Denver Broncos: Jaylon Johnson and other trade down targets

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – NOVEMBER 02: Jaylon Johnson #1 of the Utah Utes intercepts a Jacob Eason #10 of the Washington Huskies pass and returns it for a 39 yard for a touchdown during the third quarter of the game at Husky Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Utah Utes top the Washington Huskies 33-28. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

The Denver Broncos seem more likely to trade up, but what if they trade down? They could target a number of impact players still.

The Denver Broncos are rumored to be one of the more likely teams to trade up in the 2020 NFL Draft, and there are a number of players worth going up to get.

But what if they don’t?

What if the Broncos decide not only to initially stay put at 15 but then to actually trade down?

John Elway said at his pre-draft conference call that the Broncos are considering both options, and rightly so. The biggest benefit of trading down is exactly what we saw from the Broncos in 2019.

When they passed up on Devin Bush — certainly an impact starter — with the 10th overall selection, it was certainly a risk, but then they got Noah Fant with the 20th overall pick. And then Dalton Risner 41st. And then they used their additional capital to move up for 42 overall to get Drew Lock.

There’s plenty of historical evidence to suggest that trading down is the more beneficial long-term move than moving up and sacrificing picks, but those might be ‘win-win’ scenarios for Denver in 2020.

Let’s explore the option of trading down in the first round and what players the Broncos could realistically target that way. Trading down means they’d likely be passing on the likes of Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, CJ Henderson, and any top offensive tackle prospect.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be strong options later in the first round.

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