As 49ers keep winning, Broncos first-round pick could get worse and worse

Broncos fans needs to root against the 49ers in the NFL playoffs.

San Francisco officially clinched the NFC West with its win over Seattle on Thursday Night Football, and the Niners will have the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs. When they eventually exit the dance, or win the whole thing, is of great significance to Denver.

Remember, when Broncos general manager George Paton traded edge-rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins, he received a first-round pick in return. But it wasn’t Miami’s first-rounder, it was a San Francisco first-round selection from the Trey Lance trade back in March of 2021. Wherever the Niners slot in the 2023 NFL Draft is the pick the Broncos will receive.

And it’s pretty simple to follow. If the 49ers win the Super Bowl it will be No. 32 overall. If they lose the big game, it’ll be No. 31 overall. If they falter in the NFC Championship, it will be No. 29 or 30 overall and so on. Essentially, the quicker San Francisco gets knocked out of the playoffs, the better it is for the Broncos.

But this one is tricky, because the 49ers have a lot of Colorado connections. John Lynch is the GM, Kyle Shanahan is the head coach and Christian McCaffrey is the star running back. In any other year, it’d be easy to root for them to win the whole thing. But not this one — not one when the Broncos need the pick to be as high as possible.

Because, as we’ve told you week after week, Denver’s first-round pick is headed to Seattle thanks to the Russell Wilson trade. That was as high as No. 2 overall last week, but with the Broncos (4-10) beating the Cardinals, is now the No. 3 selection. The Texans (1-12-1) and Bears (3-11) have worse records.

So, that’s where things stand for Denver right now when it comes to the 2023 draft. We’d rather be breaking down playoff scenarios, but alas, here we are.

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