Broncos radio personality hints at possibility of trading up in NFL Draft

Are you wondering what the Denver Broncos are going to do in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft? Denver Broncos radio personality, Dave Logan, recently mentioned in an interview with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette that he would not be surprised if head coach Sean Payton surrendered multiple first-round picks in order to trade up for his preferred quarterback prospect:

"I think knowing (Payton) a little bit, I think if that guy is there and they think they can move up, I don’t think Payton would hesitate to trade next year’s (first-round pick) and the ’26 number one. I just don’t think he’d care because he wants to get his guy at quarterback."

- Dave Logan on Broncos' draft plans

Prior to this statement, Logan mentioned prospects J.J. McCarthy and Drake Maye as potential quarterbacks Denver would be in pursuit of if they were to move up from the 12th overall pick. While both McCarthy and Maye have received their fair share of hype leading up to the NFL Draft, there is a growing sense that one of the two will likely slip a few picks. Both are very talented passers, however, do possess a few concerning weaknesses that could warrant a sudden decrease in their draft stock come draft day.

Not to mention, regardless of the pre-draft hype, at least one quarterback prospect falls in the first round every single year. I am willing to bet this will be the case for either McCarthy or Maye. It may not be by a significant amount, as we witnessed in 2023 with Will Levis, but will likely be close to Denver's spot at pick 12. If this happens to come to fruition and say McCarthy or Maye is available in picks 7-9, the Broncos should be picking up the phone and doing whatever it takes to land their next franchise quarterback.

As Logan mentioned, Payton will not and should hesitate to trade multiple first-round picks to acquire their preferred quarterback prospect. Payton has made the mistake of not trading up for Patrick Mahomes during the 2017 NFL Draft with the New Orleans Saints and wishes to not make the same mistake twice. Both McCarthy and Maye possess an incredibly high ceiling at just 21 years old and would be ideal fits in Denver's offense.

If it means sacrificing multiple premium draft picks in order to finally add a franchise quarterback to an offense that has been searching for one during the last eight years, then so be it.