The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
Over the past decade, the highlight of the Broncos’ season occurred when no football was being played. As Denver stacked losing record after losing record, saying farewell to coach after coach, fans could at least rally around the springtime promise of the NFL Draft.
It was thrilling! We’d sit at the edge of our seats, spellbound by the sight of a paunchy executive sauntering to a podium. When Roger Goodell’s flirty monotone (“…the Denver Broncos select…”) reached our ears, we’d all whisper a quick prayer: “Football Jesus, please give us a quarterback.”
Well, the savior is upon us. Bo Nix arrived in last year’s draft and immediately led the Broncos to the playoffs for the first time since they won the Super Bowl in 2015. Obviously, there’s a long way to go, but Denver’s QB1 was twice named AFC Offensive Player of the Week and threw more touchdowns than any rookie in NFL history, save for Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers (who didn’t lead his team to the playoffs until his third year in the league, by the way). Nix is the good news.
But that’s bad news for the Broncos’ draft. With the franchise’s foundation apparently laid, we now move to the “team-building” phase of the blueprint, where the front office will look to raise the drywall of a contender by choosing offensive tackles and defensive linemen and all the other talented bodies you need to field a perennial winner. Such players are absolutely necessary, just hard to get hot and bothered about.
For the good of the team, though, let’s try anyway. Below, three directions in which Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton may go in Thursday’s first round with the 20th overall pick.
1. Running Back
According to ESPN, 14 running backs rank within the top 150 prospects in this year’s draft—and the Broncos need a reliable ball carrier. Their offensive line was top in the NFL at run-blocking last season (with a win rate near 75 percent), and their top rusher from last season, Javonte Williams, signed with the Cowboys.
At pick 20, the Broncos could probably land either the University of North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton or Ohio State University’s TreVeyon Henderson, the second- and third-ranked backs. Or, with so many talented rushers to choose from, they could surely wait and use their second- or third-round picks to snatch one. Or, they could mortgage absolutely everything and trade up to draft Ashton Jeanty.
The Boise State star would be a perfect fit for Payton’s offense. He not only led the NCAA in rushing last season, but he also gained more receiving yards than any other college back. ESPN compares him to Alvin Kamara, the dual-threat back that Payton drafted while coaching the New Orleans Saints. (Also: Jeanty averaged five yards after contact in 2024—just imagine how far he’d go running clean behind the Broncos’ dominant O-line!)
I know this sounds crazy, but it’s not impossible for two reasons. One, Payton loves to gain ground in the draft. Of his 25 draft-day trades as a coach, 22 moved him up in the picking order. Two, most mock drafts have Jeanty going to the Las Vegas Raiders at six. I mean, if you’re looking to hoodwink a team, could you ask for a more hapless trading partner than the one occupying your own division’s cellar?
2. Wide Receiver
Much like running back, this falls under the “get-Nix-some-weapons” category, and the quarterback seemed particularly short of receiving threats during his rookie season. Veteran Courtland Sutton had 81 catches, but the Broncos next top receiver was Williams, a running back. At 20, the Denver Broncos could go for a player like University of Texas’ Michael Goldin, a deep-play threat with a 4.29 40-yard-dash time. But we have a better idea: University of Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.
Loveland is big, a great route runner, and has sticky hands—not unlike Travis Kelce. In the short term, Loveland would be a reliable target for Nix, who we know likes quick passes. In the long term, he would form a ubiquitous connection with Nix that would remain constant through years and years of roster turnover. They would win Super Bowls together. Eventually, he would launch a popular podcast that would catch the attention of a soaring pop star (Sabrina Carpenter?) and the two would ignite a romance that would relocate the center of the pop culture universe to Mile High Stadium. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
3. Defensive Line
The Broncos’ resurgent defense led the league in sacks last year, which, even more than Nix, probably accounted for the team’s rebound. All of Denver’s most feared pass rushers are back in 2025—but that doesn’t mean they’ll be here forever. Loading up on the defensive front now would ensure the Orange Crush continues to wreak havoc on opposing offenses for years to come.
No, this direction wouldn’t be incredibly exciting on draft night. It’s tough to get jazzed about a hog molly you’ve likely never heard of. So, should Goodell read the name of University of Mississippi’s Walter Nolan or Texas A&M University’s Shemar Stewart, you’ll have to simply imagine them smothering Patrick Mahomes on a Sunday afternoon, the echoes of Mile High thundering in your ears. That should be enough to get your heart pumping.
