Broncos GM drops bombshell news on QB plans in NFL Draft

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton held their annual pre-draft press conference to address the media's questions regarding how they will be operating come draft day on April 25th. In a mixture of rather interesting answers, George Paton had a response that stood out when asked about the possibility of Denver sacrificing multiple first-round picks to trade up for a top quarterback prospect.

"If it's a player you feel like can change the landscape of your franchise going forward, you do what you have to do to get him. We're wide open."

- George Paton on trading up for QB

Paton is making it well-known that the Broncos are more than open to moving up in the draft for their preferred prospect, even if that means sacrificing future draft capital in the process. Later in the press conference, Sean Payton mentioned that Paton has spoken with "all" of the teams selecting before Denver's 12th overall pick and that a few teams even contacted the Broncos inquiring about moving down.

Of course, this does not guarantee that the Broncos will trade up or trade down, however, it was interesting to hear Denver's head coach and general manager speak so candidly about the possibility of trading multiple draft picks for an unproven commodity. This could mean one of two things: Denver's front office has their eyes on a specific quarterback or they could be baiting a different team into moving up for a quarterback in order to push their preferred prospect into their laps at Pick 12. There are a variety of outcomes to interpret from Paton's statement.

Regardless of any outside opinion, the Broncos should feel the confidence to trade multiple key assets to acquire their intended prospect. As often and cliche as it is said, if a team comes to a unanimous consensus that they are "in love" with a certain prospect, the team should not feel any hesitancy to do whatever it takes to move up and acquire that player. Most external opinions against Denver taking this route are largely due to the team's failed trade for quarterback Russell Wilson.

The team has yet to select a quarterback in the top 10 of an NFL draft in the franchise's history and could potentially be the move in a week from now if the right prospect falls down the board. If that were to become the scenario for, perhaps, J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye, do not be surprised if Sean Payton is picking up the phone in a hurry.