The Denver Broncos have a few urgent needs for the 2025 NFL Draft. Are they able to satisfy them in this mock? With how well the Broncos have rebuilt their franchise, they can do a number of things in the 2025 NFL Draft.
They are not married to a certain position and will have the entire free agency period to fill any needs. Last offseason, the Broncos were able to get some elite safety production off of the FA market in Brandon Jones, and I bet Denver thinks they can find that with another position this offseason.
But if they don't, the NFL Draft in April will be a great spot to find some long-term talent, and as we have seen over the last two seasons, some of the team's recent draft picks are really beginning to hit their stride.
Let's dive into the latest Denver Broncos' mock draft.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Denver Broncos take unexpected position in Round 1
20th Pick - Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
The Denver Broncos take a defensive tackle in the first round in Walter Nolen. The way to sustain success in the NFL is to build through the trenches, so the Broncos make an already strong unit stronger. DJ Jones is a free agent in 2025, and I could even see the Broncos taking a first-round DT with Jones returning on another deal.
51st Pick - Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
In the second round of this 2025 NFL mock draft, the Broncos grab RB Quinshon Judkins from Ohio State. It's really a 'pick your poison' type of draft at the RB position - it's truly shaping up to be a historically good RB class, which is great for Denver.
The Broncos could probably also find a viable starter at the position in the mid-late rounds as well, but they grab Judkins here in round two.
85th Pick - Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
The Denver Broncos draft the son of Jason Taylor in the third round and grab Mason Taylor from LSU. The tight end class is yet another extremely deep position class in the 2025 NFL Draft. Seeing as the TE position is quite hard to adapt to at the NFL level, Denver should also address this unit in free agency.
While he has value to this team, there is no reason for Adam Trautman to get the majority of snaps at TE in future seasons.
121st Pick - Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa
Denver has a need in the middle of their defense. Alex Singleton could return from a torn ACL, but Cody Barton is a free agency and didn't exactly do a ton of inspire confidence in his abilities going forward. I could see Denver making a huge splash in free agency at the ILB spot, but they also could targer someone like Jay Higgins from Iowa.
The Broncos have to get better at ILB for 2025 and beyond, period.
193rd Pick - Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
The Denver Broncos have now double-dipped at the running back position in this mock draft and grab Devin Neal from Kansas. We do know that Sean Payton and the Broncos had some interest in signing Josh Jacobs last offseason, so that does tell us that the front office is prepared to make a sizeable investment into the unit.
The hope is that the Broncos can do just that this offseason. Double-dipping at the position would be a great way to overhaul the unit
199th Pick - Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech
With the 199th pick, the Broncos are taking another defensive tackle to hopefully keep this unit strong for the long-term. Their starting defensive line from 2024 in Zach Allen, DJ Jones, and John Franklin-Myers were acquired by the team via signing and trade, so they should angle more toward drafting and developing within this unit going forward.
209th Pick - Joshua Gray, OG, Oregon State
Hopefully grabbing some depth with their final pick, the Broncos take Joshua Gray from Oregon State. We'll see how the team's OL looks in future years - they have four big-time contracts along the offensive line and may want to shave that down to three for next season.