The Denver Broncos path to finding their franchise QB is clear

With the Denver Broncos likely needing to move up to even draft JJ McCarthy, their path to find a franchise quarterback is clear. Unless you missed it, let me fill you in on what happened recently:

This is bad news for the Broncos, as the Vikings are likely targeting a QB in the first round, and one of the top four passers expected to be drafted will be their target. Well, the Vikings found a way to net another first-round pick, and they got the pick that was previously held by the Houston Texans. Now, the Vikes will hold the 11th and 23rd overall picks, giving them plenty of ammo to move up in the draft.

With the Broncos not having a second first-round pick this year or a second round pick, and with them picking 12th overall, it might be nearly impossible for them to trade up the 2024 NFL Draft board. The top four QBs appear to be Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and JJ McCarthy. With the top three picks all potentially being QBs, the Broncos are simply not playing in the same sandbox as some other QB-needy teams.

So, for that reason, their path to land a franchise QB has become more clear; trading down in the first round for Oregon's Bo Nix, while also netting additional draft capital is the best path for them. While Nix is a very good NFL prospect, especially for Sean Payton's offense, he doesn't appear to be quite the prospect that Williams, Maye, Daniels, and McCarthy are. However, if Payton and his front office mates think that Bo Nix is the guy, then they should move mountains to draft him.

Frankly, Bo Nix might be able to be had at the very bottom of the first round, which would be ideal for the Broncos, because they could trade down the draft board to land Nix. Now yes, a trade down requires another team to want to trade up, but I don't believe that'll be a problem for the Denver Broncos.

In fact, in a recent 2024 NFL Mock Draft I completed using Pro Football Network's simulator, I was able to trade down to the 26th overall pick and draft Bo Nix. I was also able to net the 48th and 57th overall picks as well, which would give the Denver Broncos two picks in the second round. I used the 48th overall pick for T'Vondre Sweat, a talented defensive tackle from Texas, and I used the 57th overall pick for Bo Nix's college teammate, WR Troy Franklin.

To me, getting a potential franchise quarterback and two other draft picks in the top 75 sounds like a much better solution than attempting a trade up for a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft.