Denver Broncos should trade for the player drafted right after Patrick Mahomes

The Denver Broncos could have a major move up their sleeves. Could the team try and trade for the player drafted right after Patrick Mahomes? Let a man dream. The New Orleans Saints and veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore don't seem to be on solid ground with each other. The team likely won't see Lattimore report until later this summer, and this article from Dallas Robinson really makes things interesting:

Here is a crucial excerpt from the piece:

"Lattimore’s guaranteed option bonus is worth $13.79 million and must be exercised before Week 1 of the 2024 regular season. If the Saints trade Lattimore after June 1 but before his option hits their salary cap, they would only take on between $10-$13 million in dead money.

Moving Lattimore could make sense for New Orleans, which just selected CB Kool-Aid McKinstry in Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft and also has corners Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor on the roster and needs long-term salary cap space"

- Dallas Robinson

It's not like the Saints would trade away their entire secondary by making this move. New Orleans has needed long-term cap space for years now, and as Robinson notes, they did just take Kool-Aid McKinstry in the 2024 NFL Draft, and already have two other viable CBs on the roster. It could be a situation worth monitoring.

And for the Denver Broncos, could they try to swing the trade for the player that was taken after Patrick Mahomes? It's well-documented that the Sean Payton and the Saints wanted to take Mahomes with their 11th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but they were jumped by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since Mahomes was now off the board, they decided to take Marshon Lattimore instead. The Denver Broncos do already have a CB1 on the roster in Patrick Surtain II, but let's not pretend like adding Lattimore would be a bad thing. In a hypothetical trade, since the Saints truly do need long-term cap relief, I believe the Broncos would have a bit of leverage. Perhaps they could send someone like Riley Moss and a future 2025 NFL Draft pick over for Lattimore.

Lattimore has played in 90 regular season games, has made four Pro Bowls, and has intercepted 15 passes across his NFL career. He's also got 86 passes defended and 375 total tackles. The Denver Broncos would finally have their CB2, and Denver could still re-work the contract to fit their cap situation if the need arose.

And I don't think this would at all take them out of a Patrick Surtain extension by any means. Paying two cornerbacks big-money might not be super common, but when you play in a division with Patrick Mahomes, it could be necessary.

A potential starting secondary of Patrick Surtain II / Brandon Jones / PJ Locke III / Marshon Lattimore / Ja'Quan McMillian would be outstanding. It would be a legitimate equalizer to Mahomes and the high-flying Chiefs offense. The Denver Broncos could also be a desired landing spot for Lattimore, as he has played his best football with Sean Payton as his head coach.

It might be a dream scenario, but it's one that the Broncos should consider.