Three teams the Broncos could trade up with in 2021 NFL Draft

The NFL draft is coming up at the end of April, and the Denver Broncos are not going to fix everything wrong with them in one felled swoop. New general manager George Paton has his work cut out for him. It’s going to take time, but Broncos fans should have confidence the team is in good hands.

What approach should Paton be taking in his first draft as GM of the Broncos? Some may think the team should have a more conservative approach, trading down and adding picks because of their lack of talent. I’ve written about that earlier this week.

In this article, I’m going to look at a more aggressive approach. More picks/players is fine, but better talent – perhaps the best talent available could get this team back to where they need to be faster.

That means the Broncos could move up from their No. 9 overall selection. That’s not the only round they could be moving up from, as they look to secure the best talent available in the 2021 NFL Draft. I’ve examined which teams may be looking to move back in the first round, and if the Broncos should be tempted to make an aggressive move.

Here are three teams who the Broncos could trade up with in the first round of the draft.

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Miami Dolphins | No. 3

The Dolphins got their franchise quarterback last year in the draft when they spent a top-five pick on Tua Tagovailoa. They are in the mix for Deshaun Watson, but if they don’t get him then they’ll ride with Tagovailoa and try to build weapons around him. Those weapons that might be options for the Dolphins include a trio of wide receivers, and all three of those top receivers would be available with the no.9 overall pick.

We could see the Dolphins move back six spots in the draft and still get their highest-graded receiver. In fact, there’s a chance the Dolphins at No. 9 overall could be taking the first wide receiver off the board. Jaylen Waddle (Alabama), Ja’Marr Chase (LSU) and DeVonta Smith (Alabama) are considered the top three wide receivers, and you can split hairs when you rank them first, second and third. The Dolphins are going to do just that, so if they think a guy like Smith is the receiver they want – and they feel he will be there at No. 9 – then moving down to acquire more picks just makes sense.

If the Broncos wanted to move up to No. 3 overall, it would likely be for a quarterback. Trevor Lawrence is seen as the No. 1 overall pick and the best quarterback, but that’s not a consensus around the league. In fact, there are rumblings that BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is a better prospect – and some are even floating Patrick Mahomes comparisons.

The trade value chart sees the difference between the picks as 850 points – or roughly the worth of the No. 20 overall pick in the draft. To make such a move, the Broncos would have to give up No. 9 and then likely their first-round pick in 2022. Hey, if Wilson is their guy and he turns out like Mahomes, then it will all be worth it.

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Atlanta Falcons | No. 4

Like the Broncos, the Falcons have a new general manager in place. The Broncos interviewed Terry Fontenot, but they chose Paton instead. Fontenot quickly signed with the Falcons as he was one of the hottest names out there, and he now gets to build Atlanta’s team – which needs a lot of help.

As I’ve reported on social media, Falcons owner Arthur Blank is hesitant to move on from veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. He’s going to let Fontenot make the call of course, but there’s a feeling that the Falcons could select a quarterback this in the first round only to groom him behind Ryan for one season.

However, a quarterback isn’t going to fix everything wrong with the Falcons. They could move back and add extra picks to add more talent. The team isn’t ready to compete at the highest level and adding more talent – especially if they do draft a young quarterback makes a lot of sense.

The move for the Broncos is much cheaper than the move just one pick higher with the Dolphins. The trade value chart sees the difference between the two picks as 450 points. That’s the equivalent of a mid-second-round pick. A move up for the Broncos is an aggressive one, but a mid-second (and No. 9 overall) seems like it could be a move for an impact linebacker if they get the buzz that some team is interested in a player like Micah Parsons (Penn State) ahead of them.

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Buffalo Bills | No. 30

Yes, I know the No. 30 pick is far behind the No. 9 pick – but I’m not talking about the Broncos moving back 21 spots. I’m talking about the Broncos moving back in the end of the first round to get more talent and to secure a fifth-year option for this player.

This is a move done by a few teams in recent years, and you see how at the end of the first round there can be a flurry of activity. Teams mostly do this to add a quarterback, guys like Teddy Bridgewater and Lamar Jackson have been added late in the first round – and those teams (Vikings, Ravens) were able to get an extra year (if they so choose) with a team option.

So, who would the Broncos be moving back into the end of the first round for? That’s the biggest question, especially if they pass on a quarterback at No. 9 overall. This quarterback class is top heavy and there may be as many as four quarterbacks go in the top 10. However, there might only be four or five players at the position drafted after that. The lowest total since 2015 when there were only seven quarterbacks drafted.

Who could be the quarterback to fall near the end of the first round? Mac Jones (Alabama) is the most likely candidate, as I have him ranked as the fifth-best quarterback in this draft with a late first-round grade. Jones is hyper accurate, a great leader and known as a pocket passer. I don’t think he’d fit with Pat Shurmur’s offense, but maybe the Broncos disagree with that assessment.

I don’t think he will, but there is a small chance that Trey Lance falls in the draft just a bit. He’s a fine talent but one year (and one game) at North Dakota State may have teams hesitant to pull the trigger on the talented and athletic quarterback. I think he goes in the top 10 but you never know.

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No matter how Paton approaches the 2021 NFL draft, he needs to be ready for the unpredictable event and consider all options on the table.

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