Broncos could follow Ravens model to finding potential franchise QB

Can the Broncos pass on a quarterback at 12, and get one later in round one like Baltimore did a few years ago?

Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos / Tom Pennington/GettyImages
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In 2018, the Baltimore Ravens traded up to the final pick of the first round to select their quarterback. Today, Lamar Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP. Could the Denver Broncos possibly land their future franchise quarterback in a similar way?

The defending Super Bowl champions in that year's Draft -- the Philadelphia Eagles -- decided to move down and get more capital instead of selecting someone with their first-round pick. Those playoff teams have loaded rosters, so moving down with quarterback-needy teams could work for both. For one team to secure their franchise signal caller, and for the other team, to add picks and have more flexibility in the Draft.

The details on the trade between Baltimore and Philadelphia:

Lamar Jackson

The 2024 NFL Draft is a perfect opportunity for the Denver Broncos to do the same thing that Baltimore did in 2018 to get their quarterback.

I do not think the Broncos will trade up for a quarterback, especially with their overall lack of Draft capital. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. seem to bethe most likely options. Unless one or both of Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy, top 5 projected picks, fall.

Heading into the Draft, as of today, the Denver Broncos have the following picks ...

- Pick 12 (round 1)
- Pick 76 (round 3)
- Pick 121 (round 4)
- Pick 136 (round 5)
- Pick 145 (round 5)
- Pick 147 (round 5)
- Pick 203 (round 6)
- Pick 207 (round 6)

In next year's Draft, the Broncos have six picks. A pick in each of the first four rounds, and two in the sixth round.

With that said, if the Broncos feel that they can get their quarterback despite not selecting one with the 12th overall pick, trading back into the first round could make a lot of sense, as there are not many quarterback-needy teams following the top 15 picks unless one team with a veteran quarterback would like to draft one as the Green Bay Packers did in 2020 when they selected Jordan Love, who was the backup for multiple years before becoming a full-time starter.

Teams with picks after the 20th overall pick could be interested in adding more capital and moving on from their first-round selection. Or a team like Arizona -- who is in a prime position to trade down from the 4th overall pick and also owns the 27th overall pick -- might want to add even more capital to work with during the Draft (or in a future year)

Denver could offer something that includes the following picks to add an extra first-rounder and get their quarterback ...

  • 76th overall pick
  • One or two 5th rounders from 136th,145th, and 147th pick
  • 2025 2nd-round pick

Among the teams with picks after 25th overall...

Buccaneers - 7 picks
Cardinals - 11 picks
Bills - 11 picks
Lions - 7 picks
Ravens - 9 picks
49ers - 9 picks
Chiefs - 7 picks

Can the Broncos address another position at 12, and get an extra first-round pick to get their quarterback?

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