4 prospects Broncos could make big splash trades for in second round of draft

The Denver Broncos currently hold the No. 64 overall selection in the NFL Draft, but there is always the chance that a team will trade up to get the guy it wants. 

The Broncos will have to wait until the end of round two to make their first selection of the 2022 draft. That is unless George Paton spots a prospect that he can’t live without and wants to deal some more of his draft capital.

With the way the draft fell in the first round, including a big run on wide receivers, there are still several top-level prospects available to be selected, including many with first-round grades.

With the Broncos trading away their first and second-round picks this year and next in order to acquire Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, there is a good argument to make that the team should sit back and let the board come to them in order to get as many players as possible.

But Paton may see things differently. He traded up in the second round last year in order to ensure he was able to get Javonte Williams. He may see another can’t-miss prospect on the board and feel that the price of moving up is worth it.

Teams make big jumps in the draft every year. In the first round, the Detroit Lions moved up 20 slots to take Alabama wide receiver, Jameson Williams.

The Broncos would have to move away up to get one of the following players but if any of these guys slip past the 40th pick, it could be a conversation to have. The Broncos have two picks in the third round as well as back-to-back selections in the fourth that could be seen as intriguing picks by other teams.

Broncos trade-up prospect: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

There was a ridiculous amount of talent on Georgia’s defense last year and that was the biggest reason the Bulldogs won the National Championship. The NFL as a whole believes in that defense and that is why five members of that defense were selected in the first round.

But Nakobe Dean is as good as many of those players and it’s somewhat shocking that he is still on the board. If you watched the national semi-final game last year between Georgia and Michigan, you know how dominant Dean can be.

That helped inspire me to write about why the Broncos should take Dean with the ninth overall pick at one point when Denver still had a selection. Yes, I believed him to be that good.

Dean could become the defensive leader and enforcer in the middle of the field that the Broncos sorely need.

This guy is as explosive as it gets and he makes plays all over the field. He plays with a fierce intensity and can do a little bit of everything at an above-average level. He will also stay on the field for all three downs.

There are questions about his size and how he’ll be able to take on blocks at the next level but that may be the only knock on him.

In my opinion, Dean is the best player still out there and will likely hear his name called early on Friday, so it would likely cost a pretty penny for the Broncos to come up to get him.