Denver Broncos had hours long private workout with a top QB in NFL Draft
A significant piece of news dropped on Monday on Broncos Country, and could be a huge indicator of who they want to target at QB in the NFL Draft. This is definitely something and could tell quite a lot about who the Broncos like at QB for April's draft:
Sean Payton said he didn’t attend J.J. McCarthy’s Pro Day but had a private work out with him the next day. Spent 4-5 hours with him. “Made him” make his throws all over again. #9sports
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) March 25, 2024
Firstly, I personally would not put any stock in Pro Days as a whole. For the most part, they are in a dome, in a controlled environment, and the prospects are usually in shorts and are simply in ideal conditions to showcase their talent. It should not impact where they are drafted, so the fact that Sean Payton did not attend JJ McCarthy's Pro Day isn't a big deal at all. However, according to Mike Klis, who is in the know, Payton had a 4-5 hour date with McCarthy, apparently making him make all of his Pro Day throws again.
JJ McCarthy is likely going within the top six picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, so if the Denver Broncos want him, they'll surely need to trade up, which makes this private workout a bigger deal. Would Payton really trade more draft capital to move up? The Broncos have not had much draft capital over the last couple of years, so you'd think that the team would want to save it.
They haven't had a first-round pick in the 2022 or 2023 NFL Drafts, and do not have a second-round pick this year. The team is at a disadvantage with the potential cost to trade up if they wanted JJ McCarthy, but then there's this from Sean Payton about a potential trade-up:
Payton on trading up from No 12: “I think that’s realistic. What’s hard to predict though is what’s on the receiving end. I think it’s good to be Monti (Ossenfort) today at Arizona. It’s hard to predict what that cost is and yet I wouldn’t say it’s unrealistic.” #9sports
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) March 25, 2024
Payton is saying that it's realistic for Denver to trade UP from the 12th overall selection, so what is Sean Payton planning? Surely, if the Broncos wanted to move up, they'd have to include picks AND players. Patrick Surtain II is the most valuable player that Denver has on the roster, so he could be in play for Denver to package in a deal to move up.
If the Broncos don't move up, the next likely scenario in my opinion is them using the 12th pick or moving back for Oregon QB Bo Nix, who might be the best overall fit for Sean Payton's offense in this QB class.
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