Denver Broncos: Teams inquired about ninth overall pick
There was some speculation about whether or not the Denver Broncos would trade up, down, or sty put with the ninth overall pick. In the end, the team decided to use the ninth overall selection on Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
But wait, what’s that? There was significant interest in the ninth pick, you say? Yep, that’s exactly what Mike Klis of 9NEWS is reporting.
Broncos had trade-back calls from Saints at No. 28 (too far back), Bears at No. 20, Eagles at No. 12 per source. But Patrick Surtain II was the player George Paton had targeted. Paton no doubt has some Mike Zimmer influence when it comes to corners. Can't have enough. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) April 30, 2021
The Denver Broncos like what they got when they drafted Surtain and chose against a trade back in the end.
This decision makes me wonder several things.
1. What was offered for the ninth pick?
Obviously, whatever the Saints, Bears, and Eagles offered wasn’t enough for the team to seriously consider, especially if they love Surtain.
I am sure that some of the trade proposals could be leaked in the coming days, but before we know what was offered by any of the teams, I will just say that anything less than a couple of first-round picks and one or two more selections would be surprising. That’s at least what I would expect from the Saints and Bears.
Not the Eagles, as they would only be moving up three spots. They gave up a third-round pick to their division rival Dallas Cowboys to move up from 12 to 10.
2. How did the Broncos expect the board to fall?
The Denver Broncos must not have felt that any players they would have gotten in the later picks were better than Surtain.
In Surtain, they get the second cornerback off the board with Jaycee Horn going the pick directly before the Broncos’ pick at nine (Carolina). There was speculation that they were going to go quarterback, but also talk about a linebacker and offensive line.
They passed on Justin Fields, Micah Parsons, Rashawn Slater, and Mac Jones, all of who could have been decent or fantastic selections for the team.
Ultimately, we will be able to find out in several years if the team made the right decision to stay put rather than accept trade offers.