4 observations for Denver Broncos ahead of 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is almost here. The Denver Broncos have their big board ready and they have circled some of the players they would like to see in orange and blue next season. Of course, the front office is also going to be ready to answer the phone with potential trade offers.

The Broncos have only five picks as of right now in the draft and they could certainly be willing to trade a player already on the roster or drop back down the board a bit in order to acquire more picks.

The Broncos have made several moves through free agency this offseason and new head coach Sean Payton seems to have a plan in place to build the offense as a run-heavy machine that is much more physical than the offenses this team has put forth in recent years.

The team has had a solid defensive unit for several years and both Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain are still on the team, ready to lead that side of the ball. But depth is still going to be needed at several spots.

So how do things look for this team with the draft just days away? Here are four observations ahead of draft day.

Running back is going to be an intriguing option, and a necessary spot to target

The belief in today's NFL is that most running backs are a dime a dozen and teams don't need to prioritize them in the draft. While that may be largely true, teams still need to consider those that are game changers, and this draft has some of those.

The Broncos are not complete at the running back position. There is legitimate concern over how soon Javonte Williams will be able to take the field and carry the load for the team and behind him is free-agent signing Samaje Perine and not much else.

The team is going to need another option at this position and this draft should have some good options which could be considered as early as the third round, where the team holds two picks.

Devon Achane of Texas A&M and Tyjae Spears of Tulane are two players that have been connected to the Broncos throughout the draft process. Both players would bring an interesting dynamic to the team.

Payton is a guy who likes to have that hard-running power back as well as a quick guy who can make moves in the running game but also be a threat in the passing game, similar to what he had with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara in New Orleans.

A player like Achane, who has world-class speed and can be a major threat out of the backfield, could be a dynamic weapon in this offense.