The 2023 season has been a rough one for the Denver Broncos through three weeks, and that is a massive understatement. There is still plenty of time for the team to turn things around, but after surrendering 70 points last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, there is absolutely no reason to believe it will.
So even though the 2024 NFL Draft is still seven months away, the Broncos could be a team with a lot to look forward to when the selection process starts. If the Broncos continue to perform at the level they have so far this season, they are going to be picking in the top five of the draft.
It's hard to imagine five teams being worse than the Broncos the rest of this year, so this article will operate as though they will have a pick within the top five for the first time since 2018. Should that come to fruition, here is an early look at some college players who could be future Broncos.
Caleb Williams is pretty much the consensus No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft and whoever ends up with that pick will likely take him. For those who can't imagine the Broncos having that pick, it's possible and a loss this Sunday to the Chicago Bears would greatly increase those odds.
Williams has elite arm talent and can pretty much do it all as a quarterback on the field. And anytime you're drawing comparisons to Patrick Mahomes, you're doing something right.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy last season and could do it again this year. Broncos fans can see just how good he is, if they haven't already, when his USC Trojans take on the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.
Williams is going to be the No. 1 overall pick next year in the draft and if the Broncos end up having that pick, he will be the player chosen, regardless of Russell Wilson's standing with the team.
He is a can't-miss prospect and hopefully, even a front office as bad as the Broncos' front office has been can't screw that up.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is easily the top wide receiver in this draft class. He has the ability to be the No. 1 overall pick and probably would be if it was any other draft. If the name sounds familiar, it should, as his father is in the Hall of Fame after being one of the best receivers in league history, forming an incredible duo with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis.
Harrison Jr. is a bigger and more physical athlete than his dad was. He is coming off of a 2022 season in which he caught 77 passes for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. He will add to those totals with another dominant season for the Buckeyes before making himself available for the draft.
Harrison has the bloodlines and the work ethic is there to be great. He is the best wide receiver prospect to come out of the college ranks in some time and in five years, he could be the best wide receiver in the entire NFL, if not sooner.
Like Williams, Harrison is a player you draft whether you need the position or not. The Broncos have Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and an impressive-looking rookie in Marvin Mims. However, none of those guys hold a candle to Harrison.
This would be an incredibly good pick for the Broncos.
When you have a pick inside the top five, one of the positions you generally always look at is left tackle. It remains to be seen what Garett Bolles' future in Denver holds, but Penn State's Olu Fashanu has all the traits you look for at the left tackle position.
If the Broncos chose to roll on with Wilson (or a different QB in 2024, for that matter), then drafting a new franchise left tackle makes a lot of sense.
An All-American in 2022, it was believed by many that Fashanu would declare for this past spring's draft, but he chose to return to school. Heading into the draft next year, he should easily be the top tackle prospect in the class.
Fashanu is also still just 20 years old and his best football is almost certainly still ahead of him, which is quite impressive considering what you already see on film.
The Broncos once drafted Ryan Clady high in the draft and he went on to have many great seasons during a long career with the team. However, if Fashanu's potential ceiling is ever reached, he could be even better.
Getting after the quarterback is a must in today's NFL and good pass-rushers are considered premium players. The Broncos have traded away Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and the players they have replaced them with just have not worked out to this point.
Jared Verse is, at least right now, considered the top pass-rusher in the 2024 class. He had nine sacks for the Seminoles last season. He's off to a slow start this year, with just a half of a sack thus far, but he is also seeing more attention from the opposition.
Verse has a very explosive first step and he has more than one good pass-rush move. Scouts are likely going to want to see more from him in defending against the run in order to be considered a complete prospect, but he has the more, flexibility and bend to be a tremendous edge rusher at the professional level.
The Broncos found Miller, the best defensive player in team history, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft. That is the highest draft pick the Broncos have ever had. Taking a player like Verse inside the top five would seem to be a bit of a stretch, but if players like Williams and Harrison were already off the board, his name would have to be taken into consideration.
Despite playing at North Carolina, Drake Maye burst onto the national scene with an incredible 2022 season in which he threw for over 4,300 yards and had 38 touchdown passes. He's now considered by most to be the No. 2 quarterback prospect in this class.
If the Broncos couldn't get Williams, Maye could be a great fall-back option. Though many (myself included) need to see Maye have another impressive year at UNC before fully buying in, the physical traits are clearly there.
He can make every throw that will be asked of him in the NFL, but what makes him such an intriguing prospect is what he can do with his mobility. Not only can he scramble for extra yards for a big guy, but his throws outside the pocket are terrific. Think of what you used to see out of Aaron Rodgers in those situations, he has that kind of ability.
If the Broncos were to fall into Maye inside the top five, it would be a pick with incredibly good potential.