The Denver Broncos signed free agent tight end Evan Engram to be their "Joker" in 2025, but does the addition of Engram take tight end off the board in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft? You wouldn't necessarily think so, but Broncos insider Mike Klis of 9News all but confirmed the possibility that this position won't be Denver's direction at 20 overall.
Klis is one of the most plugged-in people when it comes to the Denver Broncos and he didn't mince words at all when it came to Denver possibly taking a tight end with their first-round pick...
Broncos insider squashes idea of tight end with 20th overall pick
"It doesn’t make sense to take tight end Colston Loveland at No. 20, as so many mocksters insist, because of the addition of Evan Engram. You don’t want your No. 20 overall pick sitting for a year or two. So cross off the tight end position for No. 20. Maybe consider one at No. 85 in the third round, but not No. 20 in the first."
- Broncos insider Mike Klis
Well, we can all adjust our mock drafts accordingly. Unless, of course, what Klis is saying here is what the Broncos want him to say...
Even though we're at that time of year where you shouldn't exactly believe everything you hear, nobody inside the Broncos' building is going to be trying to make Klis look bad with this kind of take. His information is solid. Even though anything can still happen and the Broncos absolutely could take a tight end in the first round, it appears as though we don't need to plan on that happening.
That means you can at least rule out quarterback and tight end among the positions the Broncos will consider with the 20th overall pick at this stage, meaning running back and receiver are the offensive skill positions still on the table. And among those two, running back is the heavy favorite.
It almost makes you wonder if defense is more on the table for that 1st-round pick than anything else for the Broncos. It's been hinted a number of times by not only insiders like Klis but even Broncos head coach Sean Payton himself that it's not just skill players offensively that help a young quarterback, but a strong defense and a great pass rush. If the defense can get off the field quickly, you take pressure off the offense a bit by giving them extra possessions.
The Broncos had the 3rd-best defense in terms of points allowed last season and the only reason why they weren't 1st in the league was because of an absolute debacle down the stretch of the season against Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati.
Fortifying the defense by taking a player in the trenches or maybe the best defensive back on the board, or even an off-ball linebacker could be the direction the Broncos are looking to go.
With just over a month before the draft, if I were putting money on it, I would still say that the running back position is where I think the Broncos will go with the 20th pick, but I also wouldn't be shocked by just about any position defensively.
But no more tight ends in mock drafts until further notice, apparently.