Broncos build for future without Patrick Surtain in 7-round mock draft

Can the Denver Broncos trade Patrick Surtain II and still build a solid team for their future? Well, they certainly do it in this 2024 NFL Draft. In my opinion, if the Denver Broncos were serious about winning football games, they'd trade Patrick Surtain II for a nice haul of draft picks. Surtain is the best cornerback in the game, but the team would be better off with a very good defensive front and average CBs than a very good secondary and an average defensive front.

Games in the NFL are won in the trenches, and the Broncos need to get better there. So, their best chance at improving for the long-term is to trade PS2. Let's put together a Broncos mock draft as they build for the future without Patrick Surtain II.

Broncos build for future without Patrick Surtain in 7-round mock draft

Let's first cover the trade itself. I sent Surtain to the Philadelphia Eagles, reuniting him with Vic Fangio and Christian Parker, for two second-round picks and a first-round pick. Denver gets two picks inside the top-75 this year and a second-rounder from Philly next year. This means, with this trade, Denver has picks 12, 22, 53, and 76.

Now we're talkin'.

22nd Overall Pick - Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois

The first pick the Denver Broncos make is the pick they got from the Eagles in the first round. They'll select Johnny Newton from Illinois, who is the best defensive tackle in the 2024 class. In 2023, he had 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He'd be a huge boost to the Broncos DL.