Broncos GM seems to quiet down trade up rumors with recent comment

Broncos General Manager George Paton has made rough decisions over his tenure with the franchise, including the Nathaniel Hackett hiring and the Russell Wilson trade. Still, his scouting and Draft selections have allowed him to keep his job.

Since he joined the Denver Broncos, he has drafted and signed undrafted free agents who have made a huge impact on the team, including cornerback Patrick Surtain II, running back Javonte Williams, and guard Quinn Meinerz among others.

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, a quarterback is probably the top priority for the Broncos. The good thing is that there are multiple good options, with this being a loaded class in the position. The bad thing is that multiple teams with more Draft capital could trade up to get their guy at QB.

Thanks to this loaded class, the Broncos are in a good position to select one at 12th overall. It would be difficult for Denver to trade up for the first overall pick to select USC's Caleb Williams, but they can move up some spots and get a top-tier one like Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, or even JJ McCarthy, whose draft stock looks to be rising. Assuming that the Broncos do not want to trade up, the most obvious choice would be between Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr.

Denver could still trade down and get one of these guys (Nix/Penix) since teams in the mid/late first round should not be interested in taking a quarterback. By trading down, the Broncos would still get their guy (if the decision is to go QB in round 1), and they get additional capital to work with during the rest of the draft. The Broncos have two top 100 picks (12 and 76), so it would make sense if they trade back to get an extra day 2 pick, or multiple day 3 picks.

Another option is to select the best player available in another position, or fill other needs and get Spencer Rattler on day 2, which seems unlikely but not impossible. Anything can happen in the Draft.

During the week, General Manager George Paton mentioned something important regarding the Draft ...

""There’s going to be a really good player at No. 12. Unless we have a total consensus love for another player, we’ll stay at [No.] 12 or we’ll move back.""

- George Paton

What Paton said is the most likely scenario, as the Broncos do not have much capital to move up, and will probably not give future early picks, since they have not had early picks in the past few years due to the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades. If there is a guy they want, and the price is right ... Paton might pull the trigger to get this specific player.