Denver Broncos: 3 players George Paton could trade up for in 2021

The Denver Broncos currently have the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but sighting some recent developments, that could change.

Depending on how the board falls, the team could choose to trade out of the ninth spot. What if they choose to trade up?

They could go several ways in that trade-up. A lot of it depends on how high they trade up. The expectation is that we could see four quarterbacks off the board in the first four picks.

The first overall pick is out of reach, as the Jacksonville Jaguars will surely want to take Trevor Lawrence. The New York Jets are in desperate need for a quarterback now that they traded Sam Darnold (and even before that trade).

The San Francisco 49ers traded up to the third pick (previously held by the Dolphins)—all indications are that the trade was made with a quarterback in mind.

So, that leaves picks 5-through-8 open for business…Unless the Broncos are confident enough to put all of their chips on the table and make a complete blockbuster of a trade into the top-4.

Let’s say that happens.

With the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos select:

Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Jets: Zach Wilson, BYU
49ers: Trey Lance, NDSU
Broncos: Justin Fields, Ohio State

Now, this would require quite a haul to pull this trade off. The big question is, do the Denver Broncos think that Fields is worth said haul? Or are they still going to go the Drew Lock & a veteran route?

Here’s the thing: even though the Broncos have the same head coach that drafted Lock, the general manager situation is slightly different with George Paton in town.

I personally don’t think they’ll go quarterback in the first round—maybe not even at all in the draft. But if they do, Fields might be the right player to get.

It is also worth noting that Paton attended Ohio State’s Pro Day on March 30th.