The Denver Broncos are going to have to embrace the idea of a complete rebuild, and soon. That starts with making moves ahead of this season's trade deadline, continues with making some difficult decisions in the offseason to clear cap space and then re-tooling the roster in the draft.
If the Broncos are to move on from some of their players and trade them before Halloween, the assumption would be that the team receives multiple 2024 draft picks in return. Now, the team does not currently have a pick in the second round, as that pick was part of the Sean Payton package, but for the purpose of this exercise, it will be assumed that the Broncos collect one of those in a pre-deadline trade.
Taking a look at the 2024 draft class, here are some players the Broncos could grab to begin that rebuilding process. According to Tankathon, the Broncos currently hold the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and so that is what we will go with here.
This will also be assuming that each of these college players declares for the NFL draft following this season.
Denver Broncos mock draft, First round: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
It would be nice to land USC's Caleb Williams, but that is almost certainly going to take having the No. 1 overall pick. But Drake Maye looks like a great No. 2 option right now and his name is going to be tied to Denver until April.
The Broncos must use this pick on a quarterback, regardless of the status of Russell Wilson at the time and for me, that is not up for debate.
Maye is a prototypical NFL passer and there are some scouts who may even put him above Williams on their overall board. He can make all the throws, he can threaten a defense with his mobility and he is instinctive and athletic enough to make plays off script that will set him apart from most quarterbacks.
He has had a great season for the undefeated Tar Heels, throwing for 1,902 yards and 12 touchdowns with just four interceptions to this point. But he has been especially potent in the team's last three games against Pitt, Syracuse and Miami, throwing for 1,011 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Broncos need to try and find the quarterback of the future and Maye seems like a true candidate to be that for a team.
Denver Broncos mock draft, second round: Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
As stated, I will assume that the Broncos are able to collect a second-round draft pick ahead of the trade deadline and though there are so many positions of need, the team will look for another pass-rusher off of the edge in this spot to make up for the failed signings of Randy Gregory and Frank Clark.
Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are solid players, but having them as your primary pass-rushers will likely not be enough. The Broncos opt for Bralen Trice here, who has a first-round grade from most analysts and could easily be off the board anyway.
Trice has had a quiet season for a very good Washington team so far this year, with just one sack, but he had nine sacks as a sophomore and projects quite well to the professional level.
In addition to being able to get after the quarterback due to his length and ability to use his hands, he is also quite good at setting the edge and defending against the run.
Trice would have the chance to be a starter and impactful defender right out of the gate.
Denver Broncos mock draft, third round: T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
The Broncos are going to need more depth at cornerback and there will be a good argument that a pick should be used earlier on one.
The Broncos currently have Patrick Surtain and Damarri Mathis as their starters, and Surtain could win up being one of the players that is sent in a trade. If that happens, the Broncos will have much more firepower in this draft and can probably get another first-round corner.
But for this exercise, the Broncos use a third-round pick on Iowa State's T.J. Tampa, a six-foot-2 cornerback with 4.4 speed. Watching Tampa on film, there's a real good chance he goes much higher in the draft than this slot.
He diagnoses plays and routes extremely well, is tremendous at tracking the ball and can come up and be a terrific tackler in run support.
The Broncos are going to need an upgrade over the cornerbacks already on the roster and Tampa fits that bill.
Denver Broncos mock draft, fourth round: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
If you have watched the Colorado State Rams play this season, wide receiver Tory Horton is a player that stands out. He is currently third in the entire nation with 58 receptions.
If the Broncos trade either Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton, or both, the wide receiver position is going to need some work and again, the team may need more draft capital in order to take a wide receiver higher than the fourth round.
If the Broncos were to trade both Jeudy and Sutton, the wide receiver room becomes very shallow. Marvin Mims and Brandon Johnson would be the starters the rest of the year. Jalen Virgil and Tim Patrick are still on the roster and there are several guys on the practice squad, but no major difference makers.
Horton is a magnet to the football with great hands and incredible ability in the open field. He doesn't have lightning speed, so he won't separate from defenders at the pro level the way he does at CSU, but he could be a major weapon for a team out of the slot at the next level.