The Denver Broncos do not have a franchise QB, and with each passing year they don't have the guy, they fall farther behind. The Kansas City Chiefs just won their third Super Bowl in five seasons. It's not getting any better for the Broncos, who have seen the Chiefs dynasty up close. It's an unfortunate reality for the Denver Broncos.
And the only way to begin getting out of this misery and actually competing with the Chiefs is to get the franchise QB. The Broncos aren't going to sign that person in free agency or make another trade. It has to come in the NFL Draft. That's where the elite, Super Bowl teams got their franchise passers, and all of them took a giant risk when drafting their stud.
The Chiefs traded up from the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to the 10th overall pick for some guy named Patrick Mahomes. The Buffalo Bills took a massive chance on Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft, an incredibly raw an inaccurate prospect. Since Denver doesn't have a pick in the top 10, and given how the NFL Draft board is likely to fall, Denver may have to trade into the top five to get their passer.
A recent PFF Mock Draft from Trevor Sikkema had the Broncos trading all the way up to the fourth overall pick for Drake Maye, who some thing is the best QB prospect in this class.
"Commanders receive: A 2024 first-round pick (No. 12), a 2025 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 first-round pick.Trevor Sikkema / PFF.com
Broncos receive: A 2024 first-round pick (No. 2).
I believe the market for quarterbacks in this draft will be red hot, and we’ll see that solidify after free agency.
Teams such as the Falcons, Raiders, Broncos and Vikings will all be looking to move up for a quarterback. Here, I have an aggressive Sean Payton moving from No. 12 to No. 2 by giving up the same compensation package the 49ers offered to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 for Trey Lance in 2021."
Other mock drafts have the Broncos sticking at 12 and taking a QB, which could be Michigan's JJ McCarthy. I think for the most part though, the consensus top-three QBs in 2024 are Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels, who are all going to go in the top five, in my opinion. Folks, I don't think Sean Payton really cares what we think about the draft capital; if he falls in love with one of the top passers, and the team has to move up to get him, so bet it.
I know that'll further deplete the Broncos chest of draft capital, but heck, if it means the team has their franchise passer, then who really cares about the draft picks that were traded?