The Denver Broncos have extremely limited NFL Draft capital this year, but with one of the best rosters in the league, they also have an insane amount of flexibility to move up or down the draft board.
Denver won't be able to go too crazy, though, as the limited capital does impact them to a degree, and it's not certain how comfortable the front office would be in trading 2027 NFL Draft capital to potentially move up this year, for example.
With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, let's dive into three insanely bold predictions for the Broncos.
Three NFL Draft bold predictions for the Denver Broncos
Broncos attempt to trade into Round 1 but just can't get it done
How many times have Broncos fans heard General Manager George Paton say something like "we're in on everything" alluding to potential deals, trades, or even working the NFL Draft board. We've also seen the Broncos get active in this regard during Paton's tenure.
The Broncos have not at all been afraid to move back to recoup capital, but could this team at least attempt to move up? The one main reason why this could make sense is that the team simply doesn't have many holes, and obviously, those first-round picks are much more likely to be impact starters than picks on day two or day three.
Denver might see a reason to move up in the first round to land a defensive end or inside linebacker, for example, as those positions could have a starting spot open for 2026, and they're also positions of need.
However, given the limitations that the Broncos have with their 2026 capital, and it perhaps not being likely that Paton wants to part with 2027 capital, the Broncos could try, but fail, to trade up at least 30 spots from pick 62 back into the first round.
Broncos do not pick at 62nd overall
The Broncos picked at 60th overall back in the 2025 NFL Draft, taking RJ Harvey, but that was not their original selection. What seemed to happen last year was that the front office was clearly shocked Jahdae Barron was still on the board at pick 20, so they took him, passing up other prospects they were likely zeroing in on.
This kind of set off a domino effect with the rest of the team's picks, so they moved down in Round 2, among other draft moves. Whether it's moving up a bit or moving back for more capital, the Broncos will not pick at 62nd overall as our second bold prediction.
Paton recently commented about the draft and where the Broncos could look to capitalize:
George Paton: "We're really honed in, let's say, from 45 to 75. Just really honed into that group of players. Not that we haven't gone through the process in the first round like we always do, but now this just gives us time to focus on the players (in that range)."
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) April 16, 2026
Could Denver package pick 62 and one of their fourth-round picks to move up into the 40s, for example? It'd absolutely be realistic to suggest that could happen, and the same could be said for moving back.
Denver might see an offer to move back into the 70s, for example, in a deal that nets them another fourth or perhaps fifth-round pick in the process.
Broncos draft a quarterback
With Jarrett Stidham in the last year of his deal, there's no guarantee he'd get a third contract from the Broncos, as Denver might prefer, at some point in the near future, to draft a late-round quarterback as a developmental backup player.
This could end up being a smart long-term play for the team. Sure, Stidham has had value on the Broncos as the backup for what will now be the fourth season unless something changes, but there will be a time where this team takes a chance on a young quarterback.
Given how well-coached this team is, and given the truth that you can never have too many capable quarterbacks on the roster, the Broncos might dip their toes into a late-round passer.
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