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Denver Broncos Mock Draft Update: Trade shakes up second round

By Sayre Bedinger

Jan 2, 2017; New Orleans , LA, USA;Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) carries the ball against Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Montravius Adams (1) and Auburn Tigers linebacker Tre' Williams (30) in the first quarter of the 2017 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; New Orleans , LA, USA;Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) carries the ball against Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Montravius Adams (1) and Auburn Tigers linebacker Tre' Williams (30) in the first quarter of the 2017 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Predicting what the Denver Broncos might do in the 2017 NFL Draft, including a potential trade in the second round. Who does John Elway target?

Jan 2, 2017; New Orleans , LA, USA;Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) carries the ball against Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Montravius Adams (1) and Auburn Tigers linebacker Tre' Williams (30) in the first quarter of the 2017 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; New Orleans , LA, USA;Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) carries the ball against Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Montravius Adams (1) and Auburn Tigers linebacker Tre’ Williams (30) in the first quarter of the 2017 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

Free Agency is just a few weeks away, and with the Denver Broncos expected to ‘go big’ both literally (addressing offensive and defensive line) and figuratively (roughly $35 million in cap space), it’s going to be interesting to see how John Elway approaches this year’s draft class.

If the Broncos address most of their major needs through free agency like I expect, it will allow for flexibility come time for the draft, which is always preferred. Last offseason was a bit rare in the fact that the Broncos were in desperate need of a quarterback after plans for Brock Osweiler to return fell through.

I wonder if anyone is regretting that at this point, although Osweiler’s Texans won a playoff game this past season and the Broncos watched from home…

With Denver’s latest first round investment being quarterback Paxton Lynch, I would assume Elway will try and fortify that selection by giving Lynch a significant weapon in the passing game, which is why I’m not deviating too far from previous mock drafts by projecting the Denver Broncos’ top selection in 2017 to be Alabama tight end O.J. Howard.

There’s no secret about it — Howard is arguably my favorite player in this entire draft. Will I be mad if the Broncos get David Njoku or one of the other excellent tight ends from this year’s class instead? No. Will I be mad if John Elway goes after an offensive lineman here? No.

Will I be upset if Elway goes after Christian McCaffrey instead? No.

There are a number of different players that would excite me in the first round, but Howard is almost too good to be true for this team. He’s an elite receiver with excellent blocking skills, great work habits, and huge production on the biggest stage.

Howard is about as close to a sure thing as you will ever see in a draft, and his positional value could push him down the board a bit. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him blow up the Combine and get picked much higher than 20th overall, but I’m going to keep him in this slot for the time being.

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