The Denver Broncos are in a weird spot heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Head coach Sean Payton desperately needs/wants a franchise quarterback, but the team wasn’t quite bad enough last season to guarantee itself one. Plus, the team doesn’t have a ton of draft capital or cap space to get one after the Russell Wilson debacle. Still, in this three-round Broncos mock draft, they will move heaven and earth to get their QB.
To move up nine spots in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Broncos will have to give up a huge haul of picks. At this point, though, with all the picks that have already come and gone, it seems like Payton will be willing to do just that.
For the Broncos to move up to No. 3 you can figure out what they will have to give up based on the 2021 3/12 swap between the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins. In that deal, the 49ers gave up 12, a third, and their next two firsts. Since the Broncos don’t have a ton of picks in this draft, they’ll give up 12, a 2025 first and third, and a 2026 first to move up.
After that deal is done, the Broncos will still have a third and a fourth-round pick this year, and that’s what we’ll go through in this three-round mock draft.
Round 1, Pick No. 12 (via NE): QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
The first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft seem like they’ll be USC QB Caleb Williams and LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels. If that’s the order, UNC passer Drake Maye should be sitting there at No. 3. If that’s the case, Sean Payton and the Broncos will pull the trigger on a trade and take him.
At 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, Maye seems a lot like Josh Allen or Will Levis. He has all the tools to be an elite NFL quarterback, but his production in college was never quite at the highest levels.
Like those two NFL QBs, Maye was better in his penultimate college football season than he was in his final one. In 2022, he completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions. After losing Josh Downs and some other offensive pieces — plus dealing with Tez Walker’s suspension — Maye hit 63.3% of his targets last season for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Getting paired with NFL coaching and NFL talent may be just the thing Maye needs to fulfill his potential as a signal-caller.
Round 3, Pick 76: C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Georgia
The Broncos have 4/5s of a nice offensive line heading into the 2024 campaign. Denver has Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey at tackle and Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz at guard. However, Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth are not going to cut it at center.
After going QB with their first pick and not having a second, the Broncos will not be able to get Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. If they keep their third-rounder, though, Georgia C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger could be there.
Van Pran-Granger was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs and anchored two national championship-winning offensive lines. He needs to clean up his technique at the next level, but with his skills, size, and mentality, he could be a Week 1 starter in Denver.
Round 4, Pick 121: RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
Even after trading Jerry Jeudy, Denver still has a pretty strong wide receiver corps. Still, if there is a pass-catcher on the board who Payton likes, that could be the pick here. Otherwise, look for the Broncos to take an all-around back with excellent ball skills like Isaac Guerendo, as they do in this mock draft.
The former Wisconsin back transferred to Louisville and put up over 800 rushing yards and 22 catches last season. Then, at the NFL Scouting Combine, he blew evaluators away by running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, the fastest among all running backs and third-fastest at the event.
At 6 feet, 221 pounds, Guerendo is big enough to run between the tackles, fast enough to get to the outside, and has the hands to catch out of the backfield. He is also already a good pass protector after five years in college.
If Guerendo reaches his potential, he could be a cross between Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the two-headed backfield that Payton had so much success with down in New Orleans.
Follow Us
Subscribe