The 2024 NFL Draft is getting closer, and the Denver Broncos need to fill multiple holes on their roster. Due to the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades in the past two seasons, the Broncos enter the draft with only six picks. To be specific, these are in the following rounds ... one in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one in the sixth.
Free agency starts next week, so as it goes by, the draft priorities could be more clear. Before you wonder, in this mock draft I did a couple of trades, but none including players, all just with picks.
With that being said, here is my first 2024 seven-round mock for the Denver Broncos.
Round 1 - 18th overall pick: Bo Nix, QB Oregon
The quarterback is a top-tier position of need for the team. With the release of Russell Wilson coming, Sean Payton must hit a home run with the quarterback he selects in the draft, assuming they go QB in the draft.
Bo Nix going DEEEPpic.twitter.com/SWws0VIdyY
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) March 2, 2024
Michigan's J.J. McCarthy is available at 12th overall, but if there is a good offer to trade down and get more capital, I would not rule it out, and instead take Bo Nix. Moving down six spots, but getting two seconds (one in 2025) could be a good scenario for Denver because at 18 they could still go quarterback, which is what I selected with the first pick in this mock draft.
Bo Nix is a very experienced and talented quarterback. He is very accurate and super athletic. He fits perfectly in Sean Payton's offense. His five years as a starter could be an important factor for the Broncos.
Round 2 - 49th overall pick: T'Vondre Sweat, DT Texas
Excluding the quarterback position, defensive tackle might be the biggest position of need for the Broncos, and thanks to the trade with the Bengals in round one, Denver is in a good position to address that need by selecting a top-tier defensive lineman in T'Vondre Sweat, a guy that can easily be a day one starter on many teams.
Denver could free up cap space by cutting veteran DJ Jones. Additionally, Jonathan Harris and Mike Purcell will become free agents once the new league year starts. Sweat is a giant defender who can easily beat double blocks. The thing with Sweat is that he might not be available at 49th overall, as he might even go in the first round. If available, for me it is a no-brainer selection for Denver.
Round 4 - 122nd overall pick: Ricky Pearsall, WR Florida
The 2024 wide receiver class is loaded, if you saw the NFL Combine, you could see that you can easily get a talented wideout in every single round. One of my Combine winners lands in Denver in the fourth round, to be specific, this player is Ricky Pearsall.
Ricky Pearsall is such a route tech pic.twitter.com/66oxjtFSWi
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) March 3, 2024
If the Broncos end up trading Jerry Jeudy and/or Courtland Sutton, Pearsall is a guy who can perfectly fit in Sean Payton's offense. Moving on from Jeudy seems very likely, and Ricky is a powerful route runner who can line up wide and in the slot, and take Jerry's spot. Pearsall's draft stock went up, and might even be selected in the top 100.
Round 5 - 144th overall pick: Jared Wiley, TE TCU
I tried to trade up to get Penn State's tight end Theo Johnson, who is a perfect fit for Sean Payton's offense, but in the end, I decided to not do it and instead select Jared Wiley, who is easily a top-five tight end in the class.
Denver needs a tight end, as they have not had a 600+ yards tight end since Noah Fant back in 2021, and have not had a 700+ yards tight end since Julius Thomas back in 2013.
Adam Trautman will be a free agent and it is unlikely that he will be back with the team, Greg Dulcich is talented but cannot stay healthy, so adding a tight end in the draft is a good option to add more offensive weapons. Wiley can easily get open and has shown versatility during his college career.
Round 5 - 146th overall pick: Mohamed Kamara, EDGE Colorado State
The Broncos edge rushers struggled for most of the season. Help is needed, as their pressure was very unsuccessful during the 2023 season, and many missed tackles. The Broncos could target edge rushers in free agency, and possibly early in the draft, but being able to get a talented guy like Kamara with a big upside later in the draft, would be huge for Vance Joseph. Kamara had more sacks than games played in 2023, to be specific 13 sacks in 12 games.
The Colorado connection could be there, and the Broncos met with Kamara in both the East-West Shrine Bowl and in the NFL Combine. One of the fastest guys in the edge class, to be specific, the 2nd fastest just behind Chop Robinson in the 40-yard dash.
The Buccaneers released former Bronco Shaq Barrett, who also played at Colorado State. Barrett went undrafted, but had a huge impact in Denver. Imagine if the Broncos sign Barrett once free agency opens, and draft Kamara, the past and the present from the CSU Rams playing for their state NFL team together.
Round 6 - 190th Overall pick: Khristian Boyd, DL Northern Iowa
With the final pick in my first mock draft, Denver trades up nineteen spots from the 7th round to the 6th and select Khristian Boyd, one of the biggest NFL Combine snubs. I was between trading up for Boyd or waiting until the 7th to select a running back or an offensive tackle.
With Boyd available on the board, I traded up to snag him, and add another defensive lineman. Boyd was very impressive during the East-West Shrine Bowl week, increasing his draft stock. He is very powerful and can add more help to this young defense. He is a very underrated prospect, who can have a positive impact on any team who selects him.