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.
25th Overall Pick (via GB) - Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
I actually traded down from the 12th overall pick. I went down to pick 25 and got picks 41 and 126 in addition. So right now, the Broncos are cooking with the draft capital. With two first-round picks, they'll use the second one on Bo Nix from Oregon. He fits the Denver Broncos offense better than any QB prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.
I do think Sean Payton would love to have Nix on the roster and would love someone like Nix operating the offense and leading the franchise.
41st Overall Pick (via GB) - Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
Why not reunite Nix with one of his college teammates? Now that Denver gets to pick in the second round, a whole new can of prospects opens up for them, so I find it hard to believe they'd pass at the chance to draft a former teammate, especially someone of Franklin's caliber.
53rd Overall Pick - Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State
The Denver Broncos get exactly what they need to rebuild their defensive front, taking Adisa Isaac with the second pick they got for Patrick Surtain II. Already, Denver has effectively replaced Surtain with Newton and Isaac for 2024. It's hard to envision this going wrong for the Broncos. Two quality players along the defensive front are going to have a bigger impact for this team than one elite cornerback.
76th Overall Pick - Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
Now available in the third round, Ja'Tavion Sanders could be the receiving tight end that the Denver Broncos are missing. He's a legitimate receiving threat, but like many receiving tight ends, isn't the best blocker. The team did re-sign Adam Trautman, who is a fine blocker, so it's not like Sanders is going to be asked to do that a ton.
121st Overall Pick - Tanor Bortolini, OC, Wisconsin
The Denver Broncos try to get a long-term replacement for Lloyd Cushenberry in Tanor Bortolini. If nothing else, Bortolini comes form Wisconsin, a very strong OL school that has churned out quality OL players in the NFL for a while now. He joins a crowded center room on the Denver Broncos where Alex Forsyth, Luke Wattenberg, and Sam Mustipher all look to earn the C1 job.
126th Overall Pick (via GB) - Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee
The Denver Broncos could have some interest in Jaylen Wright. The team's run game was just "meh" in 2023, and it's clear that Javonte Williams was not his old self. Samaje Perine was very good out of the backfield, but there wasn't a ton to like from that unit in 2023.
136th Overall Pick - Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Penn State
The Broncos should address the cornerback position during the 2024 NFL Draft. The team is likely to start one of Riley Moss or Damarri Mathis at the CB2 spot in 2024, and without Patrick Surtain II, you could argue that Denver needs to take a CB higher than this.
145th Overall Pick - Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
Finally getting another McCaffrey on the Denver Broncos could be a fine idea. Luke McCaffrey could turn into a viable slot wide receiver in the NFL and is yet another young WR that the Broncos added to their room during the NFL Draft, giving rookie QB Bo Nix some weapons he could build with for the long-term.
147th Overall Pick - Jordan Jefferson, DT, LSU
Defensive line coach Jamar Cain was at LSU in 2022 as the DL coach. Jordan Jefferson was not there, but I have a feeling that the Broncos do want to come away with either Jefferson, Maason Smith, or Mekhi Wingo, all three played along the LSU defensive line, and both Smith and Wingo played for Cain in 2022.
203rd Overall Pick - Sione Vaki, S, Utah
Why not add another player into the secondary? The safety room did get weaker without Justin Simmons, and even though the Broncos signed Brandon Jones in free agency, there's nothing wrong with taking a stab on a young safety with one of their final picks.
207th Overall Pick - Dylan McMahon, OG, NC State
I am not sure what happens with Quinn Meinerz. I mean, you'd think Denver extends him at some point but perhaps Ben Powers eventually gets cut. It never hurts to address the offensive line, so with Denver's last pick, they'll take a guard in Dylan McMahon. Offensive line coach Zach Strief will try to mold McMahon into a future starter.
It's hard to not like this class, even with Patrick Surtain II not being in the picture anymore. I get why Broncos fans don't want to see him get traded, but it makes sense for the long-term future of the team to make that happpen.