 8
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Note: Broncos trade No. 12 pick to Rams for Nos. 19 and 52 picks.
“The Broncos really need a quarterback. The Sean Payton plan will go nowhere without one. And though this might be too high for Nix, I’m still sending him to Payton. Denver trades down, gets a QB and acquires extra capital — tough to beat that,” Baumgardner writes. See the full mock draft.
USA Today | Nate Davis | Updated April 9
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
“They were only too willing to eat Russell Wilson’s high-calorie contract, but Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci seem like a crash diet. Nix has the mobility, accuracy — yes, some of his record 77.5% completion rate in 2023 was juiced by the Ducks’ offense — and quick decision-making coach Sean Payton values, plus a nose for the goal line (38 rushing TDs in five college seasons). And with an FBS-record 61 starts under his belt, rookie passers don’t come much more ready-made than Nix would,” Davis writes. See the full mock draft.
The Sporting News | Vinnie Iyer | Updated April 10
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
“Nix provides another welcome arm-accuracy-athletic combination to fill another team’s major QB void. The Broncos have had a good look at Nix, and he can execute the offense of Sean Payton and Joe Lombardi well,” Iyer writes. See the full mock draft.
Pro Football Focus | Steve Palazzolo | Updated April 10
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
“Penix Jr. has an NFL-level arm talent in addition to two years of good health and top-tier production in a spread-out shotgun offense. However, to become a consistent starter and top-15 quarterback in the league, he will need to clean up his footwork, throw with more anticipation and touch (which will improve ball placement), as well as be willing to attack the middle of the field,” Palazzolo writes. See the full mock draft.
Bleacher Report | Staff | Updated April 10
Jared Verse, edge, Florida State
“With J.J. McCarthy coming off the board one pick earlier, the run of first-round-caliber quarterbacks is complete. Insert sad face emoji for the Denver Broncos.
Even though Jayden Daniels and McCarthy can be viewed as reaches based on B/R’s latest draft board, they’re still first-round-caliber prospects. The same can’t be said of the next tier of quarterback prospects, with no other signal-caller falling within the top 60 overall. Thus, the Broncos need to change gears and look elsewhere. They could do worse than selecting B/R’s top-rated defensive prospect, Florida State’s Jared Verse.” See the full mock draft.
CBS Sports | Pete Prisco | Updated April 10
Jared Verse, edge, Florida State
“They pass on a quarterback here, although they could trade down and take a quarterback. For this draft, they stay put and add an edge player in Jared Verse,” Prisco writes. See the full mock draft.
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