Broncos' GM George Paton just teased a potentially major NFL Draft move

The Denver Broncos traded multiple draft picks to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle earlier this offseason in what turned out to be, perhaps, the biggest move any team made this offseason. Sure, there is still a lot of offseason left, but the Broncos have made the biggest splash.

All of a sudden, this roster got the missing piece they were missing on offense, and heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Broncos can go in a number of different directions, but they will be limited without a first-round pick. At the end of the day, though, that's the cost of doing business and making such a major move.

But recently, Broncos General Manager George Paton did not mince works at all when talking about the draft.

Could the Denver Broncos trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Talking about the Broncos not having a first-round pick this year, Paton left the door wide open for the team to make a move up the NFL Draft board:

This could simply be GM-speak from Paton, but this is actually a very interesting comment that does have some layers to it. First of all, it's clear how much Paton himself has valued draft picks. Paton's GM tenure, thus far, has put a massive emphasis on 'draft and develop,' which is ideal.

There are so many homegrown players on the roster, and that isn't an accident. On one hand, Paton felt like it was worth it to trade his highest pick this year for an impact player, which could tell you how he feels about the Round 1 talent.

But at the same time, there could be a prospect that Denver is currently wanting that could force the team to trade up, but what would force Denver to trade more capital, unless they were able to package a player in any sort of deal.

If the Broncos had a player in mind, but he was projected to go in the first 50 picks, the Broncos would have to drum up some sort of offer to make that jump. Given the limited capital the Broncos have, it might be a shock to see them move up the board unless the player they're targeting is high on their own board.

But Paton himself seemingly leaving the door open for the Broncos to trade up, even after giving up a first and third-round pick, could prove that we could see an entirely new level of aggression from the team's front office in 2026, a year that might end up being the most important in the history of the franchise.