Broncos could be brewing up a bold trade up for star prospect behind the scenes

If the Denver Broncos want Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, they are going to have to trade up to go get him. That would be an extremely bold move because with the depth of this year's draft class, trading picks to move up for Jeanty would be akin to trading multiple future starters for one guy.

That guy had better be pretty special, and Jeanty is certainly that.

The Broncos obviously met with Jeanty at the NFL Scouting Combine but they started to raise eyebrows when they decided to send running backs coach Lou Ayeni to the Boise State pro day earlier this offseason when the Ohio State pro day was the exact same day. That was notable because both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins -- top 40 overall prospects at the running back psition -- were performing at the Ohio State pro day.

But the Broncos went to watch Jeanty.

Broncos plotting a big move up the board for Ashton Jeanty?

In a recent interview, Jeanty noted that he's been talking the "most" to the Raiders and Broncos, but he seemed to really emphasize the Denver Broncos when he was asked the question.

The Broncos, picking 20th, have virtually no shot at Jeanty if they stay put. They would also have to move up a considerable amount to get Jeanty because it sounds like he could be coveted by just about every team in the top 10 picks.

You could make the Patriots at 4th overall make sense. The Jaguars at 5 overall are a wild card. The Raiders are an obvious potential landing spot. The Jets at 7 don't seem to be in on Jeanty, and neither do the Panthers at 8, but the Saints and Bears at 9 and 10 should be heavily interested.

The Broncos might have to call up their pals with the Jets at 7 or see if the Panthers are willing to come down from the 8th pick if Jeanty falls past the Raiders. And if he does fall past the Raiders, I think things are liable to get pretty interesting. We could see a decent amount of competition to get him because there are not many true "blue chip" prospects in this class.

Jeanty is both a blue-chip prospect and plays the position the Denver Broncos currently need the most. That would constitute a player worthy of trading up for, but at what cost? Again, the Broncos might be sacrificing multiple future starters in order to move up for a player like Jeanty. And maybe they're okay with that.

Having a running back that can be featured in the offense would be such a game-changer for this Denver Broncos team. Perhaps the cost to move up would be worth it.