If the Broncos trade up for an OL, it has to be this one

If the Denver Broncos are planning on making a move up in the 2020 NFL Draft for an offensive lineman, one player in particular makes sense.

The Denver Broncos have plenty of needs heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, including on the offensive line.

Although I’ve written that tackle is a bit of an overrated need, the Broncos are apparently rumored to be interested in potentially moving up for a tackle in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

According to Albert Breer of SI.com, the Broncos have been investigating a trade up the 2020 draft board ‘pointedly’ and Breer specifically hears the team is looking into moving up for a tackle.

"The Bucs and Broncos, I’ve heard, could be going up for one of the top four linemen (Becton, Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs and Andrew Thomas)Albert Breer, SI.com"

I have also written this offseason that Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs would be the best possible offensive lineman for the Broncos in round one, and at this point it feels like they would definitely have to move up — probably all the way to the 8th overall pick at least — to get him.

What makes Wirfs the ideal OL prospect for the Broncos in the 2020 NFL Draft?

He played mostly right tackle at Iowa, but also played some left tackle and excelled there. His size, strength, and athleticism make him an ideal fit for really any type of offensive scheme. While Wirfs starred at tackle in college, many evaluators also think he could excel in the NFL as a guard.

For the Broncos, he could step in for the 2020 season as the starting right guard with Graham Glasgow playing the center position, and the Broncos could sleep well at night with Garett Bolles and Ja’Wuan James as their tackles, at least for this season.

If things go poorly with Bolles, the Broncos could kick Wirfs out to left tackle in 2021. If things go poorly with James, they can move him to right tackle. Either way, Wirfs can be an impact starter as a rookie at the right guard spot and could move to tackle if need be later on.

If everything works out, the Broncos would have their starting five on the offensive line set for the foreseeable future, and that’s key.

Ideally, the Broncos will be able to keep their second-round pick in any potential move up the draft board, but they could also take a couple of their third-round picks and move back into the second round if the right player is falling.

Still, a trade up for the Broncos given their current roster situation seems unlikely. John Elway has — consistently, every year — explored the price of trading up and I’m sure he seriously considers it. But keep in mind that Elway has had opportunities to make aggressive trades up the board in recent years to solve needs (moving up from 5 to 3 in 2018 for a QB, in particular) and didn’t do it.

Elway is rightfully stingy when it comes to draft picks. He will move around the board later on, but he doesn’t like to diminish his assets before even making a selection. It’s something he’s never really done.

It doesn’t mean Elway wouldn’t do it, but this is one of those instances where history is a good indicator of future behavior, and Elway’s tendency has always been to go for value in round one rather than make expensive trades up.

He has traded up in the first round twice in his tenure as Broncos GM. In fact, his two trades up the board in round one came in consecutive years (2015-16).

In 2015, Elway traded up for SEC defensive player of the year Shane Ray, who was a projected top 10 pick at one point in that draft class. In 2016, Elway moved up for Paxton Lynch.

Neither trade was crippling to the Broncos’ draft pick hoard in either year, and in fact, the Shane Ray trade included offensive lineman Manny Ramirez, somewhat of a throwaway for the Broncos.

Take this report with a grain of salt. The Broncos were also rumored to be interested in potentially moving up from the 10th overall pick last year. Again, it’s important to consider the current state of the roster versus the cost of moving up.

The Broncos may not be able to solve their roster issues all in one offseason, and they may have a different perception of needs than us from the outside looking in.