Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft has now come and gone with the Denver Broncos making three very interesting and fun selections, one on offense and two on the defense. The Broncos certainly made some selections that surprised the fan base, and some surprising decisions, to boot. Although the team came into the draft with just five selections, they managed to trade up twice and have three picks within the range of 63-83.
Sean Payton, who jokingly labeled himself the "spender" and GM George Paton the "saver", has always been aggressive in the NFL Draft dating back to his time with the Saints. Dating back to 2011, Payton has traded up in every draft at some point or another. But who the Broncos traded up for at this point is what's most important.
After the Broncos' top three picks, which players already on the roster have to be feeling good about where things are at? Which players already on the team are "winners" after Day 2?
Denver Broncos winners after Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft
1. Greg Dulcich, TE
I don't know that there is a bigger winner after Day 2 than Denver Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich. Dulcich had a very fun rookie season last year but it was also slightly disappointing because of all his missed time due to a hamstring injury. Dulcich ended up being third on the team in overall targets, but he was limited to just 10 total games.
His impact was felt immediately upon arrival, though. That Monday Night Football game against the Chargers where Dulcich came into the lineup "cold" and ended up dominating the first half was a sight to behold. Over the course of time, the luster of things can certainly tend to wear off and I think that happened a little bit with Dulcich.
Last year at this time, we were talking about how Daniel Jeremiah had Greg Dulcich ranked as his TE1, and how the Broncos got such a steal at pick no. 80 overall. Dulcich then proceeded to have an absolutely outstanding offseason program for the Broncos where he was all anyone could talk about. That was saying something because, at the time, Russell Wilson had just arrived and still Dulcich was stealing headlines.
Throughout the 2023 NFL Draft process, however, it became apparent that the Broncos were interested in making a move at tight end. They brought in some of the top guys for top-30 visits and the rumor mill was swirling with the idea that maybe the Broncos could even move up for someone. I was certainly convinced.
After those top three selections went by on Day 2 and no tight end was picked, though, how can you argue that really anyone on offense was a bigger winner than Dulcich? Barring an unexpected move, he heads into 2023 now as the unquestioned, undisputed TE1 in Denver.
2. Samaje Perine, RB
Another big winner for the Denver Broncos after Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft was free agent signing Samaje Perine, who is slated to receive the bulk of RB1 duties all throughout the offseason program. The Broncos, as of right now, have maintained a relatively positive outlook for 2021 second-round pick Javonte Williams, who is coming off of a brutal knee injury suffered against Houston early last season.
Williams, however, may not be ready for the start of the 2023 season. In fact, I would venture to guess that it's far more likely he's not ready than that he is. That's just the nature of having a brutal injury like that, and the fact that you need to give Williams the proper time to recover.
Perine came to Denver expecting a bigger role, but there was certainly a chance the Broncos could go out with one of their picks on Day 2 and take a running back. But they did not. The Broncos passed on Day 2 running backs and traded out of their fourth-round slot. Heck, they even traded out of their fifth-round slot.
It's going to be a "sleeper" at running back for the Broncos in this draft, if anything, and that makes the veteran Samaje Perine a huge winner. Could the Broncos still make a trade for someone like D'Andre Swift? Sure. Could they sign a free agent at the position to go with Perine? Sure.
As of right now, though, it looks like he's benefitting big from the Draft.
3. The EDGE rusher group
One of the few hills I was dying on before the 2023 NFL Draft started was that the Denver Broncos wouldn't be able to get anybody at the EDGE position in round three (or within reasonable trade up range) that would be a better alternative to the young players they already have.
In addition to veteran and former high-priced free agent Randy Gregory, the Broncos got a good year out of Baron Browning in his first year transitioning to playing the edge on a full-time basis. They used a second-round pick last year on Oklahoma's Nik Bonitto, and brought in his college coach (Jamar Cain) as a pass rush specialist coach this offseason.
They already have guys like Jonathon Cooper, Jacob Martin (who was acquired in a trade last year), and guys like Aaron Patrick and Christopher Allen coming off of injury. Of course, you can always find talented players in the draft worth taking, but in terms of having guys with upside, they're already on the roster. The Broncos didn't need to go after pure EDGE guys, and they didn't.
Drew Sanders can play off the edge, but Sean Payton said that the team envisions him playing inside linebacker and crossing into that pass rush realm, not the other way around.
You can never have too many good pass rushers, and it's not like the Broncos have a bunch of proven assets. But they do have a lot of talent worth pouring into, and those guys were big winners after Day 2 because the team (correctly) passed on guys with Day 2 picks who are a bit limited.