Denver Broncos: 9th pick drawing significant trade interest
The Denver Broncos currently hold the 9th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. General manager George Paton has talked about being open and flexible to the possibility of trading up, trading down, or drafting an impact player with that selection.
Go figure with those options, right?
Although Paton has given virtually nothing away about his pick, he stated at his pre-draft press conference that he has received calls from teams looking to move up. It seems in recent days, those talks have only intensified.
According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, there is significant trade interest in the Denver Broncos’ 9th overall pick.
I’m told there is significant interest from other teams in the #Broncos pick at 9. https://t.co/pZCVuZHAHN
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) April 28, 2021
The question now becomes — who are teams interested in moving up for? Well, you have to consider the teams that are immediately behind the Denver Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft order and what they might be looking to do.
Directly behind the Denver Broncos are the Dallas Cowboys, whose desire to pick South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn has basically been plastered all over the internet. Some team or teams could be calling the Broncos about the possibility of moving up for Horn or even Patrick Surtain, the cornerback out of Alabama.
What about the Giants at pick 11? The Cowboys are no threat to take a receiver, but the New York Giants are. If some team wants to take a receiver and one or two are already off the board by pick number 9, teams could very well be calling the Broncos about moving up to get a wide receiver like Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith.
Behind the Giants in the order are the Eagles, Chargers, and Vikings. All of those teams should be considered possible threats to take offensive linemen, specifically one of the top tackles available.
The Denver Broncos could take a tackle like Rashawn Slater or Penei Sewell themselves if they are on the board at 9, but they could also get a haul from some team that wants to move up for one of those guys because there’s a bit of a dropoff after them.
One thing that would be surprising would be the Denver Broncos trading the 9th overall pick so another team could draft a quarterback. Would the Broncos sell their pick to the Patriots so New England and Bill Belichick could get a QB they are targeting? They might trade the pick to a team like Washington if they really don’t want one of Trey Lance, Justin Fields, or Mac Jones, but it’s been rumored that the Broncos would not pass on Fields or Jones if they are on the board at 9.
One thing is for certain — the Denver Broncos should have no shortage of suitors for the 9th overall pick should they decide to move down.